Pontiac Aztek

jmatero · January 2001

Look, I've never owned an Intrigue but I have owned 4 accords. Going on hard facts (consumer reports repair records... data supplied by registered owners) the Intrigue has a MUCH HIGHER repair rate/problem rating than the accord. I'm sure everyone with an Intrigue can point to an accord owner with a bum tranny or other problems but I go on fact. According to the NHTSA the Intrigue has had 6 recalls since 1998... 2 in the year 2000 alone. And one already THIS year. The Accord, 2 since 1997. But more importantly, The federal government currently has 5 defect investigations going on involving the Intrigue (mainly involving seat belt and wiper failures). The accord has 0. Not to mention the 354 official owner complaints to the Federal Government. See www.nhtsa.gov for details. I'm not trying to "put down" the oldsmobile, but again, I'm going on hard facts here. The most compelling reason for me is the safety comparison. The Honda gets 4 stars for both driver and front passenger and 4 star front/5 star rear side impact ratings. The intrigue gets 4 for the driver but only 2 for front passenger while the front side rating is 3 and the rear is only 1. That being the case, I don't have to tell you which car I want my kids in the back seat of when some joker runs a red light. The Insurance off-set crash ratings are also better for the accord, but they rate the Intrigue as "average" (better than the Fed Gov't rating). A number on here have mentioned how important side impact protection is and have pointed to the Aztek's good NHTSA side-impact ratings. This same test produced a 1-star rating for the rear-side passengers of the 2000 Olds Intrigue... reason enough for me to steer clear. Just my 2-cents.

teo · January 2001

I seriously doubt it. Actually Pontiac is due to receive at least 3 new models that will be aimed at improving the division's image and a welcome departure from the excessive plastic cladding, The Batmobile theme and the Aztek failure...

* The 2002 Pontiac Vibe Sports wagon

* The 2003 Opel Speedster (Set to replace the Firebird and TransAM F-body coupes).

See it here: www.opel.com

* The all new 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix that will be the first model to be built on GM's new global platform 'Mid-Lux'...expect DOHC and supercharged V6 engines, 6-speed manual transmissions and RWD.

Sorry Pontiac (and GM detractors) your dreams will not become reality. Keep on wishing!

Gm going out of business? That's yet to be seen folks. Reality check: The first ones I see going under the tube are Daimler-Chrysler with their failed 'marriage' take over attempt by the German corporation. Chrysler has a very stale product mix (Except the PT Cruiser that they can't seem to built enough of to keep up with demand), terrible quality and reliability (Well behind Ford and GM), poor resale value (Ask how many dealers would love to keep a stock of used LH sedans)and finances well into the red (This means much needed new product introduction delays and lower quality)and let's not even get into the financial woes of DCX as stated here on this fresh article:

http://www.autonews.com/html/main/stories/dcxlate129.htm

Ford? If they don't get their act together they'll soon see themselves going the route of DCX. The Exploder/Firestone fiasco has been FAR REACH DAMAGING to the already bad reputation of Ford Motor Company. Quality job NUMERO UNO? What a joke! Recent Ford products (Focus/Escape/Tribute) have had a plethora of recalls and serious quality control problems more than any other 'domestic' product in the market. Hey Jcandor, did you know that your beloved Ford Focus has a recall of 300,000 units because the rear wheel assemblies can fall off while driving at highway speeds???? or have you read about one of the zillion Escape/Tribute recalls that state that the steering wheel can suddenly fall off in your hands? Great build quality at FORD? Common people, stop fouling yourselves!!!!

Read all about Ford woes at www.blueovalnews.com

Gm has also royally SCREWED UP with the Aztek, but given the current situation of DCX and FoMoCo, I think GM has much better odds of pulling ahead while DCX and Ford battle their own internal quality control problems, Financial scandals and tarnished reputations.

ENOUGH SAID!!!!

pat · January 2001

Folks, there are at least a couple of topics over in News & Views where GM is being discussed. If you haven't seen them, you might be very interested in joining them.

Let's try to just stick to the Aztek in this one.

Thanks.

Pat
Host
SUV Message Board

dindak · January 2001

Sounds good to me. This topic is way off course. I guess Aztek really brings out the worst in GM bashers. It's too bad this discussion isn't more civil and Aztek related.

