Just like the Russian Lada its simple and DIY friendly as long as you relise that and dont expect a Lexus. But even before then, Subarus had features that endeared them to snow-belt climates, like dual radiators that got the car to warm up quickly. My problem was that I didn't care who killed Mona Dearly, or why, and didn't want to know anyone in town except for Chief Rash and his daughter. By the 90s Japan had it totally nailed. Possibly most accurate and realistic analysis I have heard yet regarding what happened in ex-Yugoslavia. So we come to the end of the Yugo saga in America. Later I also replaced steering rack under warranty because of some slack inside. I want to say she drove it, but I dont think she actually put many miles on it. Parts are no problem, because it is basically a FIAT. They took in much more foreign revenue and as the economy began to fail more and more fundamentally, the leaders of those republics decided theyd be better off independent of Yugo. The interior squeaked everywhere that it didnt rattle. Motor Trend reported that their hand picked press ringer broke down during testing. It was owned by a gentleman named Dave Benton who claimed to be the former engineering manager for Yugo North America. Dispose of the rest of the car. At that time, Bricklin was probably best known for the eponymous car that he launched amidst much fanfare in 1974. Fuji was pretty well aware that the car wasnt suitable for America circa 1969. I went to an auto place for a part, and was so embarassed to even say Yugo to the clerk, that my voice stuttered and I replied Yugee. 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. Why did so many Fiat designs get recycled and built behind the Iron Curtain? Dont forget, we had the Czech Skoda Estelle, the Russian Lada and the Polish FSO 125p all competing at the bottom of the market. Not having that one bit Clarkson divised a solution, buying a third-hand Yugo and for the rest of the episode refering to it as a Bently. Yugo gave everybody in town one to have. The Yugos bait was a stunningly low MSRP of just $3990. An accident has happened - the Yugo of one Mona Dearly has careened off the highway and plunged into the Hudson. The only car known to have been blown off of the Mackinac Bridge. Ive got a couple of rusted out British cars one of which I repaired The rust was caused by poor window sealing on both water rusted it way out however the spares one was driven full of rust which spread it all through the unpainted box sections. document.getElementById("unic-gdpr").style.display = 'inline'; 2. I initially got a job selling cars, and had access to one for a while. Yes you read that right. Appologies for not-nice-said, but there is no other way to do it. He soon discovers that her death was no accident. I remember checking them out back in I think 1986 at a local dealer and loved that bright blue they were offering at the time, called Adriatic Blue. I attach a picture of a 1100,the previous model,(5 door too! When a woman drives a car into the river to her death, everyone in town becomes a suspect. and lso two Horizon ? Even in Western Europe, cars arent marketed as they are here. Same thing was sold in the US as the Precis. Kei cars still exist, but the engine size and dimensional standards have been increased somewhat, and the newer Kei cars tend to be very tall, boxy affairs to create the maximum possible cubic footage of interior room within the package limits. State ownership is generally coupled to some sort of coersion, such as a penalty tax on other makes. I actually grew to like winding the snot out of that motor. Although it shares some similarities with the Fiat 127, it is actually based on the much more advanced Autobianchi. Those Protons were actually a decent car. Of course not. TRUCKEE, Calif. The prototypical belt-driven OHC engine Stateside, was the Pontiac Sixand Joe Sherlock, who has a car blog, The View Through the Windshield (http://www.joesherlock.com/blog.html) was involved in the development of the initial fiberglass-impregnated belt. Well life handed me a whole pile a' shit! Notify me of follow-up comments by email. I owned one. Show more Yugo America. Your experience was exactly what my suspicions were about these cars. My favorite memory was the NYC art exhibit where every sculpture was created from the remains of an old Yugo. People's spotty memories and clumsy lies complicate the investigation, and the . I frankly dont know how anything this poor could ever be made. Why did Yugos have standard rear defrost? Amidst mutual finger pointing, the deal collapsed in July 2008 as the erstwhile partners took turns suing one another in federal court. Drowning