and haunted houses are awesome, so aztec = awesome?
and haunted houses are awesome, so aztec = awesome?
Anyone interested in an AWD Aztec and a hole saw?
They would've been cool utilitarian cars/vans/suv/??? with a manual transmission. GM needs to embrace the manual transmission.
scaled to 75%, with a much more efficient 4cyl/hybrid drivetrain would sell well to those who want to spend their time mountain biking/kayaking/etc with a few buddies.
Similar: http://www.subaru.com/2014-xvcrosstrekhybrid.html
A person would have to be way into the crystal in some way to want one of these things. Seriously, I can find some love for a Pacer or a Gremlin, but not an Aztec. I would have to poke my eyes out, and that makes it too difficult to drive.
I don't really get that. I dont even really think it's ugly by modern standards. 
Other than needing a major wheel/tire related attitude adjustment. I honestly think it looks better than a Juke or the front of the new IS350.
And, honestly, the interior is really good for a GM! Back then that was about as good as it got for GM interior design.
Go drive one. It's not a horrible car by any means.
The only potential that the Aztek has is the potential for being ridiculed...
Vigo wrote: I honestly think it looks better than a Juke or the front of the new IS350.
accidental damnation via the absolute faintest of praise....
Maybe if you gut it, cut the floor out and drape the body shell over a used nascar chassis.
ProDarwin wrote: I don't think that "you can custom fab a RWD LSx drivetrain" counts as "performance potential".
People consider things like LS1 RX7, LS1 Miata, LS1 BMW, and Mod V8 Focus as an alternative to forced induction for performance...Why not LS1 Aztek? Talk about the ultimate sleeper! Heck, the one pictured was even 'factory built'. 
Man, I just don't get all the Aztek hate. The later ones that didn't have the grey plastic cladding don't look bad at all. I've driven the Aztek's sister car, the Buick Rendezvous, and as a utilitarian people mover its not bad. This might be a back handed compliment, but at the time you could spend a lot to get something that wasn't any better.
Now what I'd like to know is if a 3800 SC engine can be bolted to the AWD trans without a bunch of custom fabbed parts.
TheDeafElectrician wrote: It seem with some weight reduction and some gears, it would be a great budget rallyx vehicle. Maybe not so much on the performance end but from a utility standpoint. The cargo capacity is enormous and it has a cooler built in. Plus it looks rad and is very inconspicuous./b] 200tq/150hp seems easily modded and alltime awd. Am I crazy?
Um, yes, you are very crazy. Aztek's are hideous, not rad. To each his own though, right? On a more serious note, you are probably better off starting with a different vehicle. Like, anything else...an Aztek would probably tip over in a rally-x, right?
irish44j wrote: The only potential that the Aztek has is the potential for being ridiculed...
Haha, I'll +1 to that!
See, the funny thing is this is the same forum where a guy can come on here and say the Chevy Venture is a good people mover and people will agree with him, and i'll be the one guy who says no, it sucks because the motor and the engine bay, and a few months later he'll make a thread about how the Venture broke and i'll laugh.
The Aztek is better than a venture. It's the same mechanical everything with better looks (yes!) and a way better interior. Does it still have the motor i hate in an engine bay i hate? Yep. But those are the two worst things about it. The styling is not that bad. Faintest of praise, yeah sure. In total im lukewarm to the vehicle. But listening to people go on about how bad it is is pretty ironic to me since we seem to have quite a few people on this forum driving ugly old GM fwds with the same mechanicals that arent much if any better looking, in my book.
Vigo wrote: The Aztek is better than a venture. It's the same mechanical everything with better looks (yes!) The styling is not that bad.
Says the man with the K-car....
I do not get the hate either. I think most of it is left over from how shocking the Aztek was when it first came out. There was quite simply nothing else like it on the road at the time, and even I will admit, it was not the best looking vehicle on the road.
Now we have a whole host of much uglier vehicles out there and people still hate the Aztek even though it's design is quite conventional in comparison
I think the problem was that it came out at the same time as the jeep liberty, which was cheaper. That alone could have squeezed it out of the marketing niche it was aiming for. The forward looking appearance was just icing on the cake.
FWIW, I think LSx + aztek = GRM's Juke R
I think the problem is that the Aztek is one of the top 3 ugliest cars ever made, and they are cheaply made. I say this having only sat in it's cousin, the Buick Rendezvous, which is also in the top 3 of ugliest cars ever made. Man those things are cheap crap. But, again, to each his own.
JoeyM wrote: . FWIW, I think LSx + aztek = GRM's Juke R
this
But slamming it isn't an option for RallyX.
I'd love to see a GRM backyard version of this idea, though. LS1, bolt-on flares, wheels/tires from a Trans Am/Vette, slammed to the bejeezus? That would be awesome--period.
gamby wrote: But slamming it isn't an option for RallyX.
Maybe not. But based on modern styling standards, the biggest problem with the Aztek's looks was rollerskate proportioned wheel wells and wheel/tire package. I believe that similarly enlarged/flared wheel wells, raising it enough for rally-x duty, and packaging it with some meaty off-road tires would fit the bill just as well.
In reply to gamby:
Better, but still dog ugly. Sorry, but these will never be cool in my opinion. Maybe it's just my hate for GM cars of that era. Just my .02 though.
In reply to gamby:
does that say "defecate" on the windshield?
In reply to gamby:
Ok, if I could find one of those for $2k - already lifted like that - I'd rock it!
It won't be complete without a "I am the one who knocks!" sticker on the rear bumper.
gofastbobby wrote: In reply to gamby: does that say "defecate" on the windshield?
No clue. Could say "DECENT..." ???
sethmeister4 wrote: I think the problem is that the Aztek is one of the top 3 ugliest cars ever made, and they are cheaply made. I say this having only sat in it's cousin, the Buick Rendezvous, which is also in the top 3 of ugliest cars ever made. Man those things are cheap crap. But, again, to each his own.
The Aztek had among the highest CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) scores in its class, and won the appellation of "Most Appealing Entry Sport Utility Vehicle" in 2001 from J.D. Power and Associates, an independent consumer survey organization which noted: "The Aztek scores highest or second highest in every APEAL component measure except exterior styling."
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