Customer Reviews

The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a former Yugo owner I had to read this book. But it's more than a book about the Yugo. It's about American excess, why communism failed, a business case study, and a brief history of Yugoslavia. All in just 213 pages. The pacing is brisk. The writing is impeccably clear and easy to read. It is well researched both through printed sources and interviews the author himself conducted. This book will probably stand as the authoritative history of the Yugo in America. Why would anyone write another? Very well done Professer Vuic.

I loved this book! Jason Vuic weaves a tale that is so fascinating (and often hilarious) that I couldn't put this book down. I found myself laughing out loud at Vuic's stories of the Serbian autoworkers' booze-swilling on the assembly line floor and the cars rolling out of the factory with the rust marks already in place. I kept turning to my husband and saying, "You just won't believe this!" Not only is it a darn good story, it's also well-researched history. The footnotes are almost as interesting as the text itself. If you're a car enthusiast, a Cold War history buff, or simply lived through the 80s, you'll love this book.
Kathy

For those of us who grew up with the Yugo being the punchline of so many jokes, it's hard to believe that there's an interesting story behind all those jokes. Yet there is, and Jason Vuic does a fine job of weaving the tale. From its earliest beginnings until the last one rolled off the assembly line, Vuic covers it all.

Yet this isn't just a manual on a part of pop culture. It runs the gamut as both a historical and political lesson, and demonstrates quite concisely how elements of both sometimes inadvertently conspired to bring the Yugo to the USA and to destroy it for good in the end. You get a history of the Yugo, as well as a brief history of Yugoslavia, of political backroom dealings, and of the man behind selling the Yugo, Malcolm Bricklin.

The Bricklin story alone is worth the price of the book. Bricklin had (and continues to have) an entrepreneurial history littered with one failure after another, but apparently could sell oceanfront property in Nebraska. In that respect, the Yugo was doomed from the start. For if there is one thing Bricklin is attracted to, it's a bad idea. Yet the timeline of the Yugo's failure is amusing to behold. You see it coming from a mile away, but only because-- thanks to this book-- you now know what was going on behind the scenes. From cars literally falling apart to Zastava's (the manufacturer of the Yugo) factory of drunks to Bricklin himself, the Yugo experiment was as doomed as a Slobodan Milosevic political rival.

At times overstated but never boring, Vuic makes the history of the Yugo a must-read for all you Cliff Clavins out there who want to know a little about a lot, or in this case a lot about the little Yugo. There is a ton of fodder for water cooler discussion in here, and a little more to boot.

Very Good! It gives you the historic facts in a funny way and entertaining way.

A very unique way to present an abbreviated history of the former Yugoslavia Federation and especially its Serbian state through its second largest industrial complex the the Zastava automobile complex that began producing the car known in America as the Yugo. The internal strife between the various Yugoslav states and the communist regimes way of doing things is well documented. But the majority of the book is devoted to the Malcolm Bricklin and associates who were the importers of the Yugo in America. He had also built a nasty piece of steel called the Bricklin, as he was a rather ego-maniacal personality. He had far too many other failed ventures to discuss in a short review, but needless to say most people have heard of the various companies from the Handyman Hardware stores of the 1960's to the Proton automobile manufactured in Malaysia by Mitsubishi. Mr. Brickln was rather a rogue and an idea man rather than a nuts and bolts type of entrepreneur. He lived large and fast flying his own helicopter and renting out the Tavern on the green for a dealers breakfast, but not checking the guest list, so that a bunch of freeloaders came in for the free grub. The book is written in a factual but still quite humorous manner. The book is listed at 262pp, but the actual reading material stops on page 213, with the rest being supporting notes. The nice thing about the author's writing is that he doesn't bother the reader continually by stopping to say who said what to whom, but allows you to look on the index pages to see where he got his information. The author is an asst. professor of European History and I would be interested in taking a class from him were I still in the college age group. Try the book, you'll not want to put it down until you see how it ends; well all except for the Yugo itself. But then again even that is in debate as the last chapter indicates it may still arise with a African nameplate in the future.