Just saw that Rendezvous production will be doubled to offset poor Aztek sales. Probably a good move as Aztek (at least in current form), won't sell much more than 30K units in a year.

gmdrone · January 2001

All I can say is that GM has survived a number of screw-ups, notably the Vega, Shovette, Flea arrow, Allante, etc. I also know from my SSP account, that it hasn't hurt my net worth too terribly much either. The Aztec will survive to sell again, despite it's bizarre looks, and the Rendevous may or may not take up the slack at Ramos. Eventually all of you Honda and Toyota lovers will return to your own message boards to sing praise to your sewing machine "god", and you are welcome to them! I really don't think that The RAVs or CRVs are all that to look at either, until the Aztec came along, I thought THEY were ugly. You guys make my day, every day, at work. My fellow employees enjoy your amusing chatter almost as much as we enjoy the senseless directives from our MANAGEMENT! Don't worry, we will continue to build the best that we can, as long as Styling doesn't go to far overboard. As far as being arrogant, just take a look at the great Daimler-Chrysler "merger", and see what happens when a power crazy CEO tries to take over an American tradition. I can hardly wait to see what happens when the boys at the UAofW realize that Deutsche Bank wants to liquidate their plant., Who are they gonna sell 'em to, the Japanese, or maybe the defunct Koreans? Hope that you all have your retirement savings in kruggerands, 'cause if you don't, I feel sorry for you. Ah well, just some mindless musings on Monday to stir you'all up, you know what I mean?

sjgladwin · January 2001

The big three reputations are always juggled around. None of them are consistant. That's why I can't understand the reasoning behind cross-shopping Domestics with imports, when it clearly shows that you are less likely (not completely unlikely) to buy a lemon or recall-prone import than a FMC,GMC,DMC.

I will back up the consistancy of the 3800, the 5.0 and 5.7 Chevy motors and the 4.9 Ford and the Diesels from Ford and Dodge. They seem to be reliable, bulletproof (if somewhat archaic) and low upkeep powerplants.

I will also note the consistant junk coming in the form of the 3.8 Ford. Hey, they're pretty consistant!!!

pat · January 2001

There are discussions in New & Views where these kinds of conversations will fit.

This discussion is for people who want to talk about the Aztek.

Please get back on topic.

Pat
Host
SUV Message Board

teo · January 2001

I think if you want to keep the conversation flow geared towards the Aztek, you are going to be forced to ban some of the GM bashers and other 'Smart Cookies' that provide very little contribution to this topic.

Face it, the Aztek is and will always be an emotionally charged and heated topic.

may be even better, freeze this topic and ban anyone from talking about the Aztek in Edmunds.

pat · January 2001

What I will be doing is deleting off-topic posts from here on.

teo, do you have anything to contribute to a discussion on the Aztec? That would be the best way to get this conversation going in the right direction.

Pat
Host
SUV Message Board

teo · January 2001

I love the portable cooler in the Aztek....anyone cares to add?

dindak · January 2001

Mmmmm.. cold beer in an Aztek sounds good.

;-)

teo · January 2001

Which one the Aztek's cooler cools down better? ;-)

(Hey Pat just kidding, we need some Monday humor)

Sporin · January 2001

Oh I like that too! :-)

My Mom got one of those for her new Xterra. It plugs into the 12v outlet and can either "warm" or "cool" what's inside. Great for going to pot-luck dinners or long car trips.

The one thing that Aztek likers that I personally know seem to ALL think is the bee's knees is the camping package. Seriously, I've had people tell me they would buy the Aztek JUST for that. I usually point out that the aftermarket has been making SUV & pick-up "pop-up" tents for many years and for many models.

How's that for ON-TOPIC?

teo · January 2001

A 110 Volt outlet as the Pontiac Vibe does???

(Let see how much longer this topic will last without the intervention of the GM bashers)

jmatero · January 2001

That tent isn't enough to sell a vehicle...

