While numerous automobile owners have less-than-fond memories of particular makes or models they’ve owned in the past, Yugo seems to be one of the brands with a reputation for displeasing U.S. consumers about as much as any, with previous caretakers citing issues such as build quality, reliability, rust, and a host of other problems. On the other hand, a lot of time has passed since the company ceased importing its cars into the United States after 1992, and it’s been years since I last saw one of these cruising around my town. This 1987 Yugo GV here on eBay needs brake work, but it’s running and affordable, priced at $1,950 or best offer. This one’s located in Lockport, Illinois, and might be a fun little car to improve or perhaps customize.
There has been an abundance of jokes made already about these cars, so I’ll limit mine to just one- how do you double the value of a Yugo? Fill the gas tank. However, what’s sometimes overlooked is how affordable these cars were when new and how simple their design was, so it’s unfair to perceive these vehicles entirely in negative terms. This one is also running and driving, so while the 1.1-liter engine is only rated at a mere 55 horsepower, at least it’s faster than walking. The owner also reports that the transmission still shifts through the gears, but he can’t get the brakes to function, which is the reason listed for selling.
Some corrosion is present on the underside, described as typical, and a few traces are visible on the body, such as on the left quarter near the bumper. The good news is that most of the panels appear to remain in fairly decent condition and relatively straight, so it might not be a monumental task to make a few sheet metal repairs and spray on a fresh coat of paint. I’m picturing this one in a color other than white, with aftermarket wheels and a few other cosmetic upgrades to spruce up the exterior a bit.
The interior actually looks pretty good here, and I’m not spotting any obvious tears in the seats or flaws on the dash. The radio is missing, but the seller mentions dealer-installed air conditioning is included, though I’m guessing turning it on might rob a significant portion of the engine’s already limited power. Is this 1987 Yugo GV one you’d have any interest in acquiring and turning into a budget-friendly weekend cruiser?
Please don’t anybody pick on me….
I actually liked these cars when they came out. And still do. Unfortunately many of the examples that are left out there are fairly rough. This one seems kind of middle of the road. The body looks pretty straight, and not too much rust showing up on the body. Its used, for sure. But for the right price, you could have a fun getting an older car up and running. And let’s face it, not too many of these will show up at a Cars and Coffee. White wouldn’t be my first choice, I always liked red on these. Thanks for writing this up Mike. I always enjoy seeing a little of everything on Barnfinds. Even Yugos.
I actually did too… until I was given one as a loaner while my RX7 was in the shop. Never had a nother car that would just pop out of gear when I was driving along.
Still, at this point, I’d give another one a chance. This seems like a decent deal, though I wonder about the picture of the gas tank laying on the ground!
The design wasn’t bad, being based on a Fiat and all. It’s just the terrible build quality that earned these their instantly disposable car reputation.
This one ended with:
“This listing was ended by the seller on Sun, May 10 at 9:31 AM because the item is no longer available.”
Why does a Yogo have a rear defrost grid?
So you can keep your hands warm wile pushing it!
Bet you’re a riot at parties… kind of like Cliff Clavin.
Q: What did the owner’s manual of every Yugo include?
A: A bus schedule!
A guy walks into the auto parts store and says “How about a gas cap for my Yugo?” The counter clerk says “Sounds like a fair trade to me!”
A favorite joke of mine! (NOT THE CAR LOL)
In response to your question about anyone interested in acquiring a 1987 Yugo, my answer is I was and did in 1987. It’s a hard pass in 2026.
i bought an 85 brand new. I had just gotten married and fell on hard times. I needed a car with a warranty and the Jugo fit the bill. In the two years I had it.. the transmission was replaced twice with clutch.. that cams were replaced 3 times.. the head was replaced 4 times.. the block was replaced once and the complete a/c system twice. The car only cost $4999.00 but i bet all the warranty work was $20k. The day I went to trade it in for a Nissan Stanza Wagon.. as I pulled in the lot.. the block cracked and anti-freeze and oil spread to where the sales mgr was standing. He made good om his offer of $1000 trade in. That wagon was a great little car. Years later I took the salesman out to the best steak house in Tulsa, Jamils. In 1987 I bought the El Camino I still use as my daily.. 750,000 miles and still going
Better than walking 🚶♂️ 🇸🇰
Say that again after it leaves you stranded. Who’s going to “restore” a car like this. If you want one, hold out until you find one without rust, they are out there, each time one shows up it gets featured on this site and they aren’t much more expensive than this one.
