Yugo's are the ideal starter classic. Why? Because unlike their Italian counterparts, they don't generally rust. They are also very easy to work on, with mechanicals being very basic. Added to all this good news, spares are plentiful and cheap too, as they are still manufactured by our contacts in Serbia. There are some areas to look out for though.

Bodywork

The rear shock absorber mounting on the wheel arch is the most common rust point. This is covered by carpet so make sure you check here carefully. The picture on the right shows the windscreen to bulkhead scuttle panel, which often rusts through when mud blocks the drainage channels.

Also check the wheel arch where it meets the sill at the rear, as the photo on the left shows. On the right, the shock absorber mounting point from below.

*Footnote, the above notes relate to all variants except the Sana, which suffers far more greatly from rust, but is much better built overall.

Interior and exterior trim

This is the achilles heal of all Yugo's. For 2 reasons; Firstly, all interior trim was made out of comedy plastic, which often breaks if looked at in the wrong way; Secondly, unlike body panels, replacements through the club are expensive to ship from Serbia.

On the left, a replacement parcel shelf, which often breaks if anything heavy is placed in it. On the right, perhaps the scarcest and most easily broken of all interior trim. The window winders.

Wing mirrors, attached via a cast alloy mounting, which snaps easily. Choke cables often snap at the mounting clip, which cannot be replaced without the entire cable.

Mechanical

Yugo's easiest and most reliable engine is the 903cc pushrod engine. This has it's ancestry back in the 1950's fiat 500. As a result, it is very easy to work on, on the rare occasion when it actually goes wrong. At just 45bhp when new, 55mph is as good as it gets. Any faster than this and you are likely to blow the head gasket and/or water pump.

Other engines are 1116cc and 1301cc OHC interference engines. Again, due to their aged design, both are reliable and easy to work on, but if the cambelt snaps, it's game over.

Gearboxes are a different matter. Most are 4 speed, with later cars aside from the 45, having 5 speed. All are a weak point, but 5 speed boxes are more reliable. Replacement parts and even complete gearboxes are available from Serbia.

All but the 45 have servo assisted brakes, and on the whole, these are very reliable, save for seized calipers on the front discs and seized pistons on the rear drums. Again, all replacement parts are available from good motor factors.

Spares

Sadly, recent developments are likely to see spares only available from Serbia, however, they are in plentiful supply through the clubs' contacts.