In 1984, chrysler made the same tent package for the new Voyager/Caravan and discontinued it the following year. The feedback at the time suggested that when a family went camping, they also needed their vehicle available and having the tent attached to the car required disassembly each time they wanted to leave the campgrounds. The other big reason that was mentioned was security-related. People claimed that when they camped, their cars were used for "secure items" because they could be locked and with a "built-in" tent erected, anyone could unzip their way right into the car (perhaps, even stealing the car). It looks interesting on paper, but in actuality it doesn't work.

milt721 · January 2001

Well, it's official. While saying Aztek is not selling well due to its high price, GM is planning to "soften" the Aztek's exterior design. My questions: 1) If the slow sales are due to price, why don't they leave the exterior design alone and just lower the price? 2) Why lie about it?

dindak · January 2001

Don't know about your area, but around here an Aztek and a Montana (short wheel base) are going for about the same price. Not sure about what incentives have been placed on the advertised prices though.

oac3 · January 2001

oh yes, a strange thing happened earlier today. i was on 405 going to Santa Monica (SoCal for those who may not be familiar) and while on the HOV lane doing "reasonable" speed :-) a glance in my rear mirror showed a fast advancing Aztek. The driver must be doing at least 90. He drove so close to me I thought he was going to kick my rear ***... Of course, with my unabashed disdain for this vehicle, I found it very ironic indeed ! Here I am, a noted hater of the Aztek, and the vehicle is tail-gaiting me and there is very little I could do. It just made me hate it even more so.... The bone-head driver literarily had to change lane with a stern look at me for daring to slow him down.

On the flip side, that Aztek vehicle sure moves fast for a bulbous mass of ugly plasticia... So, there you go, for all lovers of this vehicle, I finally found something good to say about the AZTEK !

I am still on topic right, Pat ?

gonzo7 · January 2001

That's why this sales flop and visual abomination got spawned in the first place. The opressive culture within GM allowed this creation to be produced. No one had the fortitude to say:

"WAIT- Nice idea but... JUST LOOK AT THAT THING !"

If someone had the nerve to say that it would have saved GM much embarassment and millions of dollars.

I do like the tent idea but only if it was large enough to cover the whole Aztek and could be left in place when operating the vehicle.

pat · January 2001

I have deleted several posts that were off-topic and a couple that were argumentative.

Pat
Host
SUV Message Board

gonzo7 · January 2001

Pat- Even though I don't really like the "big brother" aspect of your job; I appreciate your restrained style.

kissfan1 · January 2001

By any measure a PRODUCT is defined by CUSTOMER SATISFACTION:

1. TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH PRODUCT QUALITY. (NO RECALLS...COMPARE TO TRIBUTE/ESCAPE)

2. TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH FIT FINISH BOTH INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR.

3. TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH GAS MILEAGE. RIDE QUALITY AND ALL INTERIOR AMENITIES.

4. TOTALLY SATISFIED WITH MY DEALERS ATTENTION TO ALL DETAILS SURROUNDING THE PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE.

This Vehicle will remain in my ownership for 10-15 years. As my Toyota Corolla GTS and Chevy Astro. Each vehicle I have put 200,000 miles on. I searched long and hard and this vehicle has delivered value to date.

FOR THOSE PLANNING ON PURCHASING or INVESTIGATING AN AZTEK go ahead you WILL BE A SATISFIED CLIENT.

THOSE IN HERE "SLAGGING" THE PRODUCT LIKELY HAVE SOME .........VESTED INTEREST"...........TALK TO OWNERS.......

I HAVE TALKED TO HUNDREDS......ALL SATISFIED!!!

as for looks.......poppycock

dindak · January 2001

While I don't think the Aztek is attractive, what you say is generally right. The Aztek is generally a well made utilitarian vehicle. Now if they fix up the back for 2002, I may be interested. Otherwise I will probably look at Rendezvous or something else.

pat · January 2001

I am continuing to delete posts that are off-topic made after I posted my warning. Responses to off-topic posts prior to my warning will indeed continue to be deleted.

This discussion is in place to converse about the Aztec. While I do not understand why you folks who are so opposed to GM and opposed to this vehicle want to hang out here, you are welcome to post your opinions and thoughts about the Pontiac Aztek as long as you remain within the bounds of the Terms of Use to which you agreed when you joined Town Hall. You may review those terms by clicking on the link on the left sidebar of this page.

PLEASE NOTE the part that requires you to "disagree in a civil manner should [you] take issue with the statements of another Town Hall participant".

If you want to discuss the relative merits of GM as a car manufacturer, please go to one of the New & Views discussions where these conversations are already occurring.

If we don't get some civil conversation going on here quickly about the Aztek, this discussion WILL be stopped.

