Comments on: Yugo, 1953-2008

Yugo, 1953-2008

swift — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:25:12 -0800

Yugo (now Zastava), the icon of Soviet-era automaking, rolled out its last car on November 11th, 2008, a victim of the global financial crisis. The Kragujevac plant, having endured political crises and NATO bombs, has finally been sold to Fiat. Previously.

By: spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:34:39 -0800

. My best friend in high school had a Yugo. It was stolen twice. He, his dad, and I took the engine out with our bare hands, no cherry picker. I miss that car. /finds VHS copy of Drowning Mona.

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:37:56 -0800

I just put Drowning Mona on my netflix list when I heard this.... and, to say that the demise of the Yugo was due to the "global financial crisis"...hmmmm... it's demise here in the US is because it was, well, a pretty crappy car.....

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:39:22 -0800

The Obligatory Yugo Joke: Q: Why do Yugo's have rear window defrosters? A: To keep your hands warm while you're pushing it.

By: gman

gman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:43:05 -0800

The Obligatory Yugo Joke: A few more.

By: Chuffy

Chuffy — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:44:05 -0800

Fix It Again, Trotsky!

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:44:55 -0800

But Malor's been warning us about the Fiat Economy for years!

By: box

box — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:53:05 -0800

But, but, Fiat? I heard on a morning-zoo show that GM was going to buy that plant and bring back the Geo. What are they going to bring back now?

By: elwoodwiles

elwoodwiles — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:58:46 -0800

Wow. I didn't know that Yugo even existed. I remember these, um, cars, when they were introduced. One local dealer was even offering a 2 for 1, his and hers, deal. My strongest memory, however, was looking over a couple Yugos stationed for marketing purposes at the local mall. I still remember him sadly shaking his head at the open hood of one of the display models.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:08:08 -0800

Since I tossed it up on my blog, I might as well add it here I Drive a Yugo by the Left Wing Fascists.

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:19:43 -0800

Weren't Yugos basically Fiats, anyway? I still see old Fiats driving around all the time, so I would fault the build quality over the design. I would so jump at the chance to own an old Fiat. Good luck getting it back to the States, though.

By: FuManchu

FuManchu — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:30:48 -0800

Fix It Again, ~~Trotsky~~ Tito! seriously

By: bhnyc

bhnyc — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:40:42 -0800

our own government sponsored GM can take over from Yugo

By: Ljubljana

Ljubljana — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:45:51 -0800

There are a lot of old Yugo commercials on YouTube. This old Zastava 101 commercial is a personal favorite. It's like Jaws, except featuring a boxy, yellow, slow-moving Jaws. (Same lifeless eyes, though.) Also worth seeing: Three Yugos stacked on top of one another driving around my town, celebrating an old Yugoslav holiday. (I forget which one -- but the colors of the Yugos match the old flag.)

By: DreamerFi

DreamerFi — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:45:59 -0800

What? No bail-out?

By: zippy

zippy — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:09:47 -0800

Fiat not-so-luxe.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:25:39 -0800

The Yugo: Slightly more succesful than Yugoslavia.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:00:54 -0800

Infamous (well if you grew up in the Midlands in the 70s/80s) were the television adverts for Swithland Motors (the local Yugo dealer) starring Samantha Fox and a bearded idiot called Wally, both of whom had the most wooden delivery imaginable. "That's a nice new car!" Sam: "Yes, Wally! It's a Yugo! Got it from Swithland Motors!" Follow The Fox To Swithland! - the final slogan was. In a later version Wally faints because the cars are so cheap. Towards the end Ms Fox obviously became too expensive so they brought in Maria Whittaker fulfilling a similar role in a skin-tight 'Swithland Motors' t-shirt. Goggle-eyed Wally 'How can you afford such a great car" - Cue close of up Marina pointing to her t-shirt 'I keep that very close to my chest!'

By: Kinbote

Kinbote — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:17:53 -0800

I recall that when they pulled the plug on the US marketing effort back in the early 90's, the local Yugo dealer was offering "buy one, get one free." Yikes.

By: CynicalKnight

CynicalKnight — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:23:13 -0800

Not a good rally starter either.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:54:09 -0800

Not a good rally starter either. Roll cage? Pah, a bourgeois western imperialist trifle!

By: DecemberBoy

DecemberBoy — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:59:00 -0800

Wouldn't the icon of Soviet-era automaking be the Trabant?

By: philfromhavelock

philfromhavelock — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:35:47 -0800

Thanks for posting this. Someone (at a mefi meetup, incidentally) told me that the Yugo was the perfect car. You could save the few grand in a year or two, buy it without a loan, drive it for it two or three years, throw it out and buy another. No need for a thirty thousand dollar loan. And when it depreciates by half the minute you drive it off the lot, it is not that big of a financial hit. And you aren't really disappointed when the Yugo breaks down on you because you expect it. Disposable autos are not an environmentally sustainable practice, though.

By: Mitrovarr

Mitrovarr — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:14:53 -0800

philfromhavelock: Someone (at a mefi meetup, incidentally) told me that the Yugo was the perfect car. You could save the few grand in a year or two, buy it without a loan, drive it for it two or three years, throw it out and buy another. No need for a thirty thousand dollar loan. And when it depreciates by half the minute you drive it off the lot, it is not that big of a financial hit. And you aren't really disappointed when the Yugo breaks down on you because you expect it. I think that was actually Yugo's business plan. The used market is what killed it - a couple of grand for a few years of car doesn't sound that horrible on the surface of it, but you could get a used Toyota or something for that much and have a car that would drive until the protons in it decayed.

By: gimonca

gimonca — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 18:20:15 -0800

My Yugo memory, from the original U.S. introduction, was watching a news report where they had a ceremony with one of the first Yugos driving off the ship...and it stalled right on the ramp, halfway to the dock.

By: Chrischris

Chrischris — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:29:29 -0800

In my neck of the woods, the Yugo will always be linked to this bit of Mackinac Bridge lore: In 1989, a tragic accident captured the front pages of state newspapers. Leslie Pluhar's 1987 Yugo, a small car, plunged from the bridge more than 150 feet to the straits below. It was the first vehicle to fall off the five-mile span since it opened. Gale force winds blowing from the northwest helped lift her car off the roadway and over the side.

By: salmacis

salmacis — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:42:58 -0800

fearfulsymmetry, I remember those Swithland Motors ads! They were legendary for the woodenness of the acting. I don't remember Sam Fox in them - must have been before my time.

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:25:47 -0800

Talk of selling cars at half price, it seems that some Dodge dealers are offering Dodge Rams as a BOGO, too. I think I'd rather drive a Yugo, to tell the truth.

By: philfromhavelock

philfromhavelock — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:18:06 -0800

>I think that was actually Yugo's business plan. Wow. Thanks Mitrovar.