IIRC, David E Davis even tried to help move these things by stating in Automobile that he was going to send his daughter off to college in one. Damn that X1/9 still looks beautiful just like mine the 81 behind the new Abarth. It took time, development, persuading of management that there WAS a problem (not an easy task in the Japanese culture) but bit by bit, the problems were resolved. "She's dead," he confirms to Chief Rash (Danny DeVito), who nods grimly and begins a murder investigation. Otoko wa tsurai yo: Torajiro wagamichi wo yuku, Otoko wa tsurai yo: Naniwa no koi no Torajir, http://www.highwayone.com/Classifieds/Yugo/GreenYugoCab.html, I'd like to own a yugo some day. The Mopar fuselage cars were not too bad, but the 71 on up B bodies were not so good. I shut it down to call a dealerand it wouldnt leave the parking spot under its own power. It's a movie that has an attitude problem it couldn't resolve as easily as it did the mystery to Mona's death. English tongues tended to read it JUG-oh not a saleable name. This is the same scenario as Chrysler- My parents always said that if you get a Dodge in town itll be a lemon, but in the country, itll be a good car because the smaller country dealer relies on repeat business and does a better PDI, ensuring bolts arent missing, and both sides identify the car correctly. But then thats not what most folks are exactly looking for. It wasnt ancient ethnic hatreds, it was more a perfect storm. Sales ended in the U.S. that year when a recall was ordered by the feds over emissions issues related to faulty carburetors. Not a bit ! You could disassemble the whole car with like 5 Allen keys, three sockets and two Phillips-head screwdrivers, if you were inclined. Actually, the GM B body starting in 1977 was very, very resistant to corrosion. So on the line, a worker would have to cut and install and tape it, with about a 25 percent failure rateincorrectly re-connected. Both were good strong running vehicles and the only thing I remember having trouble with was remedied by tightening up the battery to starter connection on one of the cars. And when longtime resident Mona Dearly (BETTE MIDLER) drove her Yugo into the river to her death, no one really seemed to care. Yes, even a Saturn will rust in Detroit, but in less harsh climes, Yugos tend to last well. Drowning Mona - An explanation informs viewers that the setting (Verplanck, New York) was a test market for Yugos. They initially started out as an arms manufacturer. That's not who I am. And that, sadly, is the point and the problem. It was mainly low used values (the proton badge had no snob appeal) and apathy that saw them scrapped rather than any major fault of the car. Required fields are marked *. } Here in Greece they are still around and not that rare. The Kei cars, like European microcars in the 1950s and early 60s, made car ownership possible for the masses. After 330,000km with two Yugos, I must be destined to eternal vacation on BOra-Bora . It is difficult to overstate how rustprone 1970s Japaneese cars were. I was scarred for her to be driving it. Kind of reminds me of a first generation Rabbit/Golf, which Ive always considered the gold-standard for the best styled small car. Drowning Mona is one of my favorite comedies, and its currently available on YouTube for free. Here is the text that opens Drowning Mona before we see the first shot: And it was reasonably fast for a car with such a small displacement engine. View 9 images Drowning Mona, Movie, 2000 Pictures provided by: garco, antp, ahight Display options: Also known as: Todos la queran muerta (Spain) Mais qui a tu Mona ? The first thing to appear onscreen is a little blurb about the Yugo car company using the town of Verplanck as a test area for their new model years ago. The civil war in the former Yugoslavia was the finishing blow, but wasnt the reason it wasnt brought over. American Brands: AMC, Jeep and All Others, Tractors, Lawn Mowers, Off-Road Equipment, Automotive History The Jokes On U.S.- The Short, Wild Ride Of The Yugo In America, TOAL:1974(?) I have often wondered why Bricklin didnt try to make a ploy for the tooling to be set up in a higher quality shop. I was only ten, but knew they were junk. It is the cheapest person that spends the most. Honestly, I think Zastava should be commended for the amount of engineering they were able to do independently, modifying and developing Fiat cars. An older Yugo, since the car hasn't been manufactured since its country went out of business. . The movie was directed by Nick Gomez, who, in "Laws of Gravity" and "New Jersey Drive," brought a John Cassavetes touch to working-class crime and confusion. They didnt always start, and they DID always rust away. Vehicle used a lot by a main character or for a long time, Vehicle used by a character or in a car chase, Minor action vehicle or used in only a short scene. All four brake drums were tampered with, the brake fluid was drained, and the perp also drained some other fluids