GEN INFO:

Name: The Yugo 

Producer: Zastava

Years produced: 1980-2008

Number produced: 794,428 

Designer(s): N/A

SPECS:

Top Speed: 110 mph (177.028 km/h)

MPG: 30 MPG (0.0784049 KM/L)

Class: Subcompact

Body style: 3 door hatchback/2 door convertible 

Engine: 0.9L OVH I4, 1.1L SOHC I4, 1.3L SOHC I4

Transmission: 4 speed manual, 5 speed manual, 3 speed automatic

Layout: Front Engine Front wheel drive

Width: 1548mm (60.1 in)

Height: 1390mm (54.7 in)

Length: 3485mm (137.2 in)

Wheelbase: 2150mm (84.6 in)

Curb Weight: 825kg (1819 lbs) or 920kg (2028 lbs)

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Eastern europe cars were never truly known for their quality, but this one is just extra bad. The Yugo was not very widely used in the Soviet union because it was Yugoslavian, but was introduced the United States car market in 1986. As you can expect the thing was cheap, and I mean dirt cheap. A brand new one straight out of the box was only 3000 dollars and carried a 100,000 mile ten year warranty, calculated for inflation it would be 7,000 dollars today. Of course like the K car being cheap meant it felt cheap, but it was especially bad for this one.

As you can see above, like a few other cars on this list the Yugo's engine had a really bad tendency to explode usually killing the user. Its electrical systems would short out at seemingly random times due to poor build quality, and it would just straight breakdown for no apparent reason. Now of course no self respecting engineer would let this go out on the road, but the engineers in Yugoslavia did, but why? Well it boils down to the Russian meaning of 'reliable' the US version is "does not break down" while the Russian is "easy to fix WHEN it breaks down." A good example of this forward thinking approach was the back window's heater. That was there for when you had to push it, it warmed it so your hands wouldn't become too cold. Even with this in mind it proved too unreliable for even the Russians, and it's time in the US came to an abrupt end due to all these problems. Now these old cars litter junkyards, museums, and are rusting away in places in Eastern Europe. It's popularity though cemented it in automotive myths, rumors, and stories of the 80s.

The truth was that people never truly liked this car that much, but they bought it because if you were a broke college student in the mid 80s a car which was only 3000 dollars was a (seemingly) good deal. Some call it the worst car in the world, but I would say that some on this list are going to be much, much worse. You should be afraid when a car that's engine would explode isn't the worst.