I just bought a 2005 Aztec, and it’s by far the most practical vehicle I’ve owned in the past 25 years. GM nailed the balance of comfort, performance, economy and cargo space right on the head. How many SUV’s do you know of that can get over 20mpg and have a respectable passing gear, all whilst towing 3,000 lbs and carrying 5 people in absolute comfort? All the people I know that groaned when I told them I bought an Aztec (“how could you buy something that ugly?”) fell in love with it once they rode around with me a few times. The fact that Americans don’t buy it simply because “it’s ugly” speaks volumes of just how shallow and frivolous our judgment is, how often we make decisions based on what “others might think of us”, instead of getting things done effectively and comfortably.
I bought the Aztek for my wife and drove a Jeep Grand Cherokee (horrible on gas mileage). My wife didn’t like the Aztek because of the size (she’s 5’2"). So, we bought her a Cobalt, I got rid of the Jeep and took the Aztek. I never realized just how much space the Aztek provided until I had to drive my wife’s Cobalt for a week. A police officer was providing a routine check of vehicles in our area and was amazed at the Aztek’s storage space for tools and equipment. An individual in our area saw our Aztek and bought one the next day…2 years after the automobile was discontinued. The design, flawed or not, draws several impressive comments from people. My own sister had nothing but negative comments about the Aztek until she actually saw our’s and rode in it. She was impressed with the size, design, and the way it rode. Wasn’t Delorean’s automobile considered a mistake in production? Last I heard, Delorean had even began design on another vehicle prior to his death (years after being acquitted for the whole cocaine thing). Just because somebody likes something, doesn’t mean they are stupid or ignorant. It doesn’t mean they are wrong. I would suggest anyone who does not like the Aztek sit in it, ride in it, drive it (in cognito if need be), you may still not like the Aztek…but, at least you will understand why someone else may like the vehicle.
got 2005 rally black…anyone want to buy
I never liked the aztek until after I got in one and drove it. It has so much room and a nice smooth ride…I put a in dash DVD/nav player in it and I LOVE it now…The looks have grown on me…comparded to some of the other cars they have been coming out with these days it’s looking better every year
I hate my aztec, it is by far the worst car I have ever owned. I’ve had more problems than I can count and the problems are repetitive. I know of 6 other people that have had all the same problems. I’ve also read many posts of people having the same problems. Do not buy one. I noticed a lot of people using the words “peppy” and “zippy”, which leadsd me to beleive that we are dealing with mostly yuppy cityslickers here who, when buying a car, listen to the radio and look at the appearance, and maybe get excited about a sunroof or something. So, I take these reveiws with a grain of salt. If you work on your own car or don’t have an unlimited supply of cash to buy parts all the time, DO NOT BUY AN AZTEK. GM won’t know what to do with it either, so your screwed there. I’m a GM guy, especially Chevy’s, but this is a nightmare.
I have a 2004 Aztek and love it. Recently our family has outgrown the seating capacity. Has anyone added a 3rd row seat? Littleseats.com has them available but I would like to seat how it fits in. I hate to trade because like the others once you own one there is nothing else that compares.
have had the 2002 aztek for a couple years now. collect early corvettes and camaros and wanted a different suv vehicle to drive. it’s not a great looking suv for sure but is becoming, like the volkswagon campers, a desired ride to own. have 70k on it and just changed the battery with no other problems. i understand other owners have had some major problems and hope i can avoid those. on the inside the car is everything i want and need. actually pretty cool for camping and going to the ocean with the family. it amazes me that when toyota, honda or some other foreign car company produces a butt ugly car or suv it’s acceptable, when it’s american it’s ugly. what’s up with that?
Guys!!1 guess what. I’m very young and owned a 1996 Saturn in 2004, it’s still running but we all know about Saturn’s they run like an 1977 truck. just horrible. So I’m on a budget, and found this sweet deal for an Aztek 2002, but with 164,000 miles. My Saturn already has 174,330 miles. It’s just the Aztek is in good condition it’s just the A/C and brakes. Help?? in Michigan
Just my 2 cents but I really liked my Aztek allwheel drive. The problem: it was a lemon. To anyone that wants to get a used one don’t bother if it has high miles. All you will do is put more money than it’s worth in it. If you are lucky and can get one with low miles and it’s in good shape than i wish you luck. while i had to replace all of the bearings, some more than once, i will say that when it was working good it handled very well. i drive an equinox now and that is ok but i miss the room i had in my old aztek.