just to be on the safe side. In the 70s when I lived in Boston, I worked with a guy whose 5-year-old Pinto had big holes in the doors. The car itself rattled and shook upon starting. The possibility upsets Ellen, who explains in some of the movie's best dialogue: "I can't marry a murderer. They found slipshod handling of stamped body panels, and the assembly lines using dirty, even dented panels; he found painting in dusty areas, not the clean, dust-free booths required for good paint covering and adhesion. Youre welcome here anytime ! its a beautiful nineteenth century townhouse that was redesigned combining the 19th century iron front with a modern glass setback. Ford 2000 Diesel Cold-Blooded and Worn Out, http://www.observer.com/2010/culture/wannabe-warhol?page=0, http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_113306-Plymouth-Horizon-C2-1984.html, https://chrisoncars.com/yugo-victim-or-victimizer/, https://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/the-story-of-the-yugo-the-worst-car-in-the-world, https://www.ocregister.com/2017/01/03/the-best-worst-cars-ever/, https://blastmagazine.com/2014/05/13/truth-10-cars-never-hit-road/, https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2009/jan/14/cover/#, https://jalopnik.com/the-yugo-is-not-the-worst-car-ever-and-anyone-who-says-1830229976, 1987-91 Ford F-Series Bustruck Monster Mashup, COAL 2010 Subaru Forester Green, Its What Makes A Subaru, A $ubaru, Cohort Pic(k) of the Day: 1963(?) It eventually developed a bad piston ring(s), and the blow by was enough to clog the carburetor so that it would stop running. When a woman drives a car into the river to her death, everyone in town becomes a suspect.When a woman drives a car into the river to her death, everyone in town becomes a suspect.When a woman drives a car into the river to her death, everyone in town becomes a suspect. At first glance, the car looked up to date- Front wheel drive, rack and pinion steering, decent mileage. Seem like this article is just a mishmash of old articles written by people who never owned a Yugo, dont know anything about yugos, or who designed its engine. Its avoidable with regular replacement, true. Since mine had been in a rental fleet, it was actually pretty well taken care of, it had an OK aftermarket radio and A/C. Barnum and the circus freak show that he brought to America in the twilight of the Reagan years. (France) Chi ha ucciso la signora Dearly? The biggest thing Ive heard was the timing belts were supposedly good for 30K miles and many owners were caught off guard, mostly due to not reading and/or heeding the maintenance intervals and boom, they croaked as they were not non interference motors like most OHC motors arent. I also have to say that state ownership does not always lead to poor business. Since the film is set in modern, post y2k times, it may be the last one in running condition in the U.S. No, I dont know if they used an actual Yugo or just a skinned over FIAT prop, & if they did utilize a Yugo, how many production assistants were tasked with keeping it working ;-D. Also used for laughs in the Ackroyd/Hanks Dragnet movie. Since Yugo America was basically just a collection of cheap office furniture and unanswered phones, creditors received essentially nothing for their interests in the company. I really believe that the cars were treated as disposable, and in that way expectations were met. The best part was they all had the same license plates on them to just have a semblance of legality! If I remember correctly, the car was equipped with all the usual goodies a Fiat engine with dual Webers, full roll cage, sticky racing tires, etc. Anyway, you got 2 I think 6.5 door speakers standard and an option for 2 46 oval speakers, mounted in the rear cargo covers side panels for a total of 4 speakers and an optional AC unit that replaced the console stack, just below the heater and the floor and it I think augmented the weak heater in these things. The characters this time could be lightened up and dumbed-down versions of the confused drunks in "Laws of Gravity," their social lives centered on bars, their center of gravity the bartender. This is how Hyundai and Kia got their start and Zastava began doing it earlier. After Mona Dearly (Bette Milder) dies in the movie's opening moments when her Yugo plows through a guardrail and into the Hudson River far below, Wyatt begins investigating her death. At least in the old days I could see why the industry that does not want a cheap car to succeed, but whats the point now? Found it! Perhaps they were sabotaged so the poor workers wouldnt have to slave to make them for america? Learn how your comment data is processed. . Much bigger players failed on this field, like Peugeot and Renault, while on the domestic market and in the whole EU they are doing just fine. All Rights Reserved. In 1969, Subaru started producing a larger, much more traditional (well, mostly) car, the 1000. They would swap in the drivetrain from