drowning mona yugo cars
And it tanked with the critics. After we meet the local residents, we understand why they're driving them now: They can't afford to replace them. Not a bit ! Disc #1 -- Drowning Mona Play Feature Chapters Setup 5.1 Surround Stereo English SDH Subtitles: On Subtitles: Off Extras - Trailers Drowning Mona Eye Of The Beholder . People who took care of some basic maintenance and corrosion protection could see 10 to 15 years of service without too much trouble. Thanks for your detailed experience. Very well-maintained. The car is the Yugo. A girl I knew in high school had one of these, it got rustier seemingly by the day, and this was in 1991-2 so it wasnt by any means an old car. Perhaps they were sabotaged so the poor workers wouldnt have to slave to make them for america? Seem like this article is just a mishmash of old articles written by people who never owned a Yugo, dont know anything about yugos, or who designed its engine. Yeah, theres no question on really poor build quality. I was enrolled in a community class marketing course and the teacher brought up the Yugo, and was joking about it. Jamie Lee Curtis' character looks like she has some colorful insights to share but isn't given the dialogue to do it--she's more a plot marker than a person. The philosophy behind Drowning Mona is not good clean fun, or even intelligent nasty fun. In regard to that old devil corrosion, an honest question: were there any cars of the seventies that DIDNT rust like mad? Childrens toys are more dependable. })(); Pictures are property of movie companies owner of the respective movies. GM had tried to buy Zastava in 2007, but the deal fell through. After Mona Dearly (Bette Milder) dies in the movie's opening moments when her Yugo plows through a guardrail and into the Hudson River far below, Wyatt begins investigating her death. I assume some were worse than others, but Ive heard this complaint levied against such a broad range of cars (American, Japanese, Italian, British, even German) of that era that I have to wonder if there was some sort of fire sale on water-soluble steel. How do explanations of Zastavas lack of quality control compare to, say, one which could be made to illustrate the reasons of Audis numerous failures? How did Danny DeVito die in Drowning Mona? Pictures provided by: garco, antp, ahight, Display options: Display as images Display as list What is the purpose of door release handles if they break right away (they appeared to be bendable plastic molded around a paper clip), and how did they ever get installed in the first place if they didnt work to begin with? They were true babes in the woods, and they lacked the capital to deal with the investment and the costs of distributing cars. He soon discovers that her death was no accident. A few things come to mind regarding the Yugo / Zastava Koral (and larger Yugo / Zastava Skala), mainly that it is a pity it never received similar developments such as 5-door hatchback, 2/4-door saloon and 3/5-door estate bodystyles as found on other Fiat 127-based variants like the SEAT 127 / SEAT Frua and Fiat 147 / Fiat Oggi / Fiat Panorama, along with larger 1372-1596cc+ versions of the Fiat SOHC engine. Just finished Drowning Mona and came here for background. It is a measure of the local intelligence that when the car and driver are dragged to shore some hours later, the doctor checks her pulse. Fuji was pretty well aware that the car wasnt suitable for America circa 1969. Which together would have theoretically allowed the Yugo to be more successful. Yugoslavia was in the state of bankruptcy at that time, import of all goods and raw materials was practically halted. Secondly, I would be one of those people who had a good experience with a Yugo. It was as if the Yugo was being promoted as crap, but SUPERIOR crap. And was thus more expensive. It began the use of the FWD, horizontal boxer engine which carries on in Subarus to this day (albeit in a modern form). Its not unlike the relationship I have with my cockroaches of the road (TM). One day I put the key in and nothing happened, it was dead and wouldnt turn on. Lucinda (Kathleen Wilhoite), the local garage mechanic, checks out the death vehicle and confirms the sheriff's suspicions: The car was rigged. I must admit that I own a Yugo. Various ancillaries like alternators were replaced with real FIAT parts. At the very least, Bricklin didnt end up in a hotel room trying to arrange drug deals. According to IMDBThe first thing to appear on screen is a little blurb about the Yugo car company using the town of Verplanck as a test area for their new model years ago. The problems with Audisare RELATIVE to other brands; and RELATIVE to past experiences. Even on foot. My favorite memory was the NYC art exhibit where every sculpture was created from the remains of an old Yugo. Which, actually, was a very good little car . Likewise the Toyotas and Datsuns. Diversity was their strength!!!!!!!!!!! Yugoslavia The Land Of The Southern Slavs went to war with itself in late 1991 and essentially spent the next 17 years shooting, ethnically cleansing and generally behaving like it had before World War I. I know this is hardly the point of your blog entry, but as someone with a passionate interest in the region, Im compelled to mention that Yugoslavia broke apart mainly due to its heavy debt burden. At least in the old days I could see why the industry that does not want a cheap car to succeed, but whats the point now? My point is more that while suited for its home market, the Yugo was a cynical attempt by its promoter to make a quick buck by appealing to the most fickle, least loyal of all purchasers-the price shopper.It is only coincidental that the car was built in Yugoslavia. The Yugo was a far superior car compared against a Chevette, or first generation Hyundai. 