Pat
Host
SUV Message Board

pat · January 2001

Both of your posts slipped in while I was working on mine. :-)

Pat
Host
SUV Message Board

teo · January 2001

Your efforts are appreciated. The GM bashing nonsense has to stop at some point...too many Honda, Toyota salesmen hanging around here.

Kissman: Congrats about the Aztek. It doesn't have the embarrasing recalls of the Escape/Tribute duo. The Ford success is clear evidence of how people are easily seduced by a pretty face even if the vehicle is a hunk of junk on the inside.

The Aztek, is quite the opposite. Great build quality....poorly styled. Shame!

oac3 · January 2001

i know that this post probably won't see the light of day bcos it may be termed "off-subject", but i gotta say it all the same...

big brother Pat... i do not envy your job of policing a public forum. discourse cannot solely be on the merit of something.... pls allow disenting voices to air their views also. that is democracy in action...

when people disagree rightly, as long as they are civil - off-subject or not - they should be allowed. i don't think that you should censor opinions, as that would contradict the dictum of free speech, which, when last i checked, is still free in this country...

now, go ahead and delete !!

drew_ · January 2001

"as that would contradict the dictum of free speech, which, when last i checked, is still free in this country..."

If you look in the "Terms of Use" (which you agreed to when you registered as a Townhall participant) on the left hand column of the screen, you'll see that Edmunds.com has the right to exercise discretion. Opinions about the positives and negatives of the vehicle in question are always welcome, so long as they are clean, and they don't attack someone (or their choices) personally. When that happens, it becomes a flame fest and makes the topic completely useless.

Good luck!

Drew
Host
Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

oac3 · January 2001

good response...appreciate the 'love' from ya ! will tone down on the Aztek...

pat · January 2001

Actually, that was Drew. :-)

This discussion had been overtaken by an argument about GM and other car manufacturers - that is the conversation that is out of place here. I have pointed out repeatedly that that conversation can take place in one of relevant discussions over in News & Views that is already underway.

Of course some off-topic things will be discussed in the course of a conversation, and there is no problem with that as long as the subject of the discussion remains clear. Someone dropping by here to look for (or share) Aztek info only to discover everybody going after each other about car manufacturers for pages and pages would not be well-served by Town Hall.

Positive and negative opinions about the Aztek are very appropriate here as long as they conform to the Terms of Use. Drew's explanation says it all.

Thanks for your understanding.

Pat
Host
SUV Message Board

ruteger · January 2001

Does anyone remember the Citroen 2CV? Richard Dreyfuss drove one in the movie American Graffiti. It was an ugly little French car with deplorable quality and performance. Yet, it stayed in production for many years, more than the VW Beetle. And, just like the original Beetle (another ugly little car), the popularity of the 2CV can be directly attributed to its low price. The 2CV's low price, like the Beetle's, actually made its quirky appearance endearing and charming.

The Toyota Echo is a current example. It's an ugly little car but it is possible to buy a cheap one (albeit quite stripped). Primarily for that reason, Echo sales seem to be doing okay.

Someone posted that a Pontiac manager said that the pricing of the Aztek is where Pontiac fouled up. Given how successful and popular a few other seemingly unattractive, low-priced vehicles have been in the past, that may be a valid point. If not for GM's greed, the Aztek might have had a shot at success. Now, I'm afraid it will go down in automotive history as a failure on par with that of the Edsel. It's been labeled a 'loser' and it's very hard to recover from that in the automotive world.

dindak · January 2001

pat HOST: Definitely a good thing keeping this forum clean. It was let go for too long and unfortunately the discussion was hijacked by people with nothing better to do than bash the Aztek and GM. Keep up the good work. While I am not crazy about the vehicle, I am certainly interested in learning more about it.

Aztek pricing: While I TOTALLY agree the Aztek is over priced for it's market, it is fairly priced for what you get. Unfortunately most competitors have 4 cyl engines and are smaller making them better buys. The price combined with it's looks are dragging sales. Perhaps stripping it down a bit could cut prices.

kissfan1 · January 2001

Having read through all the posts I find it real interesting how much attack the AZTEK has taken. When I was shopping for a vehicle I drove the :

1. CRV: Utilitarian only. Underpowered. Uncomfortable and as plain as a Lada. Gauges poorly lit, lousy sound system, power-nothing. Overall not an enjoyable experience.