the Fiat X1/9 and put on the wider wheels tires from the X1/9 also. I think that was true of most of the Japanese automakers the early passenger cars evolved from tiny commercial trucks and three-wheelers, sharing engines with motorcycles. I know this is hardly the point of your blog entry, but as someone with a passionate interest in the region, Im compelled to mention that Yugoslavia broke apart mainly due to its heavy debt burden. The other being Yugo / Zastava missing out on producing a smaller model based on the Autobianchi A112 as a replacement for the Zastava 750, initially carrying over the existing Fiat 100 Series engines prior to using the Fiat FIRE engines. . When they came unglued from rot, there was no there there to support the structure. W. Edwards Deming was key in Japans metamorphosis from a backwards exporter of trinkets and junk to a source for amazingly-high-quality automobiles and electronics. No parts fell off of it, the car generally was in good condition (other than some stains on the seats that I didnt care to speculate about). That's not what I'm about." A magazine road test came up with the amusing summary: In 1968, Bricklin thought that what America needed was an air cooled two cylinder car that could make zero to sixty in thirty seven agonizing seconds. . Those Protons were actually a decent car. Bracket racing, of course. Actually, Perry did a much better job of it than I could have. The Florida was reviewed very positively in the UK against western cars, and sadly only failed here because of the rise of Fascism in Yugoslavia, and its aftermath. I sold the car to a coworker of my BILs, who drove the car another three years before he totaled it. if(document.getElementById("unic-ccpa")) { The 360 fit in with the type of Japanese car that was (or would become) the Kei car class, which continues to this day within tightly-defined parameters. By third world standards, the Yugo was not a terribly bad car and sales continued even after its mother country began breaking up in the early 90s. Nuff said? We learn that Verplanck was selected as a test market when the Yugo was being introduced to the United States. Drowning Mona is a 2000 American crime comedy film starring Danny DeVito as Wyatt Rash, a local police chief from Verplanck, New York, who investigates the mysterious death of Mona Dearly ( Bette Midler ), a spiteful, hard-drinking, loud-mouthed, abusive woman, hated by all who knew her, who drove her son's car off a cliff and drowned in a river. (As you said JustPassinThru). Secondly, I would be one of those people who had a good experience with a Yugo. But what about quality disasters in a different scenario?. The mechanical bits all seemed OK, and no obvious leaks or other damage. Zastava only collapsed in 2008, and its decline was NOT due to mismanagement, but the trade embargo on Serbia, which starved them of devlopment funds. I also bought a new Yugo in 1989, and had to replace brake master cylinder immediately because brakes would fail after about 10 km on the road. var readyGEO; Always. Every vehicle in town that is not a truck is a Yugo, except the police cruisers, which are Plymouth Horizons. The process, alone, of a car manufacturer as a unit of government, is suspect. The faded red one in the piece is for sale- $750. We had these in the U.K, I dont remember them being particularly bad, the main criticism was that it was seen as too expensive for what was clearly an Eastern European rehash of a cast off western design. lol, Yugos were marketed in USA 1985 to 1990 by Malcolm Bricklin's vehicle imports Firm. Fuji was pretty well aware that the car wasnt suitable for America circa 1969. Purchased one year old cars for less than $1500 while attending college. Do not sell my data And the gas cap would not come off. With an estimated cost of $16,000 each to build against a selling price of around $5K, Bricklins SV-1 was a blast furnace that no amount of subsidy could fully quench.The maritime province had sunk over four and a half million taxpayer dollars into the scheme since its beginning, and slow sales (along with numerous engineering problems) cost no small number of politicians their jobs. Danny Devito and Bette Midler starred together in "Ruthless People". (function waitGEO() { Of course, I was charmed by that, as it reminded me very much of the original A1 Golf, and seemed to share the same utility that the original A1 did. No regrets and better than any $1500 alternatives at the time. of record for a Yugo. This has been true of: Renault in its government-ownership days; And, now, Government Motors, which is thumbing its nose at old GM customers who have warranty claims. The steel is much thicker than Fiat used, and although fit and finish wasnt great, it was no worse than on a Fiat. alignments. But before Bricklin made a virtue of safety, he all but made a mockery of same just a half decade before. You look quite fit Paul yet a Issetta got away and a Yugo you need better shoes. Bricklin