40k Original Miles: 1987 Yugo GV
Some cars are named by the manufacturer to reflect their characteristics or their intended purpose. The Mini and the Land Rover are good examples. Some are named for irony. A good example is the Cony Giant. It does seem like an odd name for what was a light commercial Kei car. Other cars develop their own sense of irony. The Yugo was one such car. The common joke was that when you climbed aboard, sometimes Yugo, and sometimes you don’t. Regardless of this, in a similar vein to the Edsel and the Corvair, the Yugo has started to develop something of a cult following, and while they haven’t achieved enormous popularity, people are beginning to buy them. This 1987 Yugo GV is said to have only covered 40,000 original miles, is located in Barstow, California, and is listed for sale here on eBay.
I have to say that the overall condition of this Yugo is quite good. There are a number of shots of the underside of the car, and it looks really solid. The body itself is quite straight, with only one small, visible ding in the hatch, and a ding in one door that I’m having trouble seeing in the photos. The glass looks good, and while some of the external trim and decals need some minor work, the car actually looks quite decent.
Okay, so you’re never going to mistake the interior of a Yugo for that of a Cadillac, but the interior of this Yugo has survived quite well. We can’t see what may or may not be hiding under the dash mat, but the interior trim and upholstery look to be in good condition. Luxury wasn’t high on the agenda with a Yugo, but it did represent transport at its most basic. To a certain extent, it is somewhat ironic that the American distribution of the Yugo was handled by Malcolm Bricklin. That man never really covered himself with automotive success. Before the Yugo, there was the Bricklin SV1, which was fine in concept, but ordinary in execution. Before that, he was the importer and distributor of the Subaru 360, which was about as irrelevant to the American motoring public as it was possible to get.
Under the hood is the 1.1-liter 4-cylinder engine, which sends its drive to the front wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. The car is also fitted with power steering and power brakes, and also about the only option available on a Yugo, air conditioning. The good news is that the engine starts and runs, but it does need some work performed on the carburetor. The other thing that will require attention is the brake master cylinder, which will need to be replaced. With only 55hp on tap, a Yugo is never going to be a jet in a straight line, but in a car with a weight of around 1,880lbs, it is possible to row a Yugo through the gears and keep pace with most city traffic.
Cult cars come in many shapes, styles, and types. The muscle car cult has been with us for decades, while the Kei car cult is something that most people would never have expected. Similarly, no one would have dreamed that when the Edsel experiment collapsed in a welter of poor quality and the loss of millions of dollars, that the Edsel would one day also develop a cult following. While not in that league, the Yugo is just beginning to develop a following. Its very fragility as a new car has worked in its favor, as the vast majority have ended their days in a junk-yard. This particular Yugo appears to be in quite good condition, and the owner has set a BIN price of $4,000, but the option is there to make an offer. The asking price gives pause for thought: It is only $185 less than the original owner would have paid for the car when it was new.
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Comments
That reminds me of the comment when these cars originally came out- “while the electrics did not usually work, at least the rear defrost worked so you could warm your hands while you were pushing it……….”
Garbage. I’d rather drive a Chrysler K car….
I owned one for 94,000 miles. I replaced the tires carburetor distributer caps wires plugs & brakes along with oil. I sold it for more than I paid for it new
Perhaps yours was a fluke, or toward they end they supposedly were making improvements perhaps the EFI models and GV Plus were better?
My roommate had one and I drove it occasionally. Back then, I was young and it was a fun car for around town but a little scary on the highway. When I pushed down the clutch, the clutch went through the floorboard. LOL. It only had 20K miles.
I remember towards the very end, a local Yugo dealer un SW Florida was offering these cars as a BOGO free deal.
I owned one of these cars when I was 19 brand new. Make sure you change the timing belt as well.The timing belt was the main reason for the destruction of most of these cars
Yep, that and oil changes.
Poor maintenance and eventually the fall of Yugoslavia and the Balkan war were the biggest contributors to the downfall of the poor little Yugo.
Had the UN not blocked all exports in 1992, Zastava would have likely continued to sell cars in the United States and other countries regardless of their reputation. The later models, especially 1991 and 1992 (the Yugo’s final years in the USDM), were actually very good cars. The GVPlus was actually pretty reliable and was plenty powerful, with the same fuel injection system as a Ferrari Testarossa…
Either that means the 1991 Yugo GVPlus was amazing or the 1989 Ferrari Testarossa was a hot pile of garbage. Pick your poison, automotive journalists.
