Edmunds new long term car: A Yugo

[kevm14]

Yup.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/feat ... ction.html

I already learned a fun fact. This car is powered by Fiat.

[kevm14]

Lol. In the intro they've already attempted a top speed run. This is going to be very popular I think.

[kevm14]

Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here, and maybe I'm going out a bit too far on a limb, but I wonder if the Yugo didn't earn an unfair reputation for unreliability. Think about it. Car-buying society has shown, time and time again, that they are forever confused by the difference between quality (which itself is a loaded term - perceived quality is more like it) and reliability. I suspect that this Yugo, while clearly a sub-low end car, was probably not a total POS in terms of reliability. But for that to be meaningful, you'd have to want to drive it, I guess...

Or perhaps initial quality really was bad (sloppy manufacturing practice/QA) but with the bugs worked out, probably a reliable design.

[kevm14]

From Edmunds:

A fantastic article, and I look forward to following along with your ownership experience. I must say your first 900 miles are very different from how Consumer Reports described the vehicle. I still remember their review of the Yugo as one of the most amusing bits of journalism I've read. Lines like "This miserable car found potholes our other test vehicles missed" and "Availability of replacement parts is questionable as the country of manufacture is currently undergoing civil war" (paraphrased) were doubly amusing coming from the ordinarily humorless CR.

[kevm14]

Despite being a small, FWD car, there is somehow still room for a spare tire in the engine bay.

[kevm14]

Ah, the Kumho Solus KR21. That appears to be the tire of choice when you have an old vehicle. For example, my Ranger is currently wearing a set. My Fleetwood may have also had those tires on it...my in-law's 2001 Park Ave has them, too.

[kevm14]

OMG that Clown Motel is awful.

They should add a bullet to the sign:
- See if you survive the night!