2K1SunsetSS

Every car buyer faces difficult questions. Should I buy the extended warranty?
Do I need a DVD player? How about alpaca floor mats? But people who purchase a
Pontiac Aztek face another head-scratcher: how to respond to passersby who pull
up next to them and inform them - usually in obscene terms - that their cars are
the ugliest things ever to touch asphalt?

There is no correct response to the inevitable assault. Joe Garcia, an
Allentown, Pa., network administrator who has been driving his Aztek since
October 2000, strikes back. I used to get upset about it, he said in a March
telephone interview. Now I just say `Hey, look in the mirror.'


Rich Cottrell, who owns a manufacturing company on Cape Cod, uses self-effacing
comebacks, like I built it in my garage and It was designed by NASA to transport
astronauts.


Other Aztek drivers turn the other cheek and hope to avoid confrontation.


Once a year, WardsAuto.com, an auto industry data service in Northfield, Mich.,
publishes a list of the nation's best-selling cars. Owners who hit it right can
rest easy, knowing their resale value is assured. There is no comparable
worst-seller list - the models with the lowest sales are likely to be
limited-edition, exclusive cars or very expensive ones, not undesirables. But
there are cars that bomb - models that quickly turn into the ugly ducklings
nobody likes. It's a tradition that goes back as far as the Edsel and includes
such legendary fiascos as the AMC Pacer and the Yugo.


How does it feel to be one of the few who bought a car that captured no one
else's imagination?


Since the Aztek was introduced in 2000, owning one has become the automotive
equivalent of wearing a Red Sox cap in the Yankee Stadium bleachers. The car
attracted unprecedented vitriol almost immediately, largely for its appearance -
a bit like a Toyota 4-Runner crossed with a turtle and highlighted with heavy
black plastic cladding. Car and Driver derided its rather cartoonish,
space-cadet styling. Forbes.com called it a truly unattractive car that might
have been the unfortunate offspring of a tryst between a Volkswagen Thing and a
Honda CRX.


One enterprising Aztek hater created an online petition to Help Stop the Aztek
Before It Starts. More than 400 people signed it between June and December of
2000. (Sample comment: This is taking freedom of expression too far!! Don't
forget to laugh at anyone driving an Aztek!) And in perhaps the most
embarrassing blow for the car, Colby Donaldson - who won an Aztek on the second
season of Survivor in 2001 - announced that he did not want it. He later sold it
on eBay.


Aztek owners have ways of defending their vehicles against the slings and arrows
of wisecracking fellow motorists. They talk loudly about the car's handling and
outdoorsy features, like the optional tentlike camping extension that attaches
to the back. They praise its unique design and quirky personality. And they
stick together. But now they face the prospect of being deserted by their only
real ally: General Motors itself.


The Aztek has been a consistent sales disappointment for G.M.'s Pontiac
division. The company initially hoped to sell as many as 70,000 a year. Instead,
it sold 11,500 in the first six months. The company did a quick redesign and
introduced a new version - without the clunky black cladding that many critics
found so unappealing. It also slashed the price. But sales still didn't come
close to the 50,000 mark. In 2002, Pontiac sold 28,000 Azteks. And now comes
talk of the predictable next step: the Aztek is expected to be discontinued as
soon as late 2004, leaving its drivers with orphan cars, as the survivors of a
discontinued model are called. (Pontiac won't confirm or deny the rumors. It's
there for the next two years, said Jim Vurpillat, the marketing director for
Aztek. Beyond that we don't discuss.)


Clearly, the vehicle has not met its expectations, said Chris Cedergren, an
analyst at Nextrend, an auto-industry research and consulting company in
Thousand Oaks, Calif. It just has not hit a chord at all.


There's no doubt that it was a failure, agreed Haig Stoddard, manager of
industry analysis at WardsAuto.com.




Aztek owners are not waiting for the official announcement to express their
displeasure with General Motors. They are already complaining that the company
gave up on the car before it had a chance to succeed. When Mr. Cottrell was
shopping for his Aztek, he visited several Pontiac dealers who, uncomfortable
with the unusual car, tried to steer him away from it. They said, `Oh no, you'd
be happier in a minivan,' he recalled. They said `Well, it's overpriced, you
know. It's not very popular.' Many other Aztek owners complain that they have
not seen any advertising for the car since it was introduced.


I get letters from them all the time saying `I haven't seen an ad lately,' said
Mr. Vurpillat, the Aztek marketing manager. He said that the Aztek was
advertised in some local markets, though not nationwide. We have other brands
that we have to market and other brands that we have to launch, he said.


Aztek fans do their best to carry on. Two years ago, Mr. Garcia set up his first
Aztek Rally in the parking lot of the Fashion Center shopping mall in Paramus,
N.J. About 20 Aztek owners showed up to display their cars and spend the night
in a campground. Last year, over 120 people went to the second rally in Owego,
N.Y., including Mr. Vurpillat and some other representatives from G.M. This
June, Mr. Garcia will hold another rally in Lehigh Valley, Pa.


Why is Mr. Garcia spending his free time and energy promoting what is surely a
failing automobile? No one else is, he said simply.


Another Aztek owner taking an us-against-the-world attitude is Tom Moog, a
voice-over actor in Apex, N.C. In February, he set up an online meeting place
for fellow free spirits, www.aztekfanclub.com. So far the site has registered
more than 100 members who swap advice on installing hood protectors, flushing
the transmission and - of course - responding snappily to critics.


Mr. Moog is not put off by the rumors of the Aztek's demise. I hold my head up
and I smile, he said. I am an individual, I am unique, and I don't have to fit
the mold of what society tells me to be.

