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From what I've heard, the people that have owned them, actually loved them. They were pretty comfortable, and practical. And once you were inside it, you didn't have to look at it. 🤣
Although honestly, if it just had a slightly lower beltline, and they got rid of that secondary level of lights and grille inlets across the top, it wouldn't look half bad.
I think it looks best in solid black. Kind of a bat mobile mini van. It had some innovative optional interior features. The jacked up look from the rear didn't enhance its looks either.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
I remember the first Aztek I saw. I was working near Youngstown and took I-76 home to Kent normally. There was a bad accident so I took route 224 home. Near Lordstown a bright yellow one with “D3 GM” on the license plate pulled out in front of me. I was pretty stunned by the styling, lol.
The only cars I think were styled worse afterwards were the Nissan Cube and Juke.
I always believe, however, that volume tends to normalize bad or at least ‘meh’ styling.
I think its front-end is a bit too exaggerated, as well. There's just too many conflicting shapes and lines, in my opinion. And the way the C-pillar slopes down and the taillights wrap, it almost looks like someone sliced off the rear at a 45 degree angle, and then just slopped something random on it.
I think where the Rendezvous had its strong points was the interior. It's been ages since I've seen one, but I seem to recall the interiors actually seemed pretty high quality, whereas the Aztek was typical Pontiac "Body by Fisher, interior by Fisher-Price". And that longer wheelbase probably contributed to a bit more interior room.
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I also recall not too long after visiting the local Pontiac dealer on a Sunday and discovering they had 40 or 50 of them on the lot in every color available. The bright yellow and acid green ones were especially attractive.
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The Rendevouz drove nicely. We moved our son into a dorm at OSU using our friend's to carry all the stuff he took with him. Lots of room.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
They tried to do something different and the car had some good ideas. The packaging just killed it. On that one, the front clipped being replaced and not color matched, doesn't help.
Were much later than the Dustbusters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_U_platform#Second_generation
I think time has been kind to the Aztek. I loathed it when new, but it doesn't offend me now, a quirky curiosity that would have been more successful 10-15 years later.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
https://www.jalopnik.com/2049722/car-too-far-ahead-for-own-good-reader-question/
Andre, did you see the 13k mile ‘67 Executive Hardtop Coupe the other day on barn finds? It reminded me of you. Since I can only sign into Edmund’s with my phone now, copying or cutting and pasting a website isn’t intuitive to me.
It’s the light green metallic which was called Mountain Green on our old ‘67 Chevelle.
I find an Executive interesting due to the comparatively low (for GM) production.
I always wondered what would have compelled someone to order an Executive instead of a Bonneville. Yes, cheaper but I don’t think dramatically so. I used to think it was for people who wanted the longer wheelbase but didn’t want fender skirts and wanted the protective side molding which wasn’t available that year on the Bonneville even optionally. Although, this particular Executive has the optional skirts.
The Ventura was trimmed inside identically to the Executive. Only difference is the wheelbase.
My hunch is that fewer Executives were ordered than Bonnevilles and most were probably purchased in dealer inventories due to color, whatever.
https://barnfinds.com/13k-actual-miles-1967-pontiac-executive-hardtop-coupe/
Thank you.
I need to suggest Dennis the Menace for the next one.
The ‘60 Plymouth front wheel opening and trim is the most bizarre I can remember.
Chrysler was using Italian styling iirc. I remembered the styling model that sank with the Andrea Dorian shipwreck. The Norseman.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It says 2 1.2 hours(?)
Streets of San Francisco.
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Looking back at it through modern eyes, the Executive really doesn't make much sense. The other three models: hardtop sedan, hardtop coupe, and wagon, were under 10K units apiece. My Catalina convertible, which sold 10,033 units that year, was more popular than any Executive body style, with the exception of the 4-door pillared sedan. They only sold 6,931 units of that hardtop coupe!
