The YUGO was essentially a Fiat (your giving your age away by mentioning them though). Just made with cheaper materials/qc. The Fiats back then did do some things that would be "mainstream" much later on (Cams/Fuel injection) but just like most cars back then lacked power/today's reliability. I suspect a LOT of that reliability comes from us NOT driving on dirt roads though (harder on ALL parts of a car) and better manufacturer/ability. But you'd be wrong to think Japanese cars of those times were that well of made cars either. In my view, Volvos were the first ones to get fuel injection/safety/quality close to todays standards while delivering "decent" power.Hmmm. Exactly how many 12volt portable fridges do you actually own at the present? I own both an ICECO and a bougeRV. I have had both for over a year now, and have had zero issues. The iceco has a german made compressor, and a 4 year warranty. The bougeRV has a 3 year warranty.
Your car analogy is kinda silly, isn't it? Do you know the history of 1970's "Good Old" american cars?
Your response reminds me of how people once complained about "cheap Japanese junk". Engel, Dometic and ARB are vastly overpriced. I paid $350 new for my ICECO, and $192 for the bougeRV. The ICECO has been running constantly in my garage for the last 4 months as a backup freezer. Zero issues with the ICECO. Zero issues with the bougeRV.
As far as your stories of all these fridges that failed, love to see the evidence. Pictures or it didn't happen.
I bet you would have been happy driving an AMC matador. LoL
Why say all of this? As a DIY'er you can build a Yugo, or, a Volvo.
A 1982 GLT 240 had four wheel disc breaks, overdrive transmission, decent power, could go 200,000+ miles with no major breakdowns, and could take a hit (wreck) far better than most and the doors didn't want to fall off and the paint looked decent all the while.
I'm shooting for the Volvo.
But I did know a Major (0-4) who bought a Yugo (one months pay for him) and drove it till it died. Mile per $ if you didn't die in it you got a good deal....And you could swap in Fiat parts if need be.