Abandoned Shop Find: Yugo GV
Have you ever had a barn find hit very close to home? This Yugo GV has been parked in a little shop I I used to drive past daily when I lived down the road from it in Warwick, Rhode Island. Activity was always limited, but over time I saw who I presume to have been the owner on site less and less. There were a few old cars parked outside what is known as the Apponaug Garage, and apparently this Yugo was slumbering inside. Find it here on eBay along with some of other vehicles on the property with no reserve.
I didn’t know much about the garage other than it would have been a spectacular spot for stashing a few cars and creating a bit of a “gearhead getaway” given it was an actual shop space with plenty of room to stash projects. The older gentleman I saw on the property likely used it exactly that way when he was in his prime, but it’s clear that over the years, it became less and less likely that he would actually bring his projects to completion. The Yugo is accompanied by a 1965 AMC Rambler and a 1957 Pontiac Star Chief, which are also up for sale.
Not much is known about the Yugo, as the new owners of the property seemingly cracked open the doors and found the little econobox inside. Given the previous owner’s preference for classic American cars and trucks, I’m more than a little surprised to see that an old Yugo is what got the indoor parking spot! The interior is in good condition overall (all things considered) but other photos reveal what looks like a good-sized rot hole in the driver’s side sill.
Here’s the property from the outside; you can see the Nash that has been parked next to the building for years just poking out of the brush. There has to be a story here as to why the pathetic Yugo was kept inside all these years, but we’ll likely never know how it came to be hidden away for years. The seller has the joy of trying to piece together the history of this forlorn garage space, and I hope whatever it becomes, the history of what it was isn’t completely lost.
Auctions Ending Soon
2006 Ford Mustang Saleen S281 SCBid Now18 hours$15,000
2002 Subaru Impreza WRXBid Now3 days$100
1975 Chevrolet Corvette ConvertibleBid Now3 days$3,000
1964 Ford F-100 Camper CustomBid Now3 days$2,000
2006 Jeep Wrangler SportBid Now5 days$10,500
Comments
Even though a Yugo gets every bit of automotive hate for having less than dollar store quality I feel that they deserve a spot in car/automotive history and at any cars and coffee or car show.
With a bit of work it could even be a electric car with some effort.
Not electric. I’d try to put a Geo Metro drivetrain and wiring harness in, if I were doing it.
I had one. Believe it or not, and you probably won’t, it was moderately fun to drive. More so than most other econoboxes, and MUCH more so than a modern Toyota Yaris. Steering was light; seating was office-chair posture, clutch was light (and durability light, too, as I found out) and the four-speed box, while vague off the stick, was no more so than with an old Beetle.
The problem, of course, was quality in manufacture – of which there was absolutely none. DESIGN was actually not bad, although done for a price. If you thought the Fiat 128 was a good design, you’d like the Yugo, which was a reskinned 127. No rustproofing, and hardly any painting; but heater-box and interior trim were just about interchangeable.
For free or a token payment – and IF it were rust-free – I’d have fun finding out how a Yugo would do with Japanese-quality mechanics.
A Harbor Freight Predator engine might be a more appropriate choice.
I’d install one of those cool charcoal distillery type fuel systems. Like they use over in this cars home country.
I sold the YUGO’s from my AMC/JEEP/RENAULT Dealership in St. Louis in the 1980’s, we had no unusual Issues with the Little Cars, except maybe Price TOO LOW to believe. Actually were a BETTER Vehicle than the RENAULT LeCar! I believe we sold a total of 78 of them, before Chrysler “Castrated” AMC, in 1988, with their FRAUD & PHONY deliberate destruction campaign. Even PAYING Shops & Mechanics to slander & berate the AMC Brand. We had 4 of my 11 Techs show up with NEW Chrysler Vehicles just days after the Chrysler/AMC Deal was Announced, had other AMC Shop Owners tell me the same thing. 2 of the Techs who evidently refused the Conspire, were Sanctioned by ASII for junk Reports of substandard Work.
Save the manuals 🙌
I would haul it to the junkyard!
All those plastic model cars lying around will probably sell for more than the Yugo. I’m not even joking.
Can I pay the owner to burn it?
Nice thing to say.. Your really a CLASS ACT!
The old-timer should have stored those model kits inside the Yugo. That would have been the smart move. Maybe he did put some under the hatchback.
I just sold 20 junk models for $100. Plus some beat up box unbuilt like I see on the Yugo. Another $150. So yes. More than the probably “no title?” Yugo is worth.
Wow!! Sellers feedback rating (0).
It seems they created an eBay account to sell the stuff on this property.
Let the Yugo stay in suspended animation because as long as its asleep your saving on repair bills.