ONLY 40,000 miles? How did it survive that long?
There’s a reason it only has 40,000 miles. It was probably broke down most of those years.
Most of those miles might be from being pushed, towed or coasting to a stop.
The owner is lucky it made it to 40000 miles.
Yugos are good cars, I’m restoring an 91 skala, they are historical pieces from an extinted country…
40,000 “original” miles?
Aren’t all miles original?
Or are some aftermarket miles? Copies of miles?
Original miles is how many miles are on the original drivetrain. The odometer may read 100,000 but the engine may have been replaced.
When miles are “original,” it means that the transmission and engine are the factory originals fitted to the car when new.
Would you include the clutch in that definition?
No, the clutch is considered a consumable component in most cases.
Usually the engine and transmission don’t need to be replaced every 3-5 years… Coolant, clutch, brake fluid, engine oil, etc are considered consumable.
Yugos are one of those cars that are universally recognized as a giant POS, but theres always that guy who bought one cause he needed a cheap work car and had good luck with it. My buddies dad bought one in 1987 or 88 (I want to say we were in 7th grade, but it’s been a long time.) He drove that car for 20+ years and put 150k on it, withough major problems. Amazing I know. Still, 4k for a Yugo? Really?
Yeah, 4000 is far too much. That’s nearly double what I paid for a red 88 model with working AC and 40,000 miles… Plus a parts car to go with it.
They’re neat but people vastly overestimate their value!
Can we please have a moratorium on Yugo’s for the remainder of the year? I think we have seen enough!
Speaking about more than on Yugo, it would be Yugos without an apostrophe. Unless you are talking about Yugo’s durability, beauty etc.
Which brings up the question, does the odometer register when it is being pushed? May have gotten 39K of the 40 while owner was pushing it.
Owning a Yugo could be a hell of a weight loss plan.hmmmm
Air conditioning?! Does it still move when on?
I test drove a brand new Yugo when they came to the US, how could I NOT test a car that was that CHEAP (keyword) I was a poor broke just out of college kid and even I remember thinking what a POS this thing is, and it was brand new! They did not get better with age.
Waste of ad space and comments!
40,000 miles on a Yugo? If I were the PO, I’d be buying lottery tickets.
About the mileage when little bro’s Yugo blew.
He was so anal about maintenance at the dealer and by the dealer, they had no wiggle room out of the extended warranty he’d purchased and had to un-a** a new engine.
I sent the ad to him a few minutes ago.
In-a** ?
I think the main attribute of the Yugo was that it could be bought on a credit card.
The Yugo was just a Fiat Panda built under license in Sarajevo. What do you expect? A co-worker found out at what mileage the timing belt would fail and bent all the valves in his. Rather than rebuild the head, he had me install a Fiat Strada motor. Same engine family but 1500. It was kind of a spritely Yugo.
More of a modified version of a Fiat 124 made by Zastava.
The Yugo was actually an updated 127 with a different engine and interior. The engine was the DMB 1100.
The owners manual details that the timing belt should be inspected or replaced every 40,000 miles, most people didn’t follow this and it destroyed most of these cars.
1970’s Fiat design, Soviet era construction, what could go wrong. Seems about everything. Yet I have seen more than a few of them hit the 100K mark in milage. This was one of the first cars that make me consider the owners and how they treated their machinery. One of my professional car restoration buddies had one of these 100K machines and never had a problem with it. Treated it well, took the time to solve problems as soon as he could hear any kind of noise or feeling. Brakes lasted well, suspension did what it could and should have done.
Yes it needed parts but just normal wear and tear parts. Per an earlier comment yes it would continue to move with the air conditioner on but it was like somebody threw out a small anchor when it was running and long hills were not advised if continued movement was important to you.
My friend needed cheap transportation then and this filled the bill until his business got better and marriage forced him into a larger car. He got his moneys worth and I think many others did as well. Mostly the ones I saw over time had almost zero up keep because the people that purchased them either could not afford upkeep or did not care to do so. I think the bad rap was about 50/50 poor design and construction combined with poor owners.
Love that Yugoslav slab ‘o wood on the dash. Classy.
That wood on the dash is from the endangered PVC tree, Coventrycat…
Every time a Yugo is posted on BF, it reminds me of just how superior – in comparison – the Soviet-era Skoda Favorit 135L was that I owned when I lived in CZ in 2004-05. When it finally let me down, a result of a fault in the electronic ignition module, I still was able to drive it to a garage to get it sorted.
