I figure that sooner or later I would be tempted to bring up the topic of the Yugo GV, so I decided to get it out of the way. The Yugo GV is a very special car; firstly because it holds the title of “Worst Car Ever Sold in America” and secondly because I’ve had the pleasure of actually driving one. Now, the Yugo, as its name betrays, is a product of Yugoslavia. Manufactured by Zastava, a factory that also made AKs, howitzers and tanks, it was imported into the United States by an eccentric businessman called Malcolm Bricklin (the Yugo is not the only automotive misdeed Mr. Bricklin is responsible for, but we’ll cover that in another post). The idea behind it was simple, Yugoslavia was falling apart, their currency was worthless and they were eager to raise money by exporting their automobiles (Zastava was a state run factory). The result, however, was a bare bones, unreliable, pot metal car that sold for $3,990 in 1986.
That price tag is part of the reason they managed to sell any Yugos at all, price anything low enough and the buyer will come, it’s basic economics. For comparison, a 1986 Honda Civic sold for around $8,000 and the VW Rabbit, the car Yugo ripped its appearance off of, sold for a cool $12,000. Thus one can see how a potential buyer could have been lured in by the Yugo’s attractive MSRP. Many were, because Malcolm Bricklin sold nearly 142,000 of them to US consumers.
In the Yugo’s defense it was at the very least a car. It would get you from A to B in one piece (most of the time), it could get up to highway speeds and it did provide some very rudimentary creature comforts. A base model Yugo had a plush interior, alloy wheels and a decals package, whereas the next trim up could be had with an air conditioner. As I previously mentioned, I’ve spent some wheel time with a Yugo. My childhood best friend owned one for about 3 months after we pulled it out of a junkyard in Northeastern Pennsylvania and got it running. The best way I can think of to describe it is “not that bad”. It wasn’t that sluggish for a car that made only 54 horses, but I would not want to do any long distance touring in one. I also wouldn’t want to drive one over the Mackinac Bridge where in September of 1989 a Yugo was effectively blown off the side of the bridge killing its sole occupant. Imagine, a car so light weight and shoddily built that a strong gust of wind can cause it to swerve off a bridge.
All of the aforementioned characteristics of the Yugo helped cement it as a cultural icon, most notably as the butt of jokes. I would like to share some of these jokes with you as a closing remark.
What makes a Yugo go faster? A tow truck.
Why do Yugos have a rear window defroster? So you can keep your hands warm while you’re pushing it.
A man goes into an auto parts store and asks, “Can you give me a cigarette lighter for my Yugo?” “Sure, sounds like a fair trade to me.”
What do you call a Yugo with a flat tire? A write-off.
What do you call a Yugo at the top of a hill? A miracle.
What do you call the Yugo owner’s manual? The bus timetable.
(Jokes courtesy of mechanicshub.com)
I really liked the structure of this post and it was super interesting to read about. I know absolutely nothing about cars, I could not even tell you how many miles per gallon my car gives me, but I actually really enjoyed this post because of the comedic nature behind it. I have also never heard of a Yugo, so that was another aspect of this blog that was appealing to me. I find it super interesting that of all things, the Yugoslavian government decided to turn their state-run factory into a car factory to manufacture cars. Perhaps their decision lies within the spectrum of automobiles, but like I have mentioned, I seriously know nothing about cars or even constructing them. I also enjoyed your personal opinions on the Yugo and downplaying its awfulness; super great piece!