Back in 87 in So Cal I bought a new White with Red lettering 5 speed 1.0 liter 3 cylinder TURBO CHEVY SPRINT, which was a Geo Metro with a SUZUKI motor.
Thing got 50 some mpg and was pretty fun to drive!
Had a 8 gallon fuel tank.
I could drive from Riverside CA. to Vegas without stopping for gas!!
No AC though……can’t believe I owned a car in HOT So Cal Inland desert area with NO AC!
Had it for like 4 years too, ran well.
I want to see the Rambler and the 57 Pontiac.
I may or may not take it IF you paid me….well, no…not even then…
The Yugoslavian Trabant!
Well, if it was a 4dr, it could be called a “Wego” I say leave it abandoned, or better yet, maybe have an accident with a can of gas and a match, just drag the 57 Pontiac to safety.
Something clicked when you mentioned 4 door. I vaguely recall a movie where a running gag was the town was used to beta test Yugos. In fact I think it was in Rhode Island. The movie called for a 4 door for some reason, and they mocked up a Horizon to look like a Yugo.
There was a car, once, called the Oh-We-Go.
Made in…wait for it….Owego, NY.
That Guy .. No joke your right. Those car models are worth more than the Yugo. I see a GTO model box. And who knows what models are in that big box. I hate to say this ,but it’s not worth fixing this Yugo. Having a Fiat 127 engine soooo under powered. I drove one and it was a stick and keeping the revs up didn’t help trying to get up to highway speed. Someone should get in that and gets all those models!!! 😄🐻🇺🇸
There’s a terrific scale model / train / hobby shop around the corner. Been there for eons. I’d bet a lot of those models were purchased right down the road.
It’s a shame you never stopped to talk. Bet the “Old Timer” had great stories, now lost.
Seller states: “Yugo BARN FIND!!!, has been sitting for decades. The Barn Find you’ve always wanted!”
I’m sure this guy also gets super excited over Pintos, PT Cruisers and Ford Windstars.
Nah, Vegas and Aztecs
I want the Turquoise 67 Chevelle model on the hood.Keep the car and turn into a flower pot or weld it onto a huge iron post about 30 feet high and use it as advertising. Open up the Yugo cafe.
I knew a student at the university I attended at age 18, and one guy was a decent mechanic at age 18. He got a Yugo to tinker with, and after a year, decided it just wasn’t worth it. His statement was “yu go cause the car can’t”.
If you pulled up to a car show with this Yugo on a trailer it would get more attention then the hemi Cuda right next to it. It will not get you the hot girl but it might attract an interesting girl and interesting can be more fun!
Get more attention then the ‘Cuda? Maybe, if you rammed the trailer into the ‘Cuda while trying to park next to it.
Can’t believe anyone would want these hulks, to say nothing of paying for them. Don’t they have crushers any more?
Recyclers are paying $160/ton for scrap steel right now. So it might fetch $250?
A Yugo was the first car to ever go off the Mackinac Bridge. Sadly, the driver was killed. I believe it was in 1989.
You-go to Yugoslavia for parts.
Or a Fiat specialist.
A LOT of those parts are interchangeable. The engine was essentially the same, and the 128 engine was essentially (I am told) a drop-in.
Mine met a sad fate – popped an alternator belt, on a trip, which then got tangled up in the timing belt. That was it for the engine.
We, the foreign-car garage and I, talked about getting a Fiat engine for it, but the dollar amount wasn’t adding up. It was the boneyard for the three-year-old, 25k-mile Yu-dont-go.
Those model cars are worth more then this thing push it out to the street and let it get impounded
The first time I have seen a photo where the car appears to have violently vomited a massive quantity of model cars directly through its windshield.
Enter the Demolition Derby with it
Sure sounds good .You drive the Yugo I get a 72 Chryrsler Newport or a Clam shell wagon.
90 seconds to move the boxes off the roof. Another 2-4 minutes to move the crap off the hood. 2 minutes to move the junk out of the interior. 3-5 minutes to run a rough rag over the windows to clear the majority of the dust. Add +5 minutes for the 3 beers you’d need to generate the mojo to even bother doing that all. So for the huge investment of 10-15 minutes the car would look more like a car and less like a pile of garbage.
I just don’t get it.
GLWTS.
1989, northern Florida. Yugos for sale — new Yugos — at a dealer: Buy One, Get One Free. Like they were loaves of bread. Never saw such a car sale before or since. And, um, the cars still didn’t sell. Same cars sat on the lot for months.
Having the Yugo in there is a legitimate reason to abandon the shop. So I guess that’s what happened.
I will OFFER $1,000 for this YUGO.
That’s all??
What a terrible thing to say!
Why not $10,000??