No Budget Reviews: 1990 (Zastava) Yugo 45A (55/65/GV/Koral) - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

[@williamegler8771]

The first new vehicle I ever purchased! It was a GVX in red with a body kit and 5SPD. It had A/C AM/FM cassette rear wiper and sunroof. I paid $5,756.91 US for it and I paid cash! I was new car proud and ignored the obvious cost-cutting like the cardboard door cards and the terry cloth bath towel upholstery. I drove it 40,000 miles in 26 months. It was reliable enough mechanically but it started disintegrating on the drive home from the dealership. On that 12-mile trip, the tachometer stopped reading and the passenger window came off its track. After several trips back and forth to the dealership to get niggling issues sorted in the first couple of weeks it settled down into a reliable form of transport. The funniest memory was the second winter I owned it. The area I was living in at the time, Northern Wisconsin, was experiencing its coldest winter in decades and to add insult to injury it experienced a polar vortex in January. One morning, at 4:45, I went out to start it and the temperature was -38 degrees Fahrenheit. I thought it would never start but after a couple of pumps on the accelerator, the damn thing started like it was August in Belgrade. While I was sitting in it to let it warm up I reached out to turn on the radio in the semi-darkness and didn't feel the radio knob. I reached up to turn on the overhead light and felt the bulb. When I got out of the car to turn on the light in the garage to see what was going on I found all the knobs the rearview mirror and the cover to the map light on the floor of the car. Apparently the glue holding everything together had given up in the cold. I then drove the car for 45 minutes at 70 miles an hour, which was over 4000 RPM, and the pathetic Mediterranean-style heater didn't even generate enough heat to melt the snow that I tracked in the vehicle. I traded it in on a Pontiac LeMans, which was a Daewoo-built copy of an Opel/Vauxhall Astra and I drove that for 130 thousand miles! But the Pontiac did have a powerful heater and the air-conditioning didn't make the engine overheat and it was only turning 3000 RPM at 70 miles an hour! Today I work with several people from the former Yugoslavia and when I mention I owned a Yugo they give me a quizzical look and ask "WHY"!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting! I have driven a couple of Daewoo Nexias before, which are effectively the facelifted European version of the Pontiac Le Mans that you owned. They also mainly had air conditioning as standard at the time, which was rare in cheap cars in Europe.

[@mpersad]

What a find, sir! Many congratulations to the owner for making it roadworthy again. Terrific review, but then they all are!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

When I got back to his house without actually having died in the Yugo, it was something of a huge relief....

[@mattw8332]

My eldest sister (10 years older than me, married at 18) and her former husband had a pale blue one like this. Also 1990 on an H reg. When they separated my sister got the Yugo whereas ex brother in law kept the 1991 Fiat Tempra 1.6. (They also once owned a red bodykitted C reg 55 GLS some 13 years earlier). Sister didn`t get on with the Yugo so it was put up for sale. I took it for a spin and I seem to recall that I wasn`t impressed with it. It was replaced with a 1992/93 Skoda Favorit 136 LX. Looking forward to the Stellar review Joseph.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Not surprised that your sister didn't like the Yugo, sir! As you saw in the video, they can be a bit scary to drive... The Skoda Favorit would have had unbelievably heavy steering, but otherwise would have felt a bit more modern. The Stellar will be available for channel members soon.

[@seancooke7332]

Had to watch the little Yugo again. So great to see you have a giggle as you come to grips with the car. Of course the whole range was called Zastava when they were first released in the UK with the little 411 and 413 which were basically Fiat 128s with a rear hatch replacing the three box boot. After a short time they become Yugo. Sadly I think that the conflict in the Region spelled the end of exports for a company that could have done very well otherwise. Very high praise to suggest that the Yugo 45A was better than the Cityrover. The poor old Rover Indica really had an effect on you Sir.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The innovation on the Yugos was not really there in terms of keeping up with a lot of Western models, they mainly sold on price, so when the Yugoslav war started affecting production and imports, I think it was inevitable that they were going to stop selling them over here by around 1992.

[@trevorm1799]

What a thoroughly entertaining and hilarious review of a hilarious car - loved it (the nervous giggles etc.)! My favourite LVC video so far! Thanks, it brightened my day (I probably need to get out more)!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I was absolutely terrified, especially when someone else with much better brakes and a much safer car started bearing down on me... We have two more reviews from this trip to Farnborough coming up very soon as well...