2. Toyota RAV: Small and cramped and significantly underpowered. No space.

3. Toyota Sienna: Nice vehicle but was no way near the responsiveness of the AZTEK. Solidly built and comfortable but out of my price range. Mediocre sound system.

4. Tribute: RECALL CITY......not interested.

5. JEEP: Was the closest but still small by comparision and no where near as versatile.

6. Looks.......I luv the Styling. It looks different and I like that. I luv a sound system that feels like my LIVING ROOM. I luv the features like HUD, SOUND ADJUSTING to ROAD NOISE, NEVER TURNING A HEADLIGHT ON OR OFF AGAIN, FLIP FOLD SEATING, CARGO TRAY, A FIT AND FINISH THAT WAS BETTER THEN ANYTHING I HAD SEEN in the PRICE CATEGORY.

As I said in my EARLIER post.....I find the AZTEK a fab vehicle of which I have not seen similar quality for price. Unfortunately the SANTA FE was not available......I would like to compare to that VEHICLE.

Until something happens to make me change my mind (RECALL, RUST, ENGINE PROBLEM, TRANNY).........I have not driven or seen a better vehicle.

By the way.........If SUCCESS is driven by the PT CRUISER. Keep success cause I've driven the PT CRUISER and it is tiny, underpowered and feels Like TIN.

See we live in a plastic LOOKS oriented world. If it isn't the LOOK is does not sell. Well guess what I put quality over LOOK. PT CRUISER can't hold AZTEK's jock on quality........But it LOOKS cool.

jmatero · January 2001

I think we need to be fair here... if posts are being deleted for "bashing" GM and the Aztek, then the Pro-Aztek people bashing Ford (escape) and Chrysler (PT) should also be deleted. Aztek owners like to point out that the Escape has had 5 recalls. While I'm NO FAN of the Escape, it should be noted that 4 of those 5 involved vehicles that HAD NOT BEEN SOLD and in most cases had not even been delivered to the dealers. In otherwords, Few, if ANY escape owners actually received recall notices about thier vehicles. Therefore, for Aztek owners here to claim the Escape is "A piece of junk" is just unfounded. Honda Accords have been recalled almost every year for years now and they are by no means "pieces of junk". Since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my only issue with the Aztek is safety. Until the front crash tests are posted in February, I'd steer clear.

jmatero · January 2001

Hi Kissfan... to be fair here, you're comparing apples to oranges. A loaded AWD Aztek is $30,000. The CR-V with AWD is near $20,000. The PT Cruiser bases at $16,000 and even LOADED is under $21,000. As is the RAV-4. These cars do not compete directly with the Aztek. A vehicle that is a good competitor is the Dodge Grand Caravan AWD (similar ride, price, drivetrain). A PT Cruiser is Neon-sized/based, the CR-V is Civic-sized/based, etc. The Aztek is a re-skinned Pontiac Montana Minivan and is MUCH larger than the cars you compare it to. Also, since the Aztek is a minivan, not an suv, it has the advantage of a flat floor and wide rear hatch/cargo area. The Aztek simply can't be compared to Mini-SUV's or any SUV for that matter. In fact, most owners are women who cross-shopped minivans but wanted something "different" looking. I would think the Subaru Forester would also be a good vehicle to look at.

jmatero · January 2001

GM WANTS 20-something people to buy the Aztek, but that's not happening. It's too expensive. That crowd is buying Escapes, Tributes, CR-Vs, RAV-4s, Exterras and PT Cruisers by the THOUSANDS. According to the Wall Street Journal, GM claims the average buyers of the Pontiac Azteks are actually 45 year-old mothers looking for minivan alternatives. How in God's name can Pontiac expect a 20 year old out of college to pay $30,000 for an AWD vehicle? The LOADED escape doesn't top $25,000 and that's the UPPER end of the pricing. GM missed the mark. The new Vibe coming out will accomplish what the Aztek didn't.

drzoom1 · January 2001

Pat, thanks for keeping the site clean.

Test drove an Aztek this week. Nice. Not as much umph as my Buick, but plenty for my suburban family driving needs. Lots of cool, cool U.S. gadgets and features. However, for the money, I think I get more car/gadgets/power with a Buick Regal. Plus, Buick is a proven commodity. Also need to review Aztek crash test results when they are completed.