These horrible looking machines remind me of my sister: flaring nostrils a flat ass. Obviously, the back end was pre-crash tested with a county snowplow. I did by a junked one though. It sits in my back field makes a great target. I also have a question for QMAN. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?
I have a 2005 Azteck. I’ve had no problems with it mechanically. I think many miss the point here.GM, in their arrogance, truly think they are fooling the public by manufacturing cars from several different lines, and believing that anyone actually thinks these vehicles are different. Perhaps, Caddillac aside, the Chevy, Pontiac, Buick, and GMC are all basically the same vehicle, with the exceeption of how the sheet metal is configured. If you don’t like an Aztec, then you don’t like the way it looks. But if you say you don’t like the Aztek, but you like the Chevy equinox or Buick Rendevous, then you are deluding yourself. They are the SAME vehicle. That is why GM lost 1.5 Billion this fiscal quarter. The Three Stooges are running the company, and pity the poor shareholders!
Wow. I think we have amassed the compendium of people who actually like the Aztek. All 18 of them.
That, or more even likely, GM’s PR machine hard at work.
what a bunch of pompous asses the critics are. They think their personal taste is Vangel!
Get a life! I am a fine artist, painter and sculptor, plus I design furnitures and I am very succesful and praised.
I like the Aztec. Then I should consider get a different job?
I am the owner of a 2004 Aztec and to be honest, I had many problems with it.With under 20,000 It had to be towed in with a busted fuel pump, the steering column also broke when I only had 12,000 miles on it, among a host of other problems. I had to get a lemon Law lawyer who got GMC to settle with the sum of $6,500. And the warranty sucks. 3 years and no powertrain. This Aztec will definately be the last GMC vehicle for me. Even my father drives a Nissan Armada, and he’s a retired GMC employee of 30 years…does that tell you something??
I love my Aztek!!! It drives Great and its way better then my old mommy van!!! I just love it no complaints here!!!
My friend has an Aztek and I’ve been riding around in it quite a bit recently. It’s a great vehicle. The transparent rear end is great, because you can see a lot more just by turning around. It has a ton of features that can be turned on and off, including the unfortunately all-too-common daytime running lights. I’d probably consider getting one if I were looking for a new car.
I’d rather a car be ugly looking than simply boring. At least an ugly car is distinctive - and anyway, how much time do you spend standing around outside your vehicle looking at it? Just shut up and drive!
we had to put one of our cars in the shop,the dealer gave us a pontiac aztek to drive until the service was complete…hey,guess what,with in a year we were buying one…they are ugly but,they are good cars and ride good also…
I bought my Aztec in 2004. It is silver and I think it is a great car. I drove across country, twice, loaded with suitcases, some pet cages and 3 dogs. It is comfortable, roomy and drives like a dream. It can turn on a dime too. I’ve hauled bales of hay, large sheets of plywood, you name it. The backseats come out or just fold down. I added luggage racks to the top (which were costly) and they were also very useful. I’ve had lots of compliments on my Aztec. It is kind of British in appearance. Anyway, you can say all the nasty comments you want about it, but I’ll bet that those of us who actually drive one, will agree, that it is a very nice car. I will say that the blind spot in the back window, is sometimes a pain, as I am a 5’5 woman, but the rest of it, I love! People made fun of my Big Bad Orange Gremlin that I bought, in 1970, but that was a great car too. In 1987, when my ex-husband dumped it, the color was still the same as the day I drove it off the lot. I don’t buy things to please other people and I don’t color within the lines. I am a free thinker and not a follower. That’s what makes the world go around.
well, well, well…someone Else loved mine enough to break in and STEAL the darn cooler!!! $102 to replace. It IS ugly, but jeez, when you buy one used they are a GREAT deal. They have NO resale value. My interior still looks brand new with 85K on it. I bought it to replace a totalled CRV and have no regrets. I did have to replace the intake manifold gasket, but for the price I paid for the car , the repair was still cheap. GM execs are MORONs, but even morons can load a car with all the right amenities! LOVE the air mattress.
We bought our new 2001 Aztec, everyone told us how ugly it was. Actually they have not quit telling us how ugly it is. Ever since then, other manufacturers, US and abroad are trying to build a car that looks like ours. We are not alone now, ugly, but they still couldn’t build it like our Aztec. We love our Aztec and will keep it for many years. December, 2008, and 156,000 happy miles.