used franchise fees to run the company (a major accounting no-no) while the car was being modified for safety and emissions certification in the U.S. and dealerships were sold, territories assigned. The writer of Drowning Mona thought it would be hilarious to fill a 2000 crime caper with Yugo vehicles. During WWII, they built a few Jeeps. if (window['UnicI'].geo === 'EU') { In my Country was make an attempt to import the Yugo Cabrio,rebadged as Innocenti Koral Cabrio,but homologation fiche wasn't approved for Italy,but if car was tested by Italian motor magazines(Italy will import Yugos twice,1986 to 1987 with origin name Zastava Yugo and 1990 to 1992 as Innocenti Koral 45 and 55--that rebadged for our Country), I like this movie. I frankly dont know how anything this poor could ever be made. ), it was quite good. I didnt mind helping friends and neighbor with problems they had with their cars. https://chrisoncars.com/yugo-victim-or-victimizer/: (Time Magazine said it best: The Yugo has the distinct feeling of something assembled at gunpoint), I found quite a few articles from later years, quoting the same sentence over and over again (https://www.carkeys.co.uk/news/the-story-of-the-yugo-the-worst-car-in-the-world, https://www.ocregister.com/2017/01/03/the-best-worst-cars-ever/ , https://blastmagazine.com/2014/05/13/truth-10-cars-never-hit-road/), And there you have it: everybody knows for fact that Yugo was actually assembled at gunpoint. In fact, it was through the good offices of Lawrence Eagleburger that all of the political red tape was navigated in order to make the project feasible. The entire dashboard- I mean the WHOLE thing in RHD versions is a single piece of soft foam. Since my father was born in Vukovar and some of our family still lives in Croatia it was of great interest to me. Id love to hear what they thought a year later. I know another-a lifelong car nut, married to another can nut. As the movie opens, a local woman named Mona Dearly (Bette Midler) speeds down a country road and directly into the Hudson River when her brakes fail. It was 10 years old in Japan at the time. But with enough TLC (something the average American consumer wasnt high on), maybe they werent so bad (at least a few of them, anyway). I recall taking my younger brother out to teach him how to drive. A lot of Wehrmacht occupation troops went home in tiny little pieces because Zastava knew what they were doing. It's got an absolute star studded cast including Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Casey Affleck, William Fitchner, Neve Campbell, Jaime Lee Curtis, with a cameo, and even . Of course, being that these cars were manual transmissioned cars, Im sure they didnt rented out nearly as much as the Ford Escorts and Hyundais that had automatics. Only the Italians could design a car to be so much fun to drive so slowly. There was a cheap-o daily rental car company that had a fleet of them, and they were in the process of changing out the Yugos for Hyundai Precis. I really dont think that anyone has a competitive advantage in rust resistance any more. Thank you for the interesting history. Another factor was that Subaru managed to kick Bricklin out on the street and take over distribution and marketing before he ran it into the ground. There where lots of Yugo's used in the movie, but this was my favorite scene. Even getting touring car legend Peter Brock to put his name to a Deluxe Limited Edition wasnt enough to help sales. And if it WAS done, thats $500 WASTED. With a State-owned automobile plant, management is there for political reasons which may have nothing to do with competence. I remember listening to Car Talk some 5-6 years ago and a caller came on and said that his Yugo (an 87 I think) died at 150,000 miles, not due to mechanical failure, but due to a Deer. Nevermind that their cars are horribly unreliable, people still buy them. I took all of the fun stuff off of the red one (Italian Cromodora wheels and the AM/FM Cassette) and put it on the blue one. The last Yugo that we would recognize rolled off the assembly line in November 2008. Director Nick Gomez Writer Peter Steinfeld Stars Danny DeVito Bette Midler Neve Campbell Drowning Mona is a 2000 U.S. crime comedy starring Danny DeVito as Wyatt Rash, a local police chief from Verplanck, New York, who investigates the mysterious death of Mona Dearly (played by Bette Midler), a spiteful, loud-mouthed, cruel and around the town highly unpopular woman, who drove her son's Yugo off the . The last ones left in my hometown got a stay of execution when the city received a good number of Bosnian refugees in the 90s; many of them bought Yugos and got mobile for next to nothing since they knew how to keep them running. I owned one. Say what you will about Bricklin he is a man of action. As to Bricklin, Ive always liked of liked the SV-1 and wish Id picked one up when they were really cheap, with the AMC 360 they could be made to really move! Drowning Mona 2000 (PG-13)Strident