Steve R
Lol, good one Steve. 👍
Yes Stan, but not better than pushing!
This vehicle lives in the armpit of the rust belt. (Been there and didn’t want the souvenir of the coffee mug or Tshirt) So I’m guessing that it was not in driving condition long enough that even the tin worms were not attracted to it. I was a service manager at a dealership that had just dropped the Yugo line. And I’m so glad that I had chosen that time. (and not before) We still had them coming in for repairs and many were never picked up because of the amount needed to repair. We only asked that the title be dropped off so that we could properly dispose of the car. Usually the scrap value was less than the diagnostic bill. But in most cases, we had sold them the car and we didn’t want to rub salt in that wound. We never received the titles to 2 of the cars. So we chopped them up in little pieces (the bodys) and placed them in the dumpster. (5 or 6 prices every week until the body was gone) We donated the drive trains to the local Fiat club. The dealership owner still had a convertible model in storage. It was the service departments job to once a year charge the battery, change the oil and drive it around the block a few times. Every time it was pulled out of storage something broke a window crank, inside door handle, hood release, etc. NO ONE WANTED THE ANUAL JOB!.
Hillarious Wayne. Thank you. 🍻
I don’t think they cost much more than that brand new
I have many fond memories of my 1986 GV – I guess I got the one that worked! When we finally parted company, I had over 130K miles on the little guy (If I had changed oil more than once, I’d probably have done even better!).I hit a deer with it, and I was able to drive it home. The deer? Not so much. Best of all, contrary to what Dan Akroyd stated in the movie “Dragnet,” it IS (at least, WAS) possible to have sex in a Yugo (as my ex-wife could attest. Hmm – maybe if I’d kept the car… Oh well…) Guess I should throw in a bid! : )
Bring it to the Saturday cruise-in. Just wear a bag over your head.
Oh! You-Go. I just got it!
That’s the car saying “”you go.. I’ll stay here “..
In the Dan Aykroyd Dragnet movie he remarked “The cutting edge of Serbo-Croation technology.” That line cracks me up to this day.
BRAKES???? We don’t need no stinkin’ brakes!!! My boss back in ’89 bought one. That car put him through HE!L! Everything you could possibly imagine, and LOTS MORE! I just smiled every time he told me another horror story.
Interesting
I’d rather walk! And that’s saying a lot, because I’ve driven some real sh!tbox cars.
There was a little car in my town that had a Yugo badge on the left side of the hatchback and a “Diesel” badge on the right. The owner had a great sense of humor, obviously, because it was actually a Mazda 323 GTX, a rare AWD turbo hot hatch.
I remember in the 90’s a local junkyard had a whole line of these, maybe 10 or 12 total. Consumer Reports tested one and said if you only have 3999.00 to spend on a car buy a used Dodge Omni. If I remember right they really didn’t like the Omni either.
They didn’t like the Omni, but for stupid reasons. The Omni was an ok car. But when you read the testing you asked yourself. WHO DRIVES A CAR LIKE THAT? I had never read Consumers Report before. But the one and (the only reason) I never read it again was because of their road test. It made me think of Ralph Nader who never even had a driver’s license, trashing the Corvair. So as far as I’m concerned, Consumer’s Report is a joke when it comes to opinions on vehicles.
The Ladas I saw and rode in in Cuba were like a Ferrari compared to this.
Sorry for all the negative comments on Yugo’s. I still own one and i love driving it . I also have 2 more out back as parts cars. One had been rear ended and the light metal folded. but mechanically still there.
I owned 5 of them as rental cars and had no problems with them. Just changed the timing belt as they are an interference engine.
Employee: Hugo: “You Go Get The Yugo”
Great little cars for $3995, new.
Cheers,
Old Car Roy
Yugo, I go, we all go for Yugo! (sarcasm).