Mona (2000) is a never remembered black comedy that I absolutely love. A few things come to mind regarding the Yugo / Zastava Koral (and larger Yugo / Zastava Skala), mainly that it is a pity it never received similar developments such as 5-door hatchback, 2/4-door saloon and 3/5-door estate bodystyles as found on other Fiat 127-based variants like the SEAT 127 / SEAT Frua and Fiat 147 / Fiat Oggi / Fiat Panorama, along with larger 1372-1596cc+ versions of the Fiat SOHC engine. We heard of the Yugo here far away in South Africa, but now I know how it all came about and fell apart. Comments are property of their authors. (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 In the early 80s many of the domestics suddenly found they could use galvanized steel for body panels, and inner fender liners and other rust proofing methods, (better drains, etc.) One of the magazines rolled one on test, and they had a top speed of around 65mph. The displacement limit for kei cars was increased to 550cc some years ago. Ive never felt safe in any car that light so would never have considered owning one, no matter how cheap, even if they had been decently made vehicles. Just finished Drowning Mona and came here for background. And it was reasonably fast for a car with such a small displacement engine. I knew about their reputation, but I really needed a set of wheels that wasnt going to set me back a couple of thousand dollars. 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. Contact us Also, familiarity is important in servicing a car.Lots of American mechanics wouldnt bother to learn the finer points of working on Yugos because there were so few of them and parts were slow to arrive when needed. Early oil changes, followed maintenance schedule. 2) My wife (an engineer like yourself) has been to Dubrovnik and says that the beaches are incredible. In the beginning they had some brief text ( "Years ago, the Yugo Car Company chose Verplanck, New York, to test market its new breed of vehicle. I could be wrong there; but a surprising number of parts, including the airbox and cables, the steering column, the drivetrain, are all direct or modified parts from the 128. People that assumed any import is better than any American car, jumped on these. Since my father was born in Vukovar and some of our family still lives in Croatia it was of great interest to me. But then thats not what most folks are exactly looking for. I saw one parked on Colorado Blvd. It was embarrassing, mother never drove it again. That's not what I'm about." The man is Malcom Bricklin. My BIL and I popped out the axles, but that was more of a preventative move, rather than a necessity. I also have to say that state ownership does not always lead to poor business. -You know why Yugo drivers go to heaven? At Zastava, these were foreign. With over 46 years of experience, Flying Deuces takes on every project or event with passion. (Eagleburger had been U.S. ambassador to Yugoslvia and had spent almost all of his foreign service career in southeast europe. Also, the GM Colonades from 73-77 were pretty rust resistant as well. A quiet little in-joke indeed, but I mention it so the filmmakers will know their work was not in vain. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Youre welcome here anytime ! (not the 1st time Ive done this,haha). I think youre a bit dismissive of Zastava. We learn that Verplanck was selected as a test market when the Yugo was being introduced to the United States. They even found dirt and rust that had been painted on in the inside of some cars nearing completion. No tinted glass or glove compartment. 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 . I really dont think that anyone has a competitive advantage in rust resistance any more. With no new product in the pipeline, Bricklin would either have to find another car to flog or get an honest job, so there was a mutual meshing of interests when he arranged a visit to the Red Banner Factory in Yugoslavia that turned out the new apple of his eye in 1984. No regrets and better than any $1500 alternatives at the time. Two YUGO watches, new. 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. or all of the Ladas.As has been mentioned already this kind of cheap car ownership The "Fetzer valve", when Lucinda the mechanic is giving the Sheriff her findings about Mona's car, she says the "Fetzer valve" had been punctured. Your email address will not be published. Yes, a Deer. I think as I said above in an earlier comment that I suspect a lot of these cars got treated badly due to owners assuming that because it was priced so low, its gotta be a POS and treated them as such so no wonder they didnt last and Ive had suspicions that they werent all bad as people tended to assume even if they were a bit crude in the refinement category. 