Does anybody have any data on actual purchase prices compared to MSRP? Have dealers been going into sub-invoice teritory? Does anybody remember significant rebates in the past this early into a first year of production? GM is offering a $1,000 now, but what will it be this summer? $2-3K?

Truly a cool car - just overpriced by about $4,000.

millergr · January 2001

I think the new Aztek is COOL. My wife and I are planning on getting one soon. We were hoping to get one in January but were just told that the Yellow ones we wanted are now on hold until around April. We live in the Detroit area. Anyone else experience this same setback???

Also, Drzoom1 mentioned a $1000 rebate from GM. Is that a nationwide rebate and when does it expire. They are currently only offering a $500 Auto Show discount here in Michigan.

Thanks, and can't wait to get one!!

Greg

jmatero · January 2001

Currently, there is a nation-wide offer of $1,000 off or 5.9% financing. CarsDirect.com is selling them at $500 over invoice. You should be able to get that at a dealer as well. As for rebates in the future, the 2002 Azteks will be here this fall and they will look significantly different than the current slow-selling model. That would imply that there will be a better rebate available in the fall when the 2002s come out. But, GM has idled the Aztek factory in Mexico (where all Azteks are built) until February 18th because of slow sales and the Buick Rondevous (the aztek's twin) production will be increased so perhaps there won't be many azteks on the lots come the fall anyway. At the very least, I would wait until March if you're serious because the NHTSA crash test results will be available and those results may be another factor to consider.

dindak · January 2001

Around Toronto, base Azteks are advertised for around $25K CDN (or $16,500 US). A price cut of $2-3K CDN would make it much more attractive. Most people don't want/need AWD GTs.

vadp · January 2001

http://www.autonews.com/html/main/stories/rendezvous129.htm

juancho1 · January 2001

First to answer your question drzoom. I recently purchased an AWD Aztek GT for $2000 under invoice plus camping package. I used all of the poor sales figures and negative publicity to my advantage. I have purchased 4 cars in the past 3 years so I have become fairly proficient at it. It all comes down to knowing your product and knowing what it is worth. For instance I know Pontiac dealerships can't give the Aztek away. Come next Fall when the "new design" comes out, dealerships will be paying customers to take all the unwanted 2001 off their lot. Having this knowledge and the patients to put it to good use stacks the deck in your favor. I would not buy an Aztek for more than $2000 under invoice.

Now on to my Aztek story:

A year and half ago my wife and I had 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 rats, a bird and a Subaru Forester. Life was good. Then we found out that we were expecting another baby and we needed a bigger car. We did the responsible thing and bought a Toyota Sienna mini-van. I began to regret my decision almost immediately. In fact, I was so distrought that I purchased a new BMW 328i to make me feel better (joke). We lived with the Toyota for about a year and a half before looking for a replacement. I test drove and researched just about every SUV and mini SUV made and here are my thoughts:

Acura MDX: Probably the only SUV truly worth the money. Everything you have read about this truck is true, I just can’t bring myself to pay full price for any car let alone the $2000 mark-up over MSRP that the dealerships are asking for.

Nissan Pathfinder: This is my favorite SUV and the truck I wanted my wife to buy. With it’s new 250 bhp engine it’s a poor man’s Acura MDX.

Nissan X-terra: Driving a 5 speed SE fully loaded it is no wonder this car is a huge seller. Very fun. However, 16 mpg no leather seats and no heated seats knocked this car out of the running as far as my wife was concerned.

Toyota 4-Runner: Totally overpriced.

Honda Rodeo, (Oops, I mean Isuzu Rodeo): I was contemplating whether to even include this joke on my list.

Mitsubishi Montero and Motero Sport: The Sport is very pretty to look at but doesn’t drive a ride very well. The Montero on the other hand rode and drove great. I thought it was too expensive for what you got, and the interior design left a lot to be desired. If Mitsubishi combined the Sport interior with the Montereo they would have a huge success.

Hiyunda Santa Fe: Well designed, good ride, good power. All in all not a bad product. Probably the only SUV out there that will have even a worse resale value than my Aztek.

Ford Escape: Exploding tires, engine fire hazards, steering wheel coming off in your hand. I’m not sure this is the kind of car I want my 3 kids riding in. However, once Ford gets all of the kinks worked out they will have an undeniable winner. Excellent room, power and looks for its class.