They could have just given the Bonneville a 4-door pillared sedan, gotten rid of the Executive, and called it a day. But, maybe having the Executive around, and letting it have the pillared sedan and not the Bonneville, gave the Bonneville a bit more prestige. And it probably didn't cost GM much money to come up with the Executive. It gave them a wider volume to amortize the 124" wb models, and offering its interior as the Ventura option on the Catalina helped spread that cost around, as well.
A lot of people get hung up on size, length, and the "mine's bigger" mentality. So in that respect, the Executive was probably a lot of car for the money. Price-wise, it roughly split the difference between the Catalina and the Bonneville, so from a marketing standpoint, that might have made Pontiac look like it had more of the market covered. The Catalina hardtop coupe was $2,951, versus $3,227 for the Executive and $3,448 for the Bonneville.
The 124" wb models didn't have any more passenger room than the Catalina, but they had a lot more trunk space. A longer wheelbase tends to give you a smoother, less choppy ride, although I don't know if 3" is going to make much difference once you get up into these sizes. And the further forward from the rear axle the back seat is, the more comfortable the back seat tends to be. But again, I don't know if 3" would make that much difference. And it's not like either had the back seat shoved back between the wheel openings, as was more common once downsizing became popular.
When I was a kid, the neighbors in back of my grandparents had a 1970 Executive. It was a darkish green, similar to my grandparents' '72 Impala's Sequoia, but I think the Executive's green was called "Pepper", maybe. I'm picturing it as a 4-door hardtop, and may have even referred to it as that in the past, but now that I think about it, I honestly can't remember if it was a hardtop or pillared.
These neighbors also had a farm up in Pennsylvania, and ended up moving up there in the early 80's, but we'd still see them from time to time. In 1979, someone gave my Mom an Irish setter, and he was just too big, and had too much energy, for us to take care of. The neighbors said they'd take the dog, and he could live on the farm, and we did that in 1980.
Years later though as an adult, I learned that the phrase "Oh, he's going to live on a farm" is a common thing parents tell their kids when they're really sending the dog to the pound, or having it euthanized! I was horrified! But I asked Mom about that, and she said no, don't worry, that dog really DID go to live on the Marlowes' farm!
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2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
There’s a perfect looking red and white, early S-10 in Tahoe trim around here too, with a cap. I like those early ones for styling, in and out. The one around here has whitewalls, factory Rally Wheels and chrome trim.
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They were 60s or 70s. One white; other light blue and white.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Pulled two spaces from me at the post office today.
I approached the older, big-bearded owner, telling him it was nice to see one. He said he didn’t buy it new, then said “Guess how many miles?”. He then said “Five hundred thousand”.
It looked rougher than the pic implies.
He said it’s a ‘98.
He said when he was still working he drove it all over Ohio and Michigan.
He also said he has a ‘97 Stratus that’s “like new at 108,000 miles” which he bought new. He said he kept it as his “Sunday car”.
Calling andres3! Lol
My friend with the Viper said about this pic, that old chestnut, “Mopar or no car!”
I asked him. He said “automatic”.
I really liked these when they were introduced. They really had some clever and useful features. Too bad the 4 speed transmission was not reliable for the first year or so. It is eye opening to see how braking distances, acceleration times and general driving dynamics have improved dramatically since then.
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I liked those cars. I knew a guy at work who had that same car and color but in two-door. Probably the first time ever I preferred the sedan to the coupe in anything.
Those cars were one of the few times I thought the Olds version looked better than the Buick or Cadillac.
Of course I can’t figure a way to link or copy to my phone, but if you like ‘58 Fords, a beautiful Fairlane 500 Club Victoria (I think that’s what the two-door hardtop was called) sold recently on FB Marketplace. I had seen the car on a club tour of a private collection several years ago. It’s a fifties Ford I would love to own. Google “1958 Ford Fairlane 500 for sale Youngstown”. It’s two-tone blue and has 17.9k miles.