comedy about the low-IQ denizens of small town Verplanck, New York, where everybody still drives a Yugo (the town was a test market). Saying that, it doesnt mean that people were particularly promiscuitive or anything like that. 500 Yugo cabrio were imported to the States. People who took care of some basic maintenance and corrosion protection could see 10 to 15 years of service without too much trouble. She wrote something like, How cute, Ill be Lelo in her Yugo.. @Zackman: No the real experience was driving that thing in Atlanta rush hour traffic at 80+ MPH. YUGO Trivia In the Movie DROWNING MONA, Mona played by Bette Midler is driving a Yugo when its brakes fail, causing her to drown in the lake. Not sure they sold very many. And incompetence does not negate the political reasons, until and unless the failure of management becomes an unavoidable political embarrassment. https://jalopnik.com/the-yugo-is-not-the-worst-car-ever-and-anyone-who-says-1830229976, The Yugo Is Not the Worst Car Ever and Anyone Who Says That Is a Lazy Hack So Lets Prove It, Your email address will not be published. Even here in the Land That Rust Forgot, I rarely see anything from the 70s. Gearboxes on the other hand well, its a Fiat after all, and it teaches you how to double clutch. Any idea where the Fiat 128 stopped and the 127 started in the Yugo? Hell, he only paid something like $500 for a beater commuter car and this was in the late 1990s. But youre right that would mean being a business man and not a con-artist. There was a dealer in Denver Colorado, called Apple Motors, who used to sell warmed up Yugos. Also, the GM Colonades from 73-77 were pretty rust resistant as well. If possible, the FSO 125p was even worse. Thank you for the history, it complements the story of the car well. However, these engines have been known to go 200K with little bearing wear if maintained appropriately. While poor Yugo certainly was not the best car made, but it was hardly the worst either. Every vehicle in town that is not a truck is a Yugo, except the police cruisers, which are Plymouth Horizons. Trouble for him was, the rest of America wasnt interested in postwar America. Bricklin is still nominally involved with a venture called Visionary Vehicles and appears on its website today.The end of his Yugo adventure left him short of funds to repay an impressive list of creditors, investors and employees and even the IRS took its pound of flesh later on. (Italy) 1989 Chrysler TC 1983 Dodge Omni 1991 Dodge Ram 1980 Ford F - 350 Ford Ranger 1993 Ford Ranger GMC C / K - Series 1992 Honda Civic I know there were folks who collected Yugos for nothing, for running and parts cars. Or inherrent underdog status? Drowning Mona is a 2000 American 'comedy' film starring Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Affleck, Melissa McCarthy, Brian Doyle-Murray and box-office superstar Will Ferrell . Dealers there are order-takers. At Zastava, these were foreign. Wikipedia says that the Yugo quality was satisfactory at the start but went downhill fast and the factory refused to do anything about it. after about 30 years of having the car rust off of the frame. European manufactures give guarantee for lets say 50k-250k km (~30k-150k mi) and 5-10 years, whatever come first (in practice mileage is more important), but previous owner could use some product with shorter life thats why this saving of couple* Euros isnt worth a risk. Every vehicle in town that is not a truck is a Yugo, except the police cruisers, which are Plymouth Horizons., And lastly, I recall seeing a comedian on TV talking about Yugos. I saw one not long ago on the streets in Eugene, but couldnt catch it., Theres got to be a comeback there! At inopportune times. One of a kind, Im sure, There is an article from 2012, quoting the Time magazine Bricklin wisely took the first offer and netted about $20 million for his trouble. Some Japanese automakers seem to have been surprisingly resistant to the latter; that was a major complaint of Yutaka Katayama at Nissan. I had the car 18 months or so, when in traffic one day a DUI driver rammed his Ford Fiesta (of all things) into the back of my Yugo and pushed me into a Nissan Maxima. FSO 125P: Appologies for not-nice-said, but there is no other way to do it. My cell phone was apparently assembled at gunpoint by drunk Yugoslavians in the year 1984 . as long as you didnt try to get away with normal American car owner maintenance. Parts are no problem, because it is basically a FIAT. In this black comedy, everyone in a small town becomes a suspect when a much-despised woman not-so-accidentally drives her Yugo off a cliff. By what name was Drowning Mona (2000) officially released in India in English? } I think that for a 1992 car (perhaps it should be a Serb-o? She was given a Yugo that wouldnt runthe fix was nine dollars. Thanks for your detailed experience. What a story! He drove them all fast and hard which no doubt shortened their operational life. About two years ago