Z28x

Maybe in 20 years the the Aztek will be a collectable like the VW Thing.

If Pontiac still wants to build a crossover They should make something like the Rageous

1990 Turbo Grand Prix

You know, say what you will, but the Aztek is a truly a neat outfit. Whether or not you like the styling doesn't make it a bad car overall. I've driven many of them, and each time I come out saying that it is a great driving machine. It is truly unique, but in many other ways other than its styling. It is very versatile in what it can do. Plus best of all, its a hell of a deal right now. How people can like an Element because of a little "H" in the grill, and hates an Aztek because of being the first to dive in a new segment really proves the intelligence of American consumers. If more people gave it an honest test, I would guess that sales would go up by a third.

redzed

The Aztec is an uneasy mix of the cheap and the bizarre. An exposed plastic fuel filler cap is pretty awful these days, but tiny tires on an SUV? They were really off base with the Aztec.

Admittedly, the Aztec vs. Element comparison is a tough one, if only because each vehicle has so many low points. I do have to admit that the Element crams alot of utility into a small box, but some features are even stranger than the poncho. The funny little rear "skylight" is one example. I'm glad Honda put it there, because otherwise rear headroom would be unacceptable. Overall, if a person wants a boring box, they should shell out the extra $3,000 to go up from the Element EX AWD to the Oddessy LX. Hey, the Oddessy's at least is the best box on the market.

In any case, I'm willing to forgive more than a few flaws in the Honda. Maybe its the badge, and maybe its the flawless CRV mechanicals. Still, it strikes me as a vehicle that was designed for the Japanese homemarket. Oddly, it was meant for the US and isn't even sold in Japan. Strange?

The sad truth about the Aztec is that its a lousy SUV, based on the worst minivan on the market. However, if you look at it as a "extended capability sedan," like the equally uninspiring 2004 Malibu Maxx, it isn't quite as bad as people think.

guionM

Funny, both the Pacer and Yugo were extremely sucessful when they 1st came out.

The Pacer's fate was much like some of the "retro" cars today. Hot the 1st year or 2, then the novelty wore off quickly.

The Yugo was a sucess till people started realizing they were getting what they paid for. Hyundai was the same way, but they had alot more resources (they were an actual car division of a large company instead of simply an importer) than Yugo.

l_bilyk

....... there's an aztek fan club?

Mervz

Yea dude, with 100 people!

WERM

Perhaps there could have been hope...If only the tent were designed to cover both ends.

redzed

I felt the same way about the Aztec before I saw one in black with massive aftermarket rims. This product was flawed in terms of styling and design from day one, but the fuzzy marketing and low-performance image is what really doomed it.

Pontiac should have given the Aztec a "Ram Air" treatment, complete with a supercharger, hood scoop and upgraded rims. It still would have been ugly, but at least there might have been some grunt. As it is, the Aztec will survive another season or two. GM should really think about ditching the "kiddy car" treads for some real SUV tires.

Anyway, WERM's idea about the tent is still a good one - Pontiac still has an eyesore called the Vibe.

95Zvert

Aztec owners whining about lack of promotion? Lukily they dont drive F bods, or they might have blown a gasket by now.

I remember seeing TONs of asstek commercials....until perhaps, even GM realized it was attrocious. All the while, I was still waiting for an F bod ad. The F bod was something that could have sold if people knew what it was (rather than shoppers, like a LOT of people I knew, thinking the mustang was a WAAAY better performer In fact, someone laughed at me for the 95Z, because the mustang of the same year "was soooooo much faster" ). But, the aztec, really, how versatile can an underpowered ugly minivan be? Advertise all you want, unless you are using hypnosis, no one is buying. If I want a versatile camping machine, I'll buy a pop up. Which is probably more towing than an aztec could handle.

redzed

Unlike the Aztec, the Camaro was mature design that had to go out of production before 2003. However, the lack of promotion ensured that sales F-body sales would continue to decline, making the business case for a replacement increasingly difficult.

Still, GM's initial optimism for the Aztec seemed incredibly naive. Perhaps they though there was a market for any SUV, no matter how bad the design was. More to the point, nobody had any idea of what the Aztec crossover really was, including Pontiac. It wasn't an offroad vehicle, and it sure wasn't an Subaru Outback-style AWD wagon. Could anybody explain what the Aztec was meant to do for Pontiac?

Z284ever

I believe that the Aztek was a way to show the world, that GM can't spell the names of ancient American societies.

LS1_Disciple

Yeah, but Aztek owners are currently in the same boat we were/are in now. They love their cars (for some unknown reason) and are irritated that GM is killing it. Sounds very familiar, doesn't it?

But if thousands of F-car owners can't change GM's mind, 100 idiots that bought Azteks sure won't.

PacerX

I gotta be the poster child for dead GM cars or something...

I own a 2001 Camaro SS.

I own a 2001 Pontiac Aztek.

I'd like to have a Reatta, an Allante, another Grand National, a Fiero, and an Impala SS (the real one).

Hey, I like my Aztek. It holds lots of stuff. Has tons of options. I only paid $18,000 for it. Can't beat that with a stick.

Does it need to die? Yes.

I wish I could turn back the hands of time and have GM put all that effort they put into the Aztek into a replacement F-car. They would have made lots more money, and sold lots more cars.

redzed

Most of GM's "orphaned" vehicles were far better than the ones that survived. The Reatta and Fiero died just before they were going to receive decent powerplants. The Impala SS and Grand National died because the underlying platforms were doomed.

The loss of the Aztek isn' quite so bittersweet. This one is going to go down as a missed opportunity. GM blew their early opportunity to milk the permissive midsized crossover market with the Aztek.