Sad to say, but I think $4K is probably double what the car is worth.
Where haven’t you lived Beatnik Bedouin ? I really enjoy your posts.
I remember going to the new car auto show in Milwaukee as a high school aged kid back in the mid 1980’s & sitting in a brand new Yugo. I went to get out of the car and the handle bent. It did not move to activate the latch, it bent lol. I reached out & grabbed the outside door handle and let myself out. Subsequently, I can’t believe this one is still on the road. I also would never buy one. It interests me in a nostalgic type of sensation, sort of like when I drove around a Milwaukee “suburb” called West Allow & I get to see all of these people in my age group with no teeth wearing mullets. Very nostalgic. Not good but nostalgic lol.
West Allis, not West Allow. Darn spell check lol
Beautiful shape but he’s asking far too much for it.
I was able to buy a red 1988 Yugo GV with working air conditioning and an 87 parts car which also had AC components and a running engine just a few weeks ago for $2500!
Miraculously, it also has 40,388 miles on it. What a coincidence.
The VIN does verify this is a 1987 model.
Now take note of the plate on the car.
This car has an August sticker on a 1988 plate.
That means this car was original sold in August of 1988 as a 1987 model.
That is how long it took to sell a Yugo new.
Yugo was and still is fastest selling European import in US history .
Vas911, not in reality.
Were you in the US when they were new?
Considering they sold over 100,000 vehicles in just their second year here…
That’s better than many manufacturers on their second *decade* in the US.
I worked at a Yugo dealer. I was a little excited when we took on the line. (I am kind of a Fiat /Lancia fan) But was extremely disappointed when being able to spend a little time going over one of our first cars. I took the car for a drive and felt it drove like a late model Fiat 128. (not a bad thing) I had to be towed back to the shop as the throttle cable snapped. I went to drive it again once the throttle cable was replaced. (The throttle cable was part of the initial parts inventory “recommended” by Yugo. Hmmm, they obviously new something.) I got in the car and the window crank broke off in my hand. We never delivered a car where it did not return the very next day with an issue. Poorly stamped parts, (worn out Fiat dies) Bad castings (worn out Fiat molds) and just plain sloppy assembly. We lived through 2 years of hell before dumping the franchise. I’m sorry, but $40 is too much!
Wayne, how could what you said be true when Vas911 said the car was the best selling Eurpoean car in the US and Joseph touts how many were sold and that other companies should be envious of the sales numbers.
I also had experience with them new as I worked at a Chevy dealer and a few were traded in with under 5000 miles. Every one of them had a problem and it was my job to go to the Yugo dealer in San Fernando to get the parts to fix it.
I had a hard time getting an ignition for the first one when the key was stuck in the on position. That makes it uncomfortable to park the car and leave it running. It was lucky it was a stick shift so I could stall it and disconnect the battery.
In 1982 when the Commodore 64 was first released, Commodore announced a $100 trade in value for any competitor’s computer. At the time, the cheapest computer on the market was the Timex Sinclair 1000 (Sinclair ZX81). It cost just $49.99 at the time.
Most of these computers were bought soleley for the purpose of trading them in for credit towards a Commodore 64 and were never even so much as removed from their packaging.
As such, the Timex Sinclair 1000 is now exceedingly rare by comparison in the US.
Not to mention, people didn’t treat these cars very well because they were so cheap. They were cheap enough to be considered almost disposible and it really shows. However, the survivors you generally see today are in excellent shape and run and drive well because they were taken care of like they should have been!
My 1988 Yugo GV (which was found on this same website with the same mileage) runs and drives like it’s brand new. I’ve had to replace a bad fuel pump and some minor electrical components which always fail with age – fuses, relays and bulbs. There’s no more wrong with it than my 1993 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Special Edition which has half the mileage and was garage kept by a very elderly man for it’s entire life.
The Yugo simply wasn’t a bad car – if you treated a Honda Accord of the same year the way people treated the Yugo it would have the same problems. Rubber timing belt, cable operated stuff, carburator, everything.
Joseph, you really should listen to the people that had to deal with them when they were new as opposed to somebody that had one and it wasn’t as bad as the rest.
I can’t remember any other car that had so many quality problems from day one not only happening to the first owners, but to the dealers that had to show them as new cars.
You saying the car is no worse than a 1993 Cadillac is just so wrong in so many ways.
