[unruhjonny]

the only real problem with the Aztek, was that it was too far ahead of the market.
They were stylish for their time, and looked much better when they got painted bumpers.
They were a crossover before the segment existed - look at the market place now - there are almost no "cars", all you see on the roads are crossovers, SUV's, or trucks... with the odd pony-car to boot.

Any time Pontiac stuck it's neck out to do something different, it is something worth noting;
Pontiac stuck it's neck out with that one - really far.

I'd suggest that the "Street Heat" G6's should all be wiped from our collective memory;
I honestly considered buying a G6 GTP v6/6spd - to me both incarnations of the G6 GXP's were poseur cars.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by unruhjonny

the only real problem with the Aztek, was that it was too far ahead of the market.
They were stylish for their time, and looked much better when they got painted bumpers.
They were a crossover before the segment existed - look at the market place now - there are almost no "cars", all you see on the roads are crossovers, SUV's, or trucks... with the odd pony-car to boot.

This!

I was actually on a consumer advisory group for the Aztek several years before it was introduced.

Our daughter leased a first year Aztek and when the lease expired she actually purchased her second one, which she still owns, which looks like this one:



The new Mustang Mach E really isn't that much different styling wise.

[mgarblik]

Styling will always be purely subjective. As someone who had to repair these cars like the Aztek, I found the body hardware and interior pieces to be super cheap and delicate for a "utility vehicle". It had some good and some goofy interior features and it could be argued allot of features for the money. Mechanically, many, many more issues with electrical problems, pinched wires, terminals not fully seated, weird battery drains, failed modules, just poor chassis electrical than comparable models. Engines had all the problems associated with the 60 degree V-6 GM used for many years. Pulled, broken rocker arm attaching bolts, head gasket failures, coil pack failures because they mounted it to the exhaust manifold, fuel pressure regulator failures, valve cover leaks, water pump leaks, broken camshafts, all the usual stuff from that engine family. Very hard to make a case that this was some kind of transformational vehicle. It had the potential to be one, then GM took all the quality out of it as they often did during those years. Painting it a single color greatly improved the looks IMO. Before the "Breaking Bad" series, you could buy one in good condition for $600.00-800.00. They have some instant collector value now and are no longer a good beater buy. Seldom see one for under 2K now.
BTW, drove a Mach E with the biggest motors and batteries. Car is very fast, faster than 98% of the gas powered cars I have driven. Doesn't mean I like it. It drives very "heavy". It feels like the 6000 lb. car it is. Just not for me. Feels like your driving a video game, driver completely disconnected from what's happening outside the windows. Like driving an arcade game. They have a waiting list, so someone must like them. The one I drove was almost 90K. That buys allot of old Pontiac stuff!

[SRR]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Styling will always be purely subjective. As someone who had to repair these cars like the Aztek, I found the body hardware and interior pieces to be super cheap and delicate for a "utility vehicle". It had some good and some goofy interior features and it could be argued allot of features for the money. Mechanically, many, many more issues with electrical problems, pinched wires, terminals not fully seated, weird battery drains, failed modules, just poor chassis electrical than comparable models. Engines had all the problems associated with the 60 degree V-6 GM used for many years. Pulled, broken rocker arm attaching bolts, head gasket failures, coil pack failures because they mounted it to the exhaust manifold, fuel pressure regulator failures, valve cover leaks, water pump leaks, broken camshafts, all the usual stuff from that engine family. Very hard to make a case that this was some kind of transformational vehicle. It had the potential to be one, then GM took all the quality out of it as they often did during those years. Painting it a single color greatly improved the looks IMO. Before the "Breaking Bad" series, you could buy one in good condition for $600.00-800.00. They have some instant collector value now and are no longer a good beater buy. Seldom see one for under 2K now.
BTW, drove a Mach E with the biggest motors and batteries. Car is very fast, faster than 98% of the gas powered cars I have driven. Doesn't mean I like it. It drives very "heavy". It feels like the 6000 lb. car it is. Just not for me. Feels like your driving a video game, driver completely disconnected from what's happening outside the windows. Like driving an arcade game. They have a waiting list, so someone must like them. The one I drove was almost 90K. That buys allot of old Pontiac stuff!

The HHR and The PT Cruiser are awful vehicles with tons of problems due to being cheaply made.

[nas t eh]

Originally Posted by The Champ

OK maybe the concept was ahead of its time. But that is an ugly vehicle from every angle. There is just no excuse for that.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by nas t eh

OK maybe the concept was ahead of its time. But that is an ugly vehicle from every angle. There is just no excuse for that.

I think the new Challengers are ugly, but there are people on this board that think they look good. I never thought of a beached whale as good looking...

[nas t eh]

Originally Posted by The Champ

I think the new Challengers are ugly, but there are people on this board that think they look good. I never thought of a beached whale as good looking...

Challenger are big and look it. Not my cup of tea either. But in the right package and for enough money, they at least can perform.

Sometimes function over form is OK. In the Challengers case POWER is sexy. And they don’t look Aztec bad

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by nas t eh

Challenger are big and look it. Not my cup of tea either. But in the right package and for enough money, they at least can perform.

Sometimes function over form is OK. In the Challengers case POWER is sexy. And they don’t look Aztec bad

My daughter's Aztek could out perform the Challenger at hauling stuff any day of the week. It was an excellent daily driver that provided her with the ability to perform tasks other than burning rubber and burning huge amounts of gas.

And she liked the looks of her Aztek.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and she was writing the checks.

[242177P]

Originally Posted by The Champ

My daughter's Aztek could out perform the Challenger at hauling stuff any day of the week.

So we're going to ignore the SPORT in Sport Utility Vehicle now?

Tuktuk for the win!!!

[nas t eh]

Originally Posted by The Champ

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and she was writing the checks.

It is,

Not many beholders bought the Aztek and only a small number of them are attempting to keep theirs alive. They are destined to be another AMC Gremlin and that might even be an insult to the Gremlin.

The Aztec hurt Pontiac. There is no win.

Can you imagine if Pontiac had made the Aztek so attractive that it sold like the Firebirds and TransAm in the 70’s.