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Garaged Since ’02: $500 1988 Yugo GV

Yugos are coming out of the woodwork lately. Are there more of them or are they just one of the hot-button cars now? Whatever the case is, I love seeing unusual cars and one of the most unusual cars ever made could be a Yugo. Not thee most unusual, mind you, just one of them. This 1988 Yugo GV can be found here on craigslist in Nashua, New Hampshire. The seller is asking the price of a nice meal on the town with another couple and a bottle of wine or two, plus dessert and tip, and parking, and tipping the hat check girl.. (stop already!) (and who wears a hat anymore?!). Ok, they’re asking $500, that’s easier. Let’s check it out.

I have cars in storage like this, or in similar storage conditions, so it’s fun to see how other people store their cars. It looks dry and fairly clean in there which is always a good sign. I’m not sure if the headrests and other stuff on the roof go with the car but I’m assuming so. This GV (Great Value) has been in storage since 2002, which sadly is when my GS (good sense) went into storage. This Yugo has a much better chance of seeing the light of day again. They say that the paint will polish beautifully and I’m guessing that most of it will, at least the spots that aren’t chipped or worn from being in storage. These are really interesting cars and I don’t know why I always gravitate towards vehicles that are so hard to keep on the road. Anyone can order parts for a Camaro or Mustang from any number of catalogs but it takes a lot of time and effort to track down parts for cars like a Yugo and keep them in tip-top condition.

Sadly, there are just five photos, two exterior shots of basically the same angle and three close-up interior photos. There are no engine photos or none showing the front or back seats or the area behind the rear seats. No underside shots, etc. Having spent a few decades marketing my various businesses after high school, it’s always better to give too much info rather than not enough. When you’re selling a vehicle online, literally the only thing that potential buyers will be swayed by are the photos. All the flowery text and praise about how good a vehicle is will not ever, in the history of the world, sell a car. But, a dozen great photos will. Enough of that, I’m preaching to the choir.

This car has AC which probably knocked down this car to Good Value status rather than Great Value with AC not being an inexpensive option in 1988. The interior does look good, though, from what we can see of it. They show a photo of a speaker which I guess is helpful? I would much rather see what condition the seats are in, but I’m funny that way. The engine is a 1.1L inline-four and it’s reported that the 1988 to 1991 Yugos are by far the ones to have. They were the most well made and reliable. When the Yugoslav civil war broke out in 1990, quality started plummetting as you can imagine. People had more important things to think about than making the finest cars that they could. The seller mentions having this car to over 100 mph which is.. different to hear. I had no idea that they dipped into triple digit speeds. Have any of you purchased a car that had been sitting for 17 years? If so, what was it and did you get it on the road again?

Comments

  1. Avatar Moparman Member

    Sorry, but from what little I can see, it appears that this Yugo was ridden hard and put away wet! :-)

    Like 2
    • Avatar Joe

      All you had to do was take it out for a spin and they looked like they were ridden hard and put away wet. Had one. That was more than enough.

      Like 2
  2. HoA Howard A Member

    Let’s see, they got 14 years and 122,000 miles out of a Yugo, I’d say they got their money’s worth.

    Like 6
  3. Avatar Tirefriar

    Yugos are the “mopeds” of the car world in a sense that no one wants to seen with one. If you don’t get the meaning of it, here’s a definition: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Moped

    Hence these have been residing in deep storage. I think their owners are finally realizing that words “appreciation “ and “Yugo” will never be used in the same sentence and are trying to beat each other to the punch in finding suckers, I mean buyers, for their little treasures.

    Like 0
    • Avatar grant

      You missed the part in the definition where they’re fun to ride. Yugos aren’t fun to ride. Or push.

      Like 1
      • Avatar CliffG Member

        You should make sure that it has the hand warmer option: heated rear window.

        Like 0
  4. Avatar JerryDeeWrench

    Oh common they were great cars because they were easy to crush.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Ben

    As Jerry Seinfeld once said about Yugos “Yugo to the hospital if you get into an accident with one”.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Miguel

    Why does every Yugo for sale get listed here?

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Roy L

    Yugo’s are coming out of the woodwork, they should go straight to the woodshed.

    Like 0
  8. Avatar FOG

    For all the bad press on the Yugo, a few of you hinted at something a few of us tried to deliberately do. (Yes, I know they had to put a rear window defroster in, to keep your hands warm when you pushed.) Once, a Yugo was available on trade, a few of us tried to blow it up. It never happened. Literally, could not kill this car! So, if you can look past the cheapness of it, it will get you where you want to go. Pretty sure there is some Yugo clubs out there who give grace to it’s humble origins.

    Like 1
  9. Avatar NATHAN

    I had a GVL and it started to idle up and down constantly. A friend of mine who happened to be a very good mechanic, popped the hood and was in complete amazement. He pulled his Ford fiesta in beside it and opened the hood only to show me that they were identical twins. He popped a little metal cap off the back of the carb, made an adjustment, and away we went. Moral of the story, dont always look for yugo parts by name. Ford parts fit but maybe by a different number is all.

    Like 1
  10. Avatar Goran

    Civil war in Yugoslavia broke out in the second half of 1991, not 1990. Just to put things in perspective.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Roy L

      The land of blood and honey. Watch the movie, that’s all you need to know about that war.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Goran

        You must be joking…Angelina Jolie movie? I am from Yugoslavia, I know what war is, unfortunately. Those that do not know anything about us make movies about us.

        Like 0
    • Avatar Nathan

      I was in no way bringing a war into this.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Goran

        I know. :)
        Sorry. Just wanted to mention the right year.
        Today, even Yugos are harder to find here. We used to have looots of Yugos. :) They are slowly becoming oldtimers.

        Like 1
  11. Avatar Roy L

    Angelina Jolie directed the movie, she wasn’t in it. I take it you must be a Serb, I’m Croatian, can’t we all get along?

    Like 0
    • Avatar Goran

      I know she directed the movie, that’s what I meant. It doesn’t matter, this is an article about cars. :)

      Like 1
  12. Avatar Nate

    I’m American. Lol. Pennsylvania born and raised. I do wish I was able to travel to all these countries to experience their classic vehicles in their own environment. Have a great day folks!

    Like 1

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