If you’d let it idle while running in to get parts, maybe you would have been lucky enough that someone would have stolen the car…Yea, probably not that lucky.
I’m not listening to someone who had “the one”
I own two of them. Personally. Both have never had any serious issues. One sat in a forest for over a decade and fired just fine with some starting fluid, attached I’d a picture of it before we cut it out. These had quality problems but they were NOT unreliable. No more so than any other car from that price range or from that time.
What else would you have bought? A Hyundai Excel? Not only were those ugly and uncomfortable, they were slow and unreliable as well.
I compared it to (here’s the kicker) MY Cadillac DeVille.
MY 1988 Yugo GV is no less reliable than MY 1993 Cadillac Sedan DeVille Special Edition.
At least the seats and driving position are more comfortable than again, my 1989 Honda Accord LXi Sedan.
So surprised that they had AC in a low cost Yugo! I suppose that was meant for the US market only. We didn’t get that in France…
And that wood decoration in front of the passenger. Wow, Jaguar like? LOL.
Anyways, not many people wanted à Yugo to start with…
The only thing I’d buy from Zastava is an M70…
The AC in these cars was USDM and Yugoslavia only, but it works quite well! It does hinder the performance a bit, and will cause your mediocre fuel economy to drop further, but it’s not so bad.
The US and Yugoslavia also got 3 speed automatic transmissions designed by Renault as an option, as well as a hydroelectric convertible top!
Some of the last cars to be exported actually had the Bosch Motronic EFI system from a Ferrari Testarossa, even! It brought the 52HP engine up to a whopping 67, and with it you got an extra fifth gear!
Interesting stuff thanks! Air con was so rare in UK in 80’s.
If it’s the same automatic as in the Renault 5 and first Renault Clio then it is a PITA and is not reliable with parts shortage…
Better go with the manual.
The Yuho was actually based on a shortened 128 platform., A car that Zastava assembled. They also had a hatchback version of the 128 that was unique. They also made a version of the Fiat 1300 from the early 60s and a 750cc version of the Fiat 600.
Miguel, you are 100% right. And yes a Honda Accord treated like crap will not serve it’s driver as well as a maintained one. (It is the same for all things, cars, animals, houses, etc.) BUT the neglect will start to show after a period of time. NOT right away. We had a customer who was from Yugoslavia and thought that the Yugo was the world’s best car. The car come in for repairs 3 to 4 times a month. We had BMW (we were also a BMW dealer) customers that abused the daylights out of their cars and only saw them a couple of times a year. The Yugo owner mentioned here always carried a spare throttle cable with him for us to install when the car was towed in for the cable failure. Since there was often times that part was on backorder and we would be out of stock. I am an ex-pro rally and ice racer, so not much scares me. I never heard of a “safety” item failure on a Yugo. But knowing the propensity of all things mechanical/electrical that failed on those cars. I would only go a top speed of 30 mph. As I did not trust the cars.
I’ve yet to have any problems with mine on the interstate, and knock on wood my throttle cable is the original and has yet to even stick. The only component I’ve had to change (besides belts, plugs, fluids, etc) is the fuel pump and it’s relay. Otherwise it’s been pretty reliable, more than my friend’s 2008 BMW 328i which he purchased brand new… The catalytic converters failed last year and the car was scrapped because he was unwilling to pay over $6000 to repair a car that was already riddled with issues as it was. It spent a month straight at the dealership before it got the tow of shame.
They actually aged in a time tunnel similar to Dog years.They aged 7 years for every model year passed.
We have this same colored Nugget Gold Yugo. The Yugo gets more attention at car shows and car cruises than any car we own. It is only used for shows and not driven as a everyday car. The brown door panels always fade to a chartreuse color. Just take them off and get a pint of interior paint and spray them with a spray gun and they look like new again. Wife said “this is the cheapest car she ever rode in” but, we love it. One of our favorite collector cars.
I can’t believe nobody said anything about the cheesy purple window tint. $4000 BIN price? I would like to see someone run one of these across the auction block to see what it would go for. How does a seller come up with a BIN price for a car like this? What happened to people realizing that they would like to just get a couple hundred bucks for a car?
I have a hard time believing that, in the world of automotive enthusiasm, a Yugo is ‘Collectible’. Maybe in another hundred years.
Yeah, these cars aren’t worth much of anything. I bought both of mine for half of what this guy is asking for this one, and theyre in similar shape!
Can you imagine having to remove the spare tire ? Better have a very strong back !