[@trevorm1799]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes, one could sense the terror (in the "baked bean tin") - I'm sure I'd have been exactly the same. The entertainment value was priceless however (not that I take pleasure in seeing people in "fear" of course 😊)! Thanks for the videos!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I knew it was going to be like that even before I started driving it, as I knew it had no brake servo, but it turned out to be even more hilarously scary than I thought....

[@bumbleo8993]

Given the demand for sub five thousand pound cars at the moment why have manufacturers turned their back on affordable basic cars. Such a shame. Another great find sir thank you.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the cheapest new car is now around £12-13,000. I did a video about this very subject earlier this year, actually.

[@MrSheymie]

I'm fond of small basic cars. It looks a lot more appealing to me than it did way back when.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Have you ever driven one, though?

[@teamJJontour]

Good Morning Sir, as already commented my respect to the owner for the hard work. I remember them being for sale locally in my then home village, Wombourn Staffs. YUGO & FSO dealership if I remember correctly!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Sir, the Yugo and FSO franchises did indeed tend to be run by small local dealerships as far as I recall!

[@badbooks476]

Great review. Fair play to the owner for preserving such a rare car nowadays, very tidy, these were very popular in the North East, when I was a teenager. My music teacher had an early White Zastava, followed by a beige 513 that looked very Fiat, followed by a Lada Samara. I Look forward to the Stellar review

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Stellar review will be available for channel members very soon indeed, sir... Alex does like his rare cars even more than me. You just don't see any of these any more at all, do you?

[@davidfos84]

It's mad that a car that would've been considered unutterably awful in 1990 is now charming and likeable. I kind of want one.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Well, it was utterly terrifying, but it did produce an interesting video! Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting.

[@richardhowlett7398]

You really wanted to drive that car home 😂😂 No digital nonsense there , and all the better !

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's certainly not one of best the cars that I have ever driven, but the owner absolutely loves it, and that is the most important thing!

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

I think Sir, had good fun driving this? A excellent review of this rare Yugoslavian treat.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I was relieved to have made it back from the test drive, sir...

[@seancooke7332]

I apologise for jumping the queue Sir, but I could not resist yet another Eastern Bloc Budget Car.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I don't mind what order you watch them in, sir!

[@user-cu6eq9rh4l]

Hello Joseph , As a kid in the 80s I alway thought they looked like mk1 Golfs , I the think the Cityrover would drive a lot better than these as they came 20 years later .Many thanks for a great review .

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The CityRover doesn't drive a lot better than one of these, trust me. I have had the misfortune of sampling two of them...

[@darrenwilson8042]

Honestly - can I just say - for the time these were okay - I had an early Uno 45 base model with the same engine and yes that was more refined than a Yugo 45 but my late sister in law bless her memory had a new 45 and we had it as a 2nd car whilst she was on 2 weeks holiday and tbh I thought it was OK.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The reason I did not say that this was the worst car I have ever driven is because it is not. This gives the Yugo the benefit of the doubt for its time, whereas with the CityRover fifteen years later, there was no excuse at all for it to be that awful. The Peugeot 207 and Nissan Juke I tried in 2019 were also pretty terrible, to be honest.

[@darrenwilson8042]

Yeah - an 84 UNO 45 didn't have servo brakes either - plus 4 speed. Total base model. I loved that car.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I have driven plenty of cars without a brake servo before, including the Morris Minor, Austin 1100, Fiat 127 and MG Midget, so I am used to it to an certain extent. The Morris Minor brakes were even worse, as they are all round drums.

[@Dino_Dad.]

And to think you drove less than a mile, and it's been driven up to 96k. I guess in the former Yugoslavia if you hit another Yugo then it's a level playing field. I saw one at a Melbourne car show last year, a very very rare site .

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

That was plenty for me to drive, and I can definitely say that I survived...

[@user-dc8uu4zj9t]

Borrowed one years ago but a four door was good and cheap to fill up

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, that would probably be the Yugo 311 or 511 from memory.

[@user-dc8uu4zj9t]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting could be I can't remember my self it was gray I know that hahaha

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The four door was mainly known as the 311 or 511 over here, although it had a lot of other names around the world.

[@jimdavis6448]

Yugo 411 was the 4door model saloon based on the Fiat 128 . 411 wasn't a hatchback version .

[@TrevorBuick]

It was Transport and that's about it, better than a motorbike, or horse and cart at moving the family around 🤣👍

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's close between this and the CityRover, but since this was made about 15 years earlier, I would be kinder to this than the CityRover....

[@TPerry2828]

A splendid review of an interesting car, sir. Was this available with a beige leather interior? 🤔

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

What do you think, sir?

[@TPerry2828]

I think it barely has an interior of any kind, sir 🤣

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@TPerry2828, that is one way of putting it, sir...