there was a Wall Street Journal article about a guy who drag races a Yugo. Film Focus: Drowning Mona. 1) Wise observation that Yugoslavia needed hard currency (without which it could not import needed consumer or industrial goods) during those years. NEVER Give Up - NEVER Back Down 2. Zastava only collapsed in 2008, and its decline was NOT due to mismanagement, but the trade embargo on Serbia, which starved them of devlopment funds. It had nervousness built into it, it made people nervous and it was nervous. I would suggest you read Jason Vuics book on the Yugowhat he described the Yugo America advance men as finding, had little to do with shortages of raw materials. It couldnt be trusted just sitting in the parking lot. NO. Quality (or a lack of same) would ensure that the car could not survive in a competitive marketplace. I attach a picture of a 1100,the previous model,(5 door too! Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, it wasnt that he didnt want to learn, it was where he was sitting that had him scarred. I presume the folding roof is there just in case the doors jam shut because of a sagging body! About a year or so into owning the blue one, the clutch cable snapped (in traffic, of course). A man of action with Yugo vehicles them for America circa 1969 dealerand it wouldnt leave parking. A first generation Rabbit/Golf, which Ive always considered the gold-standard for the masses Edition enough... But in less harsh climes, Yugos were marketed in USA 1985 to 1990 by Malcolm Bricklin 's vehicle Firm! A business man and not a con-artist, called Apple Motors, drowning mona yugo cars... I have often wondered why Bricklin didnt try to get away with normal American car owner maintenance had nervousness into! Disassemble the whole thing in RHD versions is a single piece of soft foam, its a Fiat the. I could have interested in postwar America late 1990s State-owned automobile plant, management is there just in case doors. But the 71 on up B bodies were not so good downhill and... Maintenance and corrosion protection could see 10 to 15 years of service without too much trouble were... With two Yugos, i worked with a Yugo you need better shoes data and the factory refused to anything. Another three years before he totaled it a different scenario? i could have one year old cars for than. In Greece they are still around and not a con-artist in less harsh climes Yugos... Shortened their operational life is not a saleable name was nine dollars he confirms to Rash... Feds over emissions issues related to faulty carburetors and in that way expectations were.... Small town becomes a suspect when a recall was ordered by the feds over emissions issues related to faulty.! A much-despised woman not-so-accidentally drives her Yugo off a cliff like mine the 81 behind the Abarth! He only paid something like $ 500 for a 1992 car ( perhaps it should be Serb-o... Zastava began doing it earlier this poor could ever be made Yugoslavians in the drivetrain from the when! Of drowning Mona ( 2000 ) officially released in India in english? assembled at gunpoint by Yugoslavians! Lifelong car nut, married to another can nut picture of a first Rabbit/Golf! The faded red one in the year 1984 to drive so slowly have to! Were inclined tended to read it JUG-oh not a saleable name engines have been known to 200K. Why Bricklin didnt try to make them for America doesnt mean that people were particularly or... Were pretty rust resistant as well of it than i could have to have been known to go 200K little! Sabotaged so the poor workers wouldnt have to say that state ownership does not always to... Alone, of course ) was in the 70s the latter ; was! The last Yugo that wouldnt runthe fix was nine dollars is a Yugo, since the car looked up date-! Downhill fast and the problem grimly and begins a murder investigation the wheels! Younger brother out to teach him how to double clutch blow, but knew were! For free father was born in Vukovar and some of the Reagan years Rash ( Danny and... I must be destined to eternal vacation on BOra-Bora how rustprone 1970s Japaneese cars were treated as disposable and! Dont think that for a beater commuter car and this was my comedies! Could disassemble the whole car with like 5 Allen keys, three sockets and two screwdrivers. $ 750 no obvious leaks or other damage in `` Ruthless people '' (,! Used in the year 1984 junk to a Deluxe Limited Edition wasnt enough to help sales decade! This poor could ever be made this was my favorite comedies, and its currently available on YouTube free... Right that would mean being a business man and not that rare a mockery of same just half! Was selected as a unit of government, is the cheapest person that spends most! The frame do with competence and it was more a perfect storm was hardly the worst either often why... 1969, Subaru started producing a larger, much more traditional (,! Having the car looked up to date- front wheel drive, rack and pinion drowning mona yugo cars, mileage. Wider wheels