Honda CRV: I think the comment made about this car are very fitting. Besides I am on a mission to dispell American’s perception that Honda can do no wrong. I owned a Honda, needed a new transmission at 70 k mile, not impressed!

Toyota RAV 4: I used to like Toyota, know I have com to my senses and decided to buy German made from here on out.

BMW X-5: Finally we get to a real truck. If I had an 4.4 X-5 I race any of you Acura Integra driving punks out there. I would give you a run for your money if not beat you. I actually ordered a 3.0 X-5 for my wife, but in the end decided I really could not afford the $43,000 price tag. Ouch!

Subaru Forester: Best value and resale value bar none. We wanted to buy another one but it was too small.

I test drove a lot more but I will not bother you with the details. Then one day to my horror my wife calls me up all excited about a car she had test drove. I told her please what ever you say do not tell me it is an Aztek. It was. I went down to the dealership a couple of hours later and test drove the car for myself. I was shocked. It had plenty of room for our family of five. Cargo space was ample. It has a very comfortable ride and the steering was surprisingly tight. The turning radius is superb and the ancient 3.3 liter V-6 had plenty of power. Add to this, all the neat gadgets and AWD and you have a real fun car to drive. The clincher for us however, was the camping package. We had to sell our 72 VW Bus a while back, (another decision I will always regret) and the Aztek was the only truck half as versatile or fun to drive as that old VW bus.

There you have it, my story in a nut shell, albeit a rather large nut shell. For those of you out there who have never seen an Aztek in person let alone driven one, but insist on baging on this car, I pity you’re your close mindedness. For the rest of you Aztek owners out there I understand your decision. In the end, I’m sure a few years from now I probably won’t even be able to resale this car, but that’s why I bought a Bimmer.

kissfan1 · January 2001

I'm one of those Toronto Azteks(Oakville) you see. One of the Black ones with smiling contented customer bombing around Toronto. I 'll be driving it for 10 years or till till daughter takes it off to University.

GREAT PRODUCT!........until proven otherwise.

drzoom1 · January 2001

Juancho1, good details. When negotiating with the dealer, did use Edmunds to establish base price. I've been offered $100 over invoice (with an additional $1,000 rebate), but it seems kinda high compared to how much Buick/Saturn I can get for less money. Does not change the fact that the Aztek is simply a fun drive. We are taking a long trip this summer and it would be a blast to do it in an Aztek.

Millerg, are you an engineer? I also live in Michigan and seem to recall a Miller.

IMHO, Pontiac will increase the incentives once the current $1,000 rebate offer expires.

gonzo7 · January 2001

A friend told me that a local auction had a red aztek GT in perfect shape with 4000 miles on it- it sold for $13,800- Half what it sold for a few months ago.

juancho1 · January 2001

$100 over invoice with $1000 rebate is a good deal. That was the same deal I was being offered at first here in Seattle. However, all you need to do is get one dealership to offer you $600 under invoice plus the rebate and you've got 'em where you want 'em. Call every Pontiac dealer around and ask to speak to a sales manager not a salesman. salesman are in business to make a commision, sales manager are in business to move inventory. Insist that the sales manager either fax or email you their offer. What they quote you over the phone means nothing. Once you have the deal, call all of the dealerships again and ask them to beat the deal. Offer them option for beating the deal, such as matching the price but throughing in camping package or free oil changes for life or some such thing. The whole point is to get the most for your money. I will be the first to admit that I got great deal, but I had to work hard for that deal. I called the dealerships every day for 5 days straight to get that deal, and in the end the dealer lost $383 on the sale. So why did they sell it to me at a loss. Simple, the next [non-permissible content removed] to walk into the dealership to buy an Aztek will be grining from ear to ear at the great deal he got buying at only MSRP when the After Market sticker said the cars adjusted market value was another $5000.

jcandor · January 2001

Hi Pat. It's nice to see that you are filling your new role so well. You must not allow any untoward, unfriendly, or unpopular opinions to be uttered here. Keep up the good work.

One question, though: If you're going to delete posts that do not conform precisely to the topic, why would you then threaten to shut the entire board down? I mean, once you delete the offending posts, you'd be left only with benign, friendly (if nearly identical) posts. Why shut the board even to those who follow your strict, schoolmarmish dictates?