[@lordstiffupperlip3095]

Hello Joseph ,How does this compare to a early Metro ? Better ? Them red stripes on the bumpers do make it go a bit faster though .

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Well, I have driven four Metros on Sensible Secondhand Classics, sir, so have a look at the review of the 1.0 models (one from 1987 and the other from 1989) to see how they compare.

[@MontyGriffsGarage]

Awesome! I’ve a 45 cabriolet if you fancy a comparison next year?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Goodness gracious me! I didn't know there were any left in this country!

[@MontyGriffsGarage]

I’ll drop you a line, I’ve a few bits and make a day of it here in Wiltshire

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@MontyGriffsGarage , you know my e-mail address!

[@davidspencer7254]

Some of your vids just dont show up even for subscribers. Anyhoo, the 45A was the posh one. I had a red 1985 45 because my dad liked working on the 903 and was too cheap to buy a Panda. It was comforable and spacious for the time but absolutley terrifying to drive. By the end of its life (about 18 months later) it was mostly FIAT parts (the zastava ones we found lasted a mere fortnight- alternator, water pump, points, radiator, brake shoes, calipers) on the running gear and filler on the bodywork. As the first day i had it it broke down in traffic with a head gasket failure.... it ended up costing my parents (student) in repairs more than its original cost and certainly more than a Panda which was what he said no to. 😂

[@davidspencer7254]

Oh and I had it up to 80 on a regular basis, indicated, I think that particular one you are driving the poor horses died in significant numbers.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Unfortunately, that is just how KZbin sometimes works in terms of notifications. I have heard about this a fair bit from people who run other channels as well... If you have clicked on the bell icon to turn on all notifications, then there is nothing else that I can do....

[@a11csc]

love it lol

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

We like to go where no other automotive channels have gone before...

[@a11csc]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting and of course keep doing so

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@a11csc , more extremely random videos coming soon.

[@jasejj]

Is the crash protection really any worse than an original Mini or Metro, or indeed a 127?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I don't think that I wanted to find out...

[@davidspencer7254]

Answer: no. But you learn quickly to brake with the engine...

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

IF VW ever bought Zastava there could have been a YUGO-UP!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Never thought about that one before, sir....

[@stephan20008]

I want this yugo how do I buy it

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's not for sale, I am afraid...

[@jj0904]

I still drive this lol

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Hope you are enjoying it!

[@jj0904]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I do! My dad got it in 1995, only has 100k kilometres and it's in top shape. Just ordered the new Toyota Corolla Sedan but this is my back up car and will stay forever in my heart!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Glad you are enjoying your father's old Yugo!

[@zzhughesd]

Fan switch on right by lights. And temperate slider to the left as usual. Lovely. How ex Sov. Missing spare wheel. Don’t break down at mile 98000/99000

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's a rather incredible survivor. Some of the parts are straight out of a Fiat 127, which did not have a brake servo either.

[@zzhughesd]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting my mechanical knowledge these cheaper £3999 mid 80s cars not great. Remember the Sana and Mk1 Rio coming out !!!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@zzhughesd , I filmed a Mark I Kia Rio on the channel back in 2021.

[@zzhughesd]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting think I watched it. From weak flimsy memory. No white walled tyres ???!!!!! As per launch spec lol

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

No whitewall tyres, those were on the Prides, mainly.

[@zzhughesd]

EFi on the 65. 70 had a turbo. My jest. Didn’t know the range in numbers until now. How can a car not have a brake servo. Crappers.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Pre-facelift right hand drive Mark II Volkswagen Polos do not have brake servos, and neither did the Mini until 1988.

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

It's a Fiat 127 with all the good bits thrown in a skip lol

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's not the worst car I have ever driven, sir, but it's definitely not the best.

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I'm always reminded of that bit in Die Hard with a Vengeance when they run the guy off the road for his Merc with a Yugo.

[@trevorm1799]

My first car was a Fiat 127 back in the late 80s - what a disastrous start to my driving life! It was my own fault for buying without any knowledge of cars whatsoever - learned the hard way!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I drove a lovely 127 back in October 2022, which is on Sensible Secondhand Classics.

[@zzhughesd]

Zip back pocket action ????? Unsure seen such before and sold 9000 odd cars.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Have you sold a Yugo before, though?

[@zzhughesd]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting NIET !!!! But if could, would have !!!!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Interesting....

[@classics144sportscarschannel]

they are as bad as skoda for rust? cheap and tatty. ;-(

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Skoda Favorits weren't that bad by 1990, apart from the incredibly heavy steering...