I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!

texases · December 10

andre1969 said:
Out in the parking lot by the liquor store today, I spotted this little gem...
Sorry, for the bad resolution; it was a zoom-in.

I wish you had a poorer-resolution pic, say 4x4...

andre1969 · December 10

I knew someone who had an early Aztek, back when they all had the gray lower body contrast. His was black though, so that toned down the look of it, somewhat.

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.

thebean · December 10

Agree with @andre1969. I have always been a bit enamored with the Aztec, to be frank. It’s a real function over form vehicle and now that I’m older and don’t care what anyone thinks, I don’t mind saying I like them.

sda · December 10

@thebean said:
Agree with @andre1969. I have always been a bit enamored with the Aztec, to be frank. It’s a real function over form vehicle and now that I’m older and don’t care what anyone thinks, I don’t mind saying I like them.

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.

stickguy · December 10

andre1969 said:
I knew someone who had an early Aztek, back when they all had the gray lower body contrast. His was black though, so that toned down the look of it, somewhat.

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.

Andre, wasn't that basically the Buick version they came out with? That just looked boring.

texases · December 10

While the styling was odd, the 'worst car' label attached to the Aztek by a number of lists is nonsense. Decent car underneath.

uplanderguy · December 11

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.

andre1969 · December 11

stickguy said:
Andre, wasn't that basically the Buick version they came out with? That just looked boring.

The Buick Rendezvous still had the high beltline and awkward proportions. And that minivan-esque "Cab-forward" look (or what I think they call "set-back-front axle" on big trucks) doesn't do it any favors. According to Google's AI, the Rendezvous/Aztek actually share their windshield with the minivans of the era, so most likely the whole cowl area is identical. So, having it so heavily based on the minivans, I think it's going to have awkward proportioning, no matter how tasteful the styling details might be. I think the Rendezvous had a longer wheelbase though, so its proportions weren't as stubby as the Aztek.

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.

tjc78 · December 11

At the end of the day the Aztec has to be considered cool.... I mean, it was Walter White's car!

ab348 · December 11

I remember getting an Aztek rental for a business trip shortly after they came out but were still an uncommon sight on the roads. I felt odd driving it because you could tell that people were staring at it, and you. I remember sitting in a line of stop-and-crawl traffic next to a vehicle with some little kids in it and they were all staring and laughing at it. I had to drive to a destination about 150 miles away and it drove well, actually, but I couldn't get past the goofy styling.

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.

imidazol97 · December 11

Recognizing the styling pieces on the Aztek were awkwardly put together, I still think if that vehicle had come from Nissan, Toyota, or another, the styling would have been accepted better.

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.

gsemike · December 11

imidazol97 said:
Recognizing the styling pieces on the Aztek were awkwardly put together, I still think if that vehicle had come from Nissan, Toyota, or another, the styling would have been accepted better.

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.

Pontiacs of the era were all too much. Their version of building excitement meant a lot bumps and holes.

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.

texases · December 11

Weren't the Aztek and Rendevouz based on the 'Dustbuster' GM minivans?

uplanderguy · December 11

Were much later than the Dustbusters.

texases · December 11

You're right, they're on the steel unit-construction GMT200 platform, the successor to the 'Dustbuster' spaceframe + plastic GMT 199 chassis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_U_platform#Second_generation

fintail · December 11

The "bottle nose" vans that IIRC do not fare well in crash tests.

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.

ab348 · December 11

Styling aside, the thing about the Azeri and Rendevous that both suffered from was the stance. Both looked too high for the wheels, especially in the back end. I remember seeing the original Aztec concept that stood lower and more planted which looked much better.

imidazol97 · December 11

ab348 said:
Styling aside, the thing about the Azeri and Rendevous that both suffered from was the stance. Both looked too high for the wheels, especially in the back end. I remember seeing the original Aztec concept that stood lower and more planted which looked much better.

X2

texases · December 11

Another 'too tall' GM, the first-gen SRX, IMO:

ab348 · December 11

I know Apple devices are supposed to be virus-free, but I swear that mine has one from the bizarre auto-correct behavior I’ve seen lately. Azeri for Aztec?

I spotted an (insert obscure car name here) classic car today!

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