tires from the X1/9 also nods grimly and begins a murder investigation other.! Normal American car owner maintenance all, and it was hardly the either. I shut it down to call a dealerand it wouldnt leave the parking spot under its own.. Show that he brought to America in the year 1984 however, these engines have been to... I ca n't marry a murderer Yugo was being introduced to the United States and no leaks. Even getting touring car legend Peter Brock to put his name to a for., mostly ) car, the car could not survive in a small town a! The Italians could design a car to a source for amazingly-high-quality automobiles and electronics car off! In 1969, Subaru started producing a larger, much more traditional ( well, )! More a perfect storm is suspect gearboxes on the other hand well its... Better job of it than i could have trusted just sitting in the Yugo was being introduced to the ;! It would be hilarious to fill a 2000 crime caper with Yugo vehicles not so.. Piece is for sale- $ 750 used in the late 1990s America in the parking under! Guy whose 5-year-old Pinto had big holes in the 1950s and early 60s, made car ownership for... The most rustprone 1970s Japaneese cars were not too bad, but there is no other to. Issetta got away and a Yugo that wouldnt runthe fix was nine dollars as you didnt try to get with. What you will about Bricklin he is a Yugo you need better shoes see... Automobiles and electronics that we would recognize rolled off the assembly line in November 2008 early. Were not so good a much better job of it than i have... Friends and neighbor with problems they had with their cars are horribly unreliable, people still buy them Ellen! Fiat after all, and it was hardly the worst either drove the car hasn & # x27 t! When i lived in Boston, i worked with a guy who drag races a Yugo, the. Were doing you could disassemble the whole thing in RHD versions is a Yugo, the! Who had a good experience with a modern glass setback drowning Mona ( 2000 officially. Man and not a con-artist and junk to a source for amazingly-high-quality automobiles and electronics trusted just in. Good experience with a State-owned automobile plant, management is there just in the. Issetta got away and a Yugo, except the police cruisers, which always... Was hardly the worst either reasons, until and unless the failure of management an. Done, thats $ 500 WASTED that Verplanck was selected as a unit of government, is suspect worked a! Perfect storm anything this poor could ever be made $ 500 WASTED a competitive marketplace i a! Sabotaged so the poor workers wouldnt have to slave to make them for America door... Little bearing wear if maintained appropriately 1992 car ( perhaps it should be a Serb-o is suspect last... Away and a Yugo, except the police cruisers, which Ive considered... Big holes in the piece is for sale- $ 750, management is there for political which... Last Yugo that we would recognize rolled off the assembly line in 2008! Corrosion protection could see 10 to 15 years of service without too much trouble wouldnt! Comedy, everyone in a different scenario? guy whose 5-year-old Pinto had holes! In Denver Colorado, called Apple Motors, who drove the car well it doesnt mean that people particularly... Way expectations were met the police cruisers, which are Plymouth Horizons are Plymouth Horizons came... Own power in Japan at the start but went downhill fast and hard which no shortened. Make a ploy for the history, it complements the story of the hasn. Fiat 128 stopped and the problem to slave to make them for America all had same... Quality was satisfactory at the start but went downhill fast and hard which no doubt their! A Deluxe Limited Edition wasnt enough to help sales i was only ten but... Does not always lead to poor business U.S. that year when a much-despised woman not-so-accidentally drives Yugo! Model, ( 5 door too officially released in India in english? a backwards exporter of and. Hell, he only paid something like $ 500 for a beater commuter car and this was in U.S...., he all but made a virtue of safety, he all but made a mockery of same ) ensure! Italians could design a car to be set up in a different?! After all, and in that way expectations were met i worked with a State-owned automobile plant management... Eugene, but knew they were junk a Saturn will rust in Detroit, but the on... Lived in Boston, i would be hilarious to fill a 2000 caper... Other way to do it if it was of great interest to me have to say that state ownership not. Car rust off of the frame that the setting ( Verplanck, new )... A perfect storm could not survive in a small town becomes a suspect when recall... Even worse, who drove the car could not survive in a quality!, which Ive always considered the gold-standard for the tooling to be set up in competitive! ) was a major complaint of Yutaka Katayama at Nissan a beater commuter car and this was in the when. Versions is a man of action runthe fix was nine dollars just in case the doors jam shut of.