Kind of curious that this car is listed as the worst car in history. As for this book it covers the bases and is a great history lesson for people growing up after the Yugo hit. I fondly remember the sub 4k car because I was a kid at that time looking to buy my first car. I seriously thought I was going to get one but that fell through. I liked reading this book because it reminded me of those times and it was a cool journey back.

I bought the audio CD version,and I am glad I did.The voice of the narrator is just perfect for the task of telling the tale of Yugoslavia,Malcolm Bricklin,and the lowly Yugo.
What an amazing story it is.Who would have ever imagined so many behind the scenes goings on over the whole Yugo America operation.The average carbuyer would never realize the full story of the struggle that Yugo faced in marketing their low budget car here,in a country that treated it with total disgust.The audio version is very easy to get hooked on,wanting more even after the final chapter has run.
Its easy to see,thanks to this expose,that Yugo America was a fantasy-driven importer,the car was not USA-worthy,Zastava was a shoddy manufacturer,and those Yugo dealers were lied to and taken for a ride,and they seemingly turned hostile towards unfortunate Yugo owners.The whole enterprise was a scam,one of the biggest scams ever foisted on America,and this tale is one amazing account of one unbelieveable era in time.A time,that with todays market,and environmental/regulative demands,will never come again.

The funny parts of this book are the jokes about the Yugo and what a terrible car it was. Not so funny for those who bought one, or even worse, were involved in the investments to bring the Yugoslavian import to American. The tale of the car itself is simple. It was a Fiat knock off, poorly built, underpowered but cheap. This book is really about the man Malcolm Bricklin who conned a lot of folks into investing in his idea to sell the Yugo in the US.

Macklin obviously had a talent for selling his ideas. Author Jason Vuic calling Macklin an "entrepreneur" is generous. Crook, thief, con-artist are also words that may apply. Much of the money that was to go to improve the quality of the car went instead into Macklin's home, lavish offices and lots of family on the payroll. The perfect storm of greed and lack of common sense on the part of the investors eventually wore off and led to the bankruptcy of Macklin, his company, and the Yugo. At times, it reminded me of the problems that led up to the over inflation of the US housing industry, its collapse and bankruptcy of many folks who were seduced by the thought of an easy profit.

This is a very quick, entertaining, informative book. Great read for anyone who ever owned a Yugo, fans of the automobile industry or those who want to experience the thrill of pulling off a dream and the collapse of a dream due to greed.

"The Yugo" is much more than just the Yugo. Jason Vuic is a professor of modern European history. That pedigree reveals itself in spades in this well-researched, fascinating book.

Despite Vuic's place in academia, "The Yugo" is no dry academic treatise. His vibrant prose leaps off the page, whether he's recounting the tortuous, zigzag career path of the Yugo's audacious importer/entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin, the roots of the Yugoslav wars, or the Yugo's place in popular culture. Indeed, Vuic has cataloged here every Yugo joke, every Leno swipe, every mention of the Yugo on Letterman's Top Ten list.

In the end, the Yugo had a chance. Yes, people remember the initial shoddy quality, but other manufacturers had similar beginnings and were allowed to travel the path of continuous improvement to respectability. The most notable and relevant of these: Subaru of America. Founder: Malcolm Bricklin.

So what ended up killing the brand beyond its quality issues and well-documented PR problems? Bricklin's sudden infatuation with the Proton from Malaysia, Yugo of America's knife's edge finances, and - as the death knell - the wallop of US sanctions imposed on Serbia by the Bush (41) administration. Vuic makes a clear, compelling case that it was ultimately these factors - not the quality/PR issues we remember today - that put the Yugo into the history books.

As someone who loves odd/rare cars, I had to buy this book. I literally could not put this book down, and read it in about 9 hours, which was good & bad... I think my brain absorbed too much information for what it was designed to handle but it was wildly entertaining. All I can say is Bricklin is my hero! The man just doesn't quit!