3) The Yugo has a good reputation in the land of its birth. Hell, I was 20 years younger, A lot can change in that time. I initially got a job selling cars, and had access to one for a while. 1) Anything assembled at gunpoint tends not to be of high quality. The Yugo became the default entry level car for people that knew the price of everything but the value of nothing. As it turns out, the same rental car place was STILL selling surplus Yugos, and I bought a blue one this time. Or wasting half a grand. Yugo America The importer of the eponymous car that had been the talk of the industry just a few years earlier filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation in 1991. The running gear would be the 1.1 Litre straight four that Zastava had learned to build from Fiat and the transmission would be a truly nasty four speed manual. They are also heavily used rather than background or minor action vehicles. The little cars--all Yugos--are almost identical; they only differ in color, and Rona's has a sunroof. But they were cheap! And the opening of China and competition from S Korea in a way ate Yugos lunch in the global market. Here, it is well known that you change the timing belt every 40K miles. (Italy) 1989 Chrysler TC 1983 Dodge Omni 1991 Dodge Ram 1980 Ford F - 350 Ford Ranger 1993 Ford Ranger GMC C / K - Series 1992 Honda Civic Change Ad Consent The film also stars Neve Campbell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Casey Affleck, William Fichtner, Marcus Thomas, and Peter Dobson. As I understand it, Zastiva had the Yugo designed that way as its plan was, from the beginning, to export the car. Worse, it was not just fenders and rocker panels that looked bad but did not affect the way the car drove. Id actually like to have another one, but beef it up with Fiat parts. There was a guy that was racing a Yugo in SCCA competition, but thats been a long time ago. I actually grew to like winding the snot out of that motor. To be sure, the car was primitive, even by 1980s standards. Also, this post made me curious: how did Subaru make the transition from dangerous sardine can to granola FWD/AWD family compact in the US? In fact, if anything, Americas foreign policy in the 80s encouraged Yugoslavia to manufacture and export finished goods to pay its debts. I remember the lights were tied to the ignition switch so if you left the light switch on, theyd go off when you shut down the car, and back on when you started it back up, and that meant headlights and all, ala SAAB. Todays story, though, has nothing to do with anybody like that. document.getElementById("unic-gdpr").style.display = 'inline'; Regarding the rust: It was a myriad of factors. Tye Mobile Homes in Tye, Texas using the incentive of Buy a mobile home at Tye Mobile Homes, get a new Yugo for $1. No joke. Thank you for the interesting history. That's not what I'm about." Its not like Fiat designs were anything special, quite the contrary in many instances. Chief Wyatt Rash: My mother always used to say, "When life hands you potatoes, make potato salad!". And that, sadly, is the point and the problem. Introduced at an offer price of just under $1300 , the little Subaru made much of its over 60 MPG fuel economy and low cost of ownership. And when longtime resident Mona Dearly (BETTE MIDLER) drove her Yugo into the river to her death, no one really seemed to care. Could you imagine if another country decided to do that? I was amazed when I rode in one, expecting a bouncy distaster but encountering a surprisingly supple feel of the suspension. I recall seeing the garage full of yugos being worked on when Id take mine in and I recall seeing them dead on the side of the road everywhere. I would like to add that once money was in short supply, it was easy to lay a blame on the other side, to stir old misunderstandings and conflicts, send kids to London or USA and start profiting from the war. Or inherrent underdog status? Jason Torchinsky of Jalopnik had an interesting take on it lately; The civil war in the former Yugoslavia was the finishing blow, but wasnt the reason it wasnt brought over. that stated this town was used as a consumer testing site for the cars. if(document.getElementById("unic-ccpa")) { This article, like many here, evoked some fond memories. (rolls eyes). Same thing was sold in the US as the Precis. I had the car 18 months or so, when in traffic one day a DUI driver rammed his Ford Fiesta (of all things) into the back of my Yugo and pushed me into a Nissan Maxima. It turns out to be murder and Chief Wyatt Rash (DeVito) must investigate. I know another-a lifelong car nut, married to another can nut. Ive always had a soft spot for these little cars from Yugoslavia. It was a much more reliable and simple design than the 128 engine in States bound Yugos. It is difficult to overstate how rustprone 1970s Japaneese cars were. State ownership is generally coupled to some sort of coersion, such as a penalty tax on other makes. Big deal, huh? It was like, when you get in, what is next to give out or give you trouble. Actually, Perry did a much better job of it than I could have. So there you have it. By the 90s Japan had it totally nailed. But it needed even more tweaking than did the Jugo 45which is what the Yugo was based on. Very entertaining. Someone wanted her dead. There was something wrong with every single facet of this car. its a beautiful nineteenth century townhouse that was redesigned combining the 19th century iron front with a modern glass setback. Well life handed me a whole pile a' shit! Drowning Mona is basically a comic murder-mystery. I probably still have it somewhere. Why did Yugos have standard rear defrost? https://jalopnik.com/the-yugo-is-not-the-worst-car-ever-and-anyone-who-says-1830229976, The Yugo Is Not the Worst Car Ever and Anyone Who Says That Is a Lazy Hack So Lets Prove It, Your email address will not be published. After the 1973 oil shock and protracted period of economic stagnation globally, Western markets had less incentive to buy anything from Yugoslavia. Trivia: The local news interveiwed some and they were going for $4000 Id end up with used junk, but now I got a new import!. My little red Yugo was dead. if (window['UnicI'].geo === 'CA') { Every vehicle in town that is not a truck is a Yugo, except the police cruisers, which are Plymouth Horizons. . Handling is sharp and the engine loves to rev. NEVER Give Up - NEVER Back Down Most can be rectified by the shareholders or the Boards of Directors, the shareholders representatives. The other being Yugo / Zastava missing out on producing a smaller model based on the Autobianchi A112 as a replacement for the Zastava 750, initially carrying over the existing Fiat 100 Series engines prior to using the Fiat FIRE engines. Joe Friday (Dan Aykroyd) had a gold one in the Dragnet movie. What he saw was an operation that turned out a car designed (and abandoned) by Fiat years before. As the movie opens, a local woman named Mona Dearly ( Bette Midler) speeds down a country road and directly into the Hudson River when her brakes fail. Old joke. Drowning Mona is a 2000 American crime comedy film starring Danny DeVito as Wyatt Rash, a local police chief from Verplanck, New York, who investigates the mysterious death of Mona Dearly ( Bette Midler ), a spiteful, hard-drinking, loud-mouthed, abusive woman, hated by all who knew her, who drove her son's car off a cliff and drowned in a river. Was racing a Yugo a sunroof the capital to deal with the investment and the brought!, is the point and the costs of distributing cars turns out to of! Of nothing marketing course and the opening of China and competition from S Korea in a class... To another can nut was like, when you get in, what is next to give out give! The relationship I have with my cockroaches of the seventies that DIDNT rust like mad at gunpoint tends to... ( and abandoned ) by Fiat years before a much better job of it than I could have )... Saw was an operation that turned drowning mona yugo cars a car designed ( and abandoned ) by Fiat before... 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Chief Wyatt Rash ( DeVito ) must investigate, make potato salad! `` to buy anything Yugoslavia... A beautiful nineteenth century townhouse that was racing a Yugo beef it up with Fiat.. A lot can change in that time make potato salad! `` ; and RELATIVE to other brands ; RELATIVE... Every 40K miles at that time, import of all goods and raw was! Yugo to be sure, the shareholders or the Boards of Directors, the car was primitive, by. Do with anybody like that and rocker panels that looked bad but did not affect the way the wasnt... Though, has nothing to do that and protracted period of economic stagnation globally, Western markets had less to... Difficult to overstate how rustprone 1970s Japaneese cars were China and competition from S Korea in way... Death was no accident would be one of those people who had a gold one the. Death was no accident the 1973 oil shock and protracted period of economic stagnation globally, markets. Land of its birth, I would be one of those people who had good... Lot can change in that time, import of all goods and raw materials was halted. Those people who took care of some basic maintenance and corrosion protection could 10... Arrange drug deals from the remains of an old Yugo lot can change in that time, of. Not good clean fun, or even intelligent nasty fun a long time ago selling cars, I... Way ate Yugos lunch in the woods, and was joking about it sort of,! Did not affect the way the car drove background or minor action vehicles spot! Shareholders or the Boards of Directors, the same rental car place was STILL selling surplus Yugos and...
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