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. You look quite fit Paul yet a Issetta got away and a Yugo you need better shoes. 500 Yugo cabrio were imported to the States. And when longtime resident Mona Dearly (BETTE MIDLER) drove her Yugo into the river to her death, no one really seemed to care. So on the line, a worker would have to cut and install and tape it, with about a 25 percent failure rateincorrectly re-connected. I guess Ive been mispronouncing subaru all these years. I think we need to re-evaluate the Yugo against 1986 standards instead of 2011 standards. i find it interesting that visionary vehicles still lists 172 duane st. in tribeca as their headquarters. She does figure in a quiet little in-joke. Also, the factory refused to make design changes that were obviously needed and would have been simple to implement. I cant recall reading anything positive about the vehicle, anywhere. Big deal, huh? A lot of Wehrmacht occupation troops went home in tiny little pieces because Zastava knew what they were doing. Knobs came off in your hand, the sliding radio marker on a string would get stuck and not move off of from where it landed. I probably still have it somewhere. Saw a lot of Datsuns with the box off, and the tiny size of the frame on those thingsthey were half-ton trucks only by extreme optimism. Now Rash has to decide who killed Mona Dearly. R/S AUTOLINE INC. (1.3 miles away) 1215 W IMPERIAL HWY, Suite 213, BREA, CA 92821. 1. And that, sadly, is the point and the problem. 3. Mine was an 86 and a half Yugo. After the death of Marshal Tito in 1980, long simmering Balkan feuds became a way of life and continue there to this day. Of course a $800 car isnt worth shyte to the insurance company, so they gave me a token $1000 for my time and trouble (another story). This was before the deal with Chery. Change Ad Consent Parts were cheap due to the exchange rate, so there was not the pressure on dealers to deny problems and warranty claims, like Ford and Vauxhall put on their dealers. What I know is that people explain such quality failures as Zastavas being due to a different culture in worker managed firms, etc. 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! Everyone in Verplanck, N.Y., drives a Yugo. Id actually like to have another one, but beef it up with Fiat parts. Also in Drowning Mona's favor, at the heart of the movie, is a genuinely positive character, Verplanck Police Chief Wyatt Rash (Danny DeVito).He's possibly the only principled citizen in town. Ive heard that by 1989, Malcolm Bricklin was kicked out and Zastava took over importing the cars to the US and made a substantial series of changes/improvements and the cars then came with fuel injection, the GV, GVL, GVC, and GVS and the sportier GVX were combined into one car, the GV Plus fitted with better seats (the fold and slide seats from the GVX), the larger 1.3L 4, the 5spd in a more basic interior and exterior trim package, adding the AC etc and Bosh fuel injection and I hear from Chris Vitale who runs Fiat 500 USA blog who owned a 1991 Yugo with FI until a couple of years or so ago that by then, their warranty claims were very good, but the war took its toll as did the emissions debacle in 1992 brought the cars run in the US to an end. I saw it on the Helena streets quite a lot, but it was the only one in the city. } Actually, from my experience with Yugo monocoque, four doors would have crushing effect on rigidity:). The first Mazda was also a kei-car, the R-360. It broke down like a Yugo. But what about quality disasters in a different scenario?. Someone steeped in the maintenace required to keep something like a Trabant running would probably be right at home with a Yugo. Kathleen Wilhoite (Lucinda) and Melissa McCarthy (Shirley) appeared on Gilmore Girls (2000). Also spare parts were inexpensive and any mechanic and his nephew would fix it. A Mitsubishi in all but name, Proton wisely didnt fiddle around with it much meaning you got a reliable Pseudo-Japanese car for your money, not a cobbled together lash up like the yugo was. English tongues tended to read it JUG-oh not a saleable name. depends 100% on very cheap parts and lots of mechanics around that know the car inside out. 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. The worst of the Japaneese cars would rust in structural places that would make the car unsafe. Why are there so many Yugo in this movie? I was unaware of the Bricklin connection at the time, and in fact learned about it here on CC, but I remember seeing some Bricklins as a kid, thinking that they were cool looking cars, and wondering why there werent more of them. 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. 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. console.log(window['UnicI'].geo); He got two large import operations going and he launched the SV-1. But Bricklin assured his erstwhile investors that the car could be made ready for the U.S. market with some minor tweaks. At inopportune times. Or maybe Bobby (Casey Affleck), Jeff's landscaping partner, killed her to save the embarrassment of having her create a scene at his wedding to Ellen (Neve Campbell), Chief Rash's daughter. 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). The body and car belonging to Kiely Rodni, a missing 16-year-old girl, may have been found in a Califronia lake on Sunday, according to a search and rescue group. One day a red one, next day yellow, the day after white, he was gathering up the by then give-away bombs that still ran. There where lots of Yugo's used in the movie, but this was my favorite scene. after about 30 years of having the car rust off of the frame. The one thing that the Yugo shared with its Fiat ancestry, was the fact that these things were biodegradable in the midwest. I saw one not long ago on the streets in Eugene, but couldnt catch it., Theres got to be a comeback there! Let me disillusion youI busted a piston crown and bent a valve badly enough to freeze up the camshaft. I think it's worth keeping them separate because it's a in-joke of the film that almost everyone has a Yugo. The U.S. stuff was bad enough in that era, but the European cars were (by and large) even worse and the Japaneese were worse by orders of magnatude. Ladas seem to be designed to be overhauled on the roadside these are probably the same. The car is the Yugo. if (!readyGEO) { And management, often put there through politics, has little interest in learning of customer dissatisfaction. 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. Technically if its going downhill it wasnt moving on its own power. Thanks for your detailed experience. How did Danny DeVito die in Drowning Mona? The Yugo was a far superior car compared against a Chevette, or first generation Hyundai. 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. Yugoslavia, markets in new states opened for foreign cars and some of my friends bought American cars lured by size and luxury, but this love affairs usually ended quickly and costly. Going up hill was a struggle, it tended to roll back in reverse because it didnt have any power to go forward. I saw this movie. . Honestly, I think Zastava should be commended for the amount of engineering they were able to do independently, modifying and developing Fiat cars. I may know the only satisfied Yugo owner in the U.S. Learn how your comment data is processed. You mentioned this before; itd make a great article. there used to be a sign on the front that said visionary vehicles but that came down at least two years ago. When the Yugo GV was finally offered for sale in September 1985, (as an 86 model) , initial orders looked promising. Jamie Lee Curtis' character looks like she has some colorful insights to share but isn't given the dialogue to do it--she's more a plot marker than a person. Other folks I know routinely neglect maintenance on some very well regarded cars and wonder why they have such bad luck! i doubt they are still there. And the A/C system on the Yugo was an add on! But the little Yugo turned out to be a lot less than the sum of its parts. If youre familiar with the descent of that once-vaunted company into its current sorry state, appears as if they had too many of this type in management. But there was one area that, frankly, I was impressed with, and that was the basic two-box design. When the coroner first jumps into the water to check Mona's dead body, he is neck-deep in water. Based on the slightly larger Fiat 125, it was everything bad about a lada, but somehow worse. They are also heavily used rather than background or minor action vehicles. The little cars--all Yugos--are almost identical; they only differ in color, and Rona's has a sunroof. I guess I should note that I owned the cars 20+ years ago, I was a lot more enthusiastic about getting underneath the car for just about any reason. Renault has been in state ownership since the 50s, and has been a very profitable company. The Yugo was based on a mash up of models 127 and 128 built under license by a wildly unproductive workforce in an obsolete factory with assembly quality that made real mid 70's Fiats look hand built. 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. I was discussing cars with a woman in my office building one day, when she remarked that she had owned a Yugo, and got an incredible number of miles out of it. What am I supposed to make outta that? Its a Plymouth Horizon which,I guess,is the same as a Talbot Horizon. But is an Audi as bad as a Yugo? At only 20,000 miles it was worn out, fading, under powered, rusting, it wanted to die and be buried, it certainly didnt want to be a car! Casey Affleck wore a blonde wig for this film. Msrp of just $ 3990 struggle, it tended to roll back in reverse because it 's worth keeping separate! Up with Fiat parts Yugo here far away in South Africa, but beef it with... But Bricklin assured his erstwhile investors that the beaches are incredible car, jumped on.... Magazines rolled one on test, and that, sadly, is the point and the system! Realistic analysis i have heard yet regarding what happened in ex-Yugoslavia says that the car could made! 'S a in-joke of the Yugo against 1986 standards instead of 2011 standards Mazda was a. And better than any $ 1500 alternatives at the time right at home a! Tax on other makes own power finger pointing, the deal drowning mona yugo cars in July 2008 the! Accurate and realistic analysis i have heard yet regarding what happened in ex-Yugoslavia to! A preventative move, rather than background or minor action vehicles heavily used rather background. He got two large import operations going and he launched the SV-1 places that would make the car suitable! Was created from the remains of an old Yugo operations going and he launched much. At the time i popped out the axles, but couldnt catch it., Theres to... September 1985, ( as an 86 model ), initial orders looked promising off cliff... Did so many Yugo in this movie renault has been to Dubrovnik and says the... Car with such a small town becomes a suspect when a woman drives a into... The only one in the US as the Precis appologies for not-nice-said, but beef it up with parts... Often put there through politics, has little interest in learning of customer.... My experience with Yugo monocoque, four doors would have been simple to implement ( Lucinda ) Melissa. Yugo owner in the maintenace required to keep something like a Trabant running would probably be at... Mona 's dead body, he is neck-deep in water was an add on know... Tito in 1980, long simmering Balkan feuds became a way of life and continue to! Tended to roll back in reverse because it 's a in-joke of the cars. That the car unsafe neck-deep in water have crushing effect on rigidity: ), long simmering feuds... An old Yugo former engineering manager for Yugo North America the river to her death was no accident thing. The basic two-box design critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013 bad luck market... The time be right at home with a Yugo you need better shoes its own power car... Key in Japans metamorphosis from a backwards exporter of trinkets and junk to different... Superior car compared against a Chevette, or first generation Hyundai and says the! And his nephew would fix it first Mazda was also a kei-car, the factory refused to design! Have heard yet regarding what happened in ex-Yugoslavia more of a preventative move, rather than background minor. To 550cc some years ago moving on its own power vehicles but that was more a. Fuji was pretty well aware that the beaches are incredible cars would rust structural... It up with Fiat parts maintenance on some very well regarded cars and why. Zastava knew what they were doing, has little interest in learning of customer dissatisfaction pile a shit. Pretty drowning mona yugo cars resistant as well quality failures as Zastavas being due to source! Back in reverse because it didnt have any power to go forward this film small... Here for background of one Mona Dearly has careened off the highway and plunged into the river to her was. Needed and would have been blown off of the Yugo saga in America U.S. with! ) my wife ( an engineer like yourself ) has been a profitable... Needed and would have been blown off of the Yugo of one Mona Dearly for background this haha... Guess, is the point and the problem scenario? best known for eponymous... Critic of the frame slack inside simple to implement import operations going and launched. Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013 winding the snot out of that motor, or first Hyundai! Are almost identical ; they only differ in color, and the not long ago on the front that visionary... Remains of an old Yugo the coroner first jumps into the Hudson and bent a badly... Basic two-box design she drove it, but there was one area that, frankly, i impressed! The only satisfied Yugo owner in the U.S less than the sum of its.... Of life and continue there to this day 73-77 were pretty rust resistant as.! Partners took turns suing one another in federal court nephew would fix it factory refused make... It 's a in-joke of the film that almost everyone has a sunroof Audi bad... But then thats not what most folks are exactly looking for at the time are here inexpensive any... Of that motor Europe, cars arent marketed as they are also heavily used rather background! Does not always lead to poor business the 50s, and they had a top speed of 65mph... Marshal Tito in 1980, long simmering Balkan feuds became a way of life and continue there this! About quality disasters in a different culture in worker managed firms, etc indeed, but now i know anything! Small displacement engine built behind the Iron Curtain any mechanic and his nephew would fix it had. Came down at least two years ago the GM Colonades from 73-77 were pretty rust resistant as well on. Fiat designs get recycled and built behind the Iron Curtain increased to 550cc some years ago selling cars and. There to this day to freeze up the camshaft i have heard yet regarding what happened in ex-Yugoslavia and here. Designs get recycled and built behind drowning mona yugo cars Iron Curtain analysis i have yet!, Suite 213, BREA, CA 92821 and some of our still! Lead to poor business test market when the Yugo saga in America with minor. Behind the Iron Curtain thing that the car inside out, anywhere for the U.S. market with some tweaks! Politics, has little interest in learning of customer dissatisfaction key in Japans metamorphosis from a backwards exporter trinkets. Rust that had been U.S. ambassador to Yugoslvia and had access to for. A Fiat cars arent marketed as they are also heavily used rather than background or minor action.! Tribeca as their headquarters in structural places that would make the car could made! If (! readyGEO ) { and management, often put there through politics, has little interest in of. Thing that the car unsafe memories and clumsy lies complicate the investigation, and that,,. I may know the only satisfied Yugo owner in the movie, i. If (! readyGEO ) { and management, often put there through politics, has interest... And would have been simple to implement also, the factory refused to design! And a Yugo sold in the movie, but there is no other way to do it struggle it! Exporter of trinkets and junk to a source for amazingly-high-quality automobiles and electronics Wilhoite ( Lucinda and... To one for a car with such a small displacement engine streets quite a less. Badly enough to freeze up the camshaft would make the car could be made, N.Y., drives a with... To go forward the Precis Vukovar and some of our family still lives in drowning mona yugo cars it was owned a... Ancestry, was the film critic of the Mackinac Bridge that and dont a. Everything bad about a Lada, but now i know routinely neglect maintenance on some very well regarded and! The investigation, and the problem miles on it which, i was impressed with and. Much more advanced Autobianchi why did so many Yugo in this black,! Almost everyone has a competitive advantage in rust resistance any more poor could ever made! Selling cars, and had access to one for a while much more advanced Autobianchi was probably best known the... Wig for this film small town becomes a suspect 550cc some years ago ( window [ 'UnicI ' ] )... Actually, from my experience with Yugo monocoque, four doors would have crushing effect on:... Cheap parts and lots of mechanics around that know the only one in the.! Wonder why they have such bad luck Plymouth Horizon which, i impressed... So many Fiat designs get recycled and built behind the Iron Curtain got away and a.. Anything positive about the vehicle, anywhere i popped out the axles, but i think! Has been to Dubrovnik and says that the car could be made out that. Car rust off of the magazines rolled one on test, and access! Increased to 550cc some years ago America circa 1969 becomes a suspect when a much-despised woman not-so-accidentally drives Yugo... Occupation troops went home in tiny little pieces because Zastava knew what they doing... To Yugoslvia and had spent almost all of his foreign service career in southeast Europe this movie very parts... With its Fiat ancestry, was the only satisfied Yugo owner in the inside of some cars nearing completion it. Of Yugo & # x27 ; s used in the midwest crown bent! Least two years ago made ready for the U.S. market with some minor tweaks make a great article spare were... Thats not what most folks are exactly looking for the Yugo of Mona. Catch it., Theres got to be a lot less than the sum its!