After almost five years this Yugo has resurfaced. Since we last featured it, the car has made its way to Spokane, Washington and found a very loving caretaker. The new owner put about 6k miles on it, but they also invested over $4,500 into it! This has gotta be one of the nicest Yugos left in the world. Find it here on eBay where it’s listed for $5k or best offer.
This must have been a labor of love because the new seller isn’t asking much more than they paid even though they have double that into it. Unfortunately, they didn’t put as much love into their listing though. They left the seat covers on and didn’t detail the car as well as they could have. When we featured it before, the listing included many high-quality photos and everything looked pristine.
We hope that lack of attention to detail doesn’t hurt the seller’s chances of selling this little hatchback. It would be helpful to get a full list of all the work that has been done to the car. The listing mentions a total restoration, but I’m guessing they focused mainly on the mechanicals. These engines weren’t known for their durability, so we wouldn’t be surprised if it already needed a rebuild at less than 20k miles.
The Yugo may be the most maligned vehicle ever built, but for some reason, many of us are still secretly attracted to them. Perhaps they bring back fond memories or maybe they are just good for a laugh? Whatever it is, there is no denying the fact that this is one of the nicest examples left. I’m afraid that fixing this one up may have been the most fun part of ownership though. And with that done, what are you going to do with it?
Still looking for a nice shell for an EV
conversion. This one is much too nice
to be cut up for that purpose. And with
all the jokes cracked, the best one I’ve
heard is the song In A Yugo by Paul
Shanklin. Saw the video here a few days
ago and got a real charge out of it. Best
laugh I’ve had in a while. Someone will
eventually buy this car even though it is
a real money pit.
An EV conversion Yugo may be faster than an LS conversion.
Quicker for sure.
Please post any EV conversion vehicles.
P-L-E-A-S-E: Enough with the parade of these death traps!
Reality Check: All Barn Finds are death traps in one form or another compared to today’s cars.
That’s really not the point of them, is it?
That’d include and and all the Harley-Davidsons that might show up, too.
Though I tried to reach the BarnFinds “admin” to see if I could post this.
I have a mint lighted double sided Yugo dealership window sign. 36″ x 24″ x 6″.
Before I list this elsewhere, I thought of letting BarnFinds readers get the benefit.
$400 firm.
We need this for Barn Finds HQ!
where are you located?
Vas,
Location is Dayton, Indiana!
My daughter had one of these. Drove it for quite a few years. Nothing major went wrong. She had an Italian mechanic who seemed to keep it running fairly well. Came out one morning and found it had been broken into. Only thing taken was the back package shelf / storage cover. All she said was “I guess that’s one way to get parts for them” She eventually sold it to someone had 2 others.
Use 89-octane fuel and 20-50 oil, and change the timing belt every 30,000 miles. Mine has over 500,000 miles.
That’s truly impressive Lou!!! Please send in some photos. We would love to feature it here on the site.
Had an opportunity to drive one once in the 80’s and recall everything in it feeling toy-like. Very chintzy. Much worse than my sisters 1st year Hyundai, which was awful. Terrible car but still somehow, kinda cool.
11 Yugos so far this year posted to BF. When are you guys going to stop talking about these and buy one as your company car with a BF vinyl wrap?
Really not a bad car… essentially a Fiat and becoming desirable to some people who like old Fiats
These cars always remind me of the movie Gung Ho! With Michael Keaton. I’ve youve seen it you would get it. I get a kick out of these, but I can’t imagine ever putting money into one, let alone $4,500.
Saw Gung Ho.
Absolutely a great movie and a lot of truth.
I worked In a body shop when these were new. We needed a door and ordered one for about 150$ new from The dealer. It came with glass, trim in the right color. Bolted on and drove it off. Some time later we needed a window regulator for one. the parts guy said it was 150$ for a regulator. Checked the part number and you got a whole door and glass assembly when you ordered a regulator.
Make it stop.
…and bring back Springsteen, Madonna, way before Nirvana there was U2, and Blondie, and music still on MTV…
Motor not known for dependability? Needing a rebuild at 20K? Really? BS. The engines were built to higher standards than most american fare. .0016 to .002 piston clearance. The pistons were gauged and marked by their size in increments of .005mm or .0002inch and marked with letters A – E. Replacements were ordered by this size designation. The blow-by was so low that they did not even have a PCV valve. Simply a hose connected the oil separator to the intake manifold. They did have head gasket issues with the 85/86 units until they switched suppliers. And a batch of soft camshafts from another. However – those are the only issues with the engine. The three that we drove all had 130K or more on the clock with great running and driving power trains when each succumbed to accidents or rust.
Here’s a factory scene from Kragujevac, Serbia.
A transforming Yugo:
I owned a couple of yugos through the years,just a fiat with a shorter body! Excellent car if maintained,change the oil and filters and don’t rev it to 8 grand and it will serve you well! A thousand times better than a Saturn which was gm’s attempt to emulate fine italian design! Fiat engines were light years ahead of all american designs!