Worldfocus

Once marketed as a cheap alternative in the West, the last Yugo rolled off the assembly line in Kragujevac, Serbia on Thursday.

For Serbians, the Yugo is a rusted symbol of Yugoslav socialism, but to Americans, the hatchback car is more the brunt of a joke. Anchor Martin Savidge writes about a story that didn’t make it onscreen this week — and provides a few punchlines to boot.

Here’s a story we at Worldfocus actually had to drop from Thursday’s program simply because there was too much other bad financial news to tell.

But it’s worth mentioning here. I’ll start with a joke:

What do you call a Yugo at the top of a hill? A miracle.

Yes, the Yugo is probably the worst car ever exported to the United States. And it has finally come to the end of the road. On Thursday, the last Yugo — once the pride of Yugoslavia’s auto industry — rolled off the assembly line in the Serbian town of Kragujevac. Well, more than likely, it had to be pushed.

Why does a Yugo have a defroster on the rear window? To keep your hands warm while you push it.

If you remember the 80s, you’ll more than likely remember the Yugo. It hit our shores in 1986 at the bargain price of $3,990. Car magazines said it barely qualified as a car, calling it “an assembled bag of nuts and bolts.”

What do you call a Yugo’s shock absorbers? Passengers.

Yugo owners complained of engine failures and transmission problems. Some said the manual stick shift would break off in their hands. Doors and trim were also a problem. Where I was living at the time, Cleveland, you were lucky to make it through a single winter without the car rusting through.

How do you double the value of a Yugo? Fill the gas tank.

Government crash tests in 1986 found that of 23 compacts tested, the Yugo came in dead last. A slow speed crash produced $2,197 dollars worth of damage.

Even with all of those seeming detractions, more than 100,000 Yugos were sold in this country before Yugo America went bankrupt.

A proud Serbian owner of a Yugo claimed Americans simply didn’t appreciate the car. Said Momcilo Spajic, “This is driving in its most natural form. You feel every bump, squeak and jolt, and one can enjoy the sweet smell of gasoline and exhaust fumes.”

So take a moment to mark this automotive milestone. The Yugo is now Yu-gone.

Man to car dealer: “I’d like a gas cap for my Yugo.” Dealer: “Sounds like a fair trade.”

Thanks very much — I’m here all week.

- Martin Savidge

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Björn Söderqvist under a Creative Commons license.