Seems to me that, in doing this, you give all the advantage, power, and (dare I say) sport to those whose opinions veer slightly off the well-trod path set down by those who either like the Aztek, or find slight fault with it but stick zealously religiously to the topic. For example, I find it instructive to place the Aztek's troubles in the larger context of GM's mismanagement (am I allowed to say that word here?). Clearly, I'm way out of line here. GM has NOTHING to do with the Aztek, as you rightly (and frequently) point out. But instead of simply deleting my blighted, hatemongering posts, you threaten the ability of those who choose to agree happily with each other on the great merits (or minor demerits -- can I say that word?) of the Aztek.

I know there's merit in the saying that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", but I thought I'd share my thoughts on this important, but totally irrelavent, unrelated, mean-spirited, GM-bashing, anti-Aztek topic.

I'll go beat myself with a large stick now. Please, I beg your forgiveness.

barresa11 · January 2001

with jcandor. I'm sorry Pat but you are overzealous in your attempt at censorship. I understand and wholeheartedly agree that you have to censor some posts as it relates to off-color topics, rudeness, disrespect, etc. but to delete posts w/one sweeping hand because they discuss GM, especially in the context of the Aztek, is irresponsible. It flys in the face of fairness! As you are painfully aware, the Aztek illicits a lot of strong opinions and creates dialog that strives to figure out how this vehicle came to be. To circumvent this process because of your narrow view as to what is appropriate (within the confines of respectful dialog) is disappointing at best and censorship gone awry at worst. In closing, I understand that your job can appear thankless at times. Please reconsider your broad deletion policy. To see some examples of a well-managed discussion board, visit the Subaru Crew in the Owners Club. Please take this critique within the spirit it is given.

Thanks,
Stephen

mz1654 · January 2001

My wife has been biten by the Aztek bug and though I find it a bit out of proportion it's not bad in black and even the yellow is ok. She is dead set against a mini-van which is what she really needs but anyway.........

I have been waiting for the prices to come down. In Atlanta I was qouted 3000 off MSRP for a GT listing at 28210. This seems reasonable but from reading perhaps I can do better by at least another 500 dollars. The only thing is I'm starting to see alot of AWD models which is too far up stream (30+) for me and I'm afraid we will have a tough time finding the model she wants (Black GT, 1SC, Towing, Sunroof, Leather).

Does anyone know if you can combine the rebate with the Smart Buy program ? I was also contemplating leasing with the hopes that GM will offer a wholesale buyout at the end incase resale is really sad (which I suspect since 2002 will be a restyle)

Thks

oac3 · January 2001

Is there any correlation between the bashing of the Aztek and the bashing of the maker of the Aztek, i.e. GM ? Is it logical that if one disagrees with a car, by inference, one might have a disagreement with the maker of that car ? On this forum, these two would be the Aztek and GM, respectively !

Speaking for myself, if I were to, say, hate the Aztek for its ugliness, does that construe that I also hate GM ? This, for me is simply not the case. I have nothing against GM, and like I wrote in an earlier post, GM makes its (large) share of bad cars, but it also has many excellent cars/SUV's/trucks on the road. The Aztek, imo, simply is not one of the latter. Owners will disagree with this assertion, but I can still express my free will on this topic, can't I ?

BTW, I did read one of PAT_SUV_Host's mail which states something like (paraphrase here) "what are Aztek haters doing on this forum ?"

We have read of one or more shopper's write-up on comparisons of several cars/SUV's/trucks/minivans before settling on the Aztek. Of course, such "comparisons" are allowed under the Aztek topic, but NOT any dislike of the Aztek itself nor of its manufacturer....Which is quite interesting !

Uhm.... Let's see, if all the fora in edmunds.com were to be populated by those in support of the topic, how can that thread last more than a day or two before dying out ? We should learn to respect and accept other differing opinions and any attempt to censor should be discouraged. Afterall, what must be "good for the goose, has to be equally good for the gander" ....

Let me close here by saying, I own a 2001 Toyota Sequoia and would 'rate' this vehicle 1 million-times better than an Aztek... Now, that is a comparison for you

I AM OUT OF HERE, FOR GOOD. SO MUCH FOR HAVING A GOOD TIME WHILE IT LASTS !!!

Pontiac Aztek

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles