eBay Find of the Day: Yugo Cabrio is the one for fun in the Balkan sun
1990 Yugo Cabrio - Click above for an image gallery
The Yugo, once the cheapest car offered in the United States, is most remembered for being the punchline of every late night comedian's opening monologue. That said, this author doesn't actually remember the Yugo being quite as bad as its detractors painted it out to be, especially in its later years when it was equipped with a 1.3L OHC engine hooked up to a 5-speed manual transmission. The ultimate expression of fine Yugoslavian automotive design would have to be the extremely rare droptop version of the classic Communist-era machine, and there just so happens to be one in pretty decent shape right now on eBay.
We're not sold on this particular car's yellow over gray color palette, but it only has 53,000 miles on it and seems to have been owned by an enthusiast (of sorts). If you love classic wedge-like hatchback designs from the '80s but feel a VW Cabrio is just a bit too common, a Yugo such as this would definitely be an unexpected option. Thanks for the tip, Justin B!
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[Source: eBay Motors]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Alan Thomas 3:35PM (3/25/2009)
The Yugo earned its reputation for being poorly built out of poor quality parts, just as the Vega had. They were Fiats- not a high quality car to begin with- and then made in Yugoslavia- with a new dealer base-. Unlike Pintos, only a very few of which actually caught fire, or Hyundais, which were bottom-feeder punch line cars but a few of which were somewhat decent, the Yugo was a flimsy car shoddily constructed of inferior parts and deserved the thrashing it got.
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Rick C. 4:09PM (3/25/2009)
They were actually very poor copies of older Fiat products of the time. The engine was based on the 1960's Fiat 128 series. Yugo metallurgy was horrible. Where a Fiat 128 1.3 L engine, as used in various vintage racing legal models, might be able to hold 9000+ RPM for an hour, the Yugo copy self-destructed much earlier at a much lower RPM.
Edmond Dantes 3:37PM (3/25/2009)
Damn. "Rare" is an understatement.
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fmwso 3:38PM (3/25/2009)
Not that I would buy it, but the interior and exterior looks pretty clean for a car of that time.
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BLS 3:42PM (3/25/2009)
I agree I am loving it. That God they are in North Dakota or I would be bidding.
Stumpy 3:41PM (3/25/2009)
I don't know why, but I want me one of those!
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Alan 3:49PM (3/25/2009)
That's pretty sweet.
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Alan 3:50PM (3/25/2009)
This one looks like it held together pretty well for 19 years. Show me a 1990 Tempo in that good of condition.
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StickShift 4:33PM (3/25/2009)
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=258224764&dealer_id=63713931&car_year=1990&rdm=1238013070252&model=TEMPO&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1981&keywordsfyc=&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=0&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=both&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&showZipError=n&make=FORD&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=1&sort_type=priceDESC&address=08863&advanced=&end_year=2010&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=772&standard=false
There you go.
Daily Driver 6:07PM (3/25/2009)
That Tempo is not that bad and only with 48000 miles on it too. If I had to choose, convertible or not, I rather get Tempo then Yugo.
Colin Smith 3:53PM (3/25/2009)
Actually it's rather lovely.
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Bill 3:57PM (3/25/2009)
Nice.
If I was to own an unusual, rare, and likely unreliable import convertible compact from that era, I would definitely go for a Renault Alliance GTA.
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MajorGeek 4:03PM (3/25/2009)
Should really split these up into Ebay fail of the day. A joke is always a joke. These are as collectible as a Pacer. But, got to admit, had no idea even one of these existed :)
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Mike_Kalashnikov 4:07PM (3/25/2009)
It's almost as nice as this one!
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt357/Mike_Kalashnikov/064.jpg?t=1238011563
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artandcolour 4:14PM (3/25/2009)
what a crazy 80s car. i love it and want it. you'd need a yellow and gray cap to wear while driving it. i wonder what it would look like with 24s...
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StickShift 4:35PM (3/25/2009)
They really put the spare tire in the engine compartment? I know it won't simply burst into flames, but that still doesn't seem like a good idea.
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Shiftright 7:02PM (3/25/2009)
They copied this from Fiat, and it was actually a brilliant packaging idea, freeing up trunk space. It also helped to absorb engine noise.
StickShift 9:12PM (3/25/2009)
Clever.
Also, I just remembered the Corvair had its spare in the engine compartment. Whether that makes the idea any less crazy depends on your opinion of the Corvair I guess.
Epyx 4:39PM (3/25/2009)
I know it is an absolute turd but I like it.
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notYou 5:07PM (3/25/2009)
Awwww yeah - the floormats have an "R" on them - as in Type-R!
You know it's fast!!!
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