Anyone drive an Aztek?

[Calumus]

A quick question, does your local dealership have a website? Unless I'm reading wrong (and it has been a long day) it sounds like you're only looking in one place. If they had a site we might be able to make some suggestions by looking at their stock. The Aztec was very utilitarian, but when you mention mileage ratings you're going by the official numbers. The Aztec was massively underpowered, which means that in order to get rolling remotely quickly you have to hammer on it. That'll drop your milage to the mid teens. At that point you might as well look for another jeep. Cheers,
Shawn

[BridgeRunner]

G6 shares the same platform as the Chevy Malibu and the Saturn Aura.  I personally drive the Aura and love it.  I looked at the G6 but am not a huge fan of the interior of the G6.  There is nothing wrong with it but it just isn't my style. 

I've always loved Pontiac interiors.  The over-done instrumentation and the red lighting are right up my alley. 

[BridgeRunner]

A quick question, does your local dealership have a website? Unless I'm reading wrong (and it has been a long day) it sounds like you're only looking in one place. If they had a site we might be able to make some suggestions by looking at their stock. The Aztec was very utilitarian, but when you mention mileage ratings you're going by the official numbers. The Aztec was massively underpowered, which means that in order to get rolling remotely quickly you have to hammer on it. That'll drop your milage to the mid teens. At that point you might as well look for another jeep. Cheers,
Shawn

Yeah, I've pretty much decided against the Aztek at this point because of the mileage issue.  I'm looking a several dealers, actually.  There's one I'll probably buy from.

Just wish I could feel less of a feeling of impending doom about the one I've sorta' kinda' chosen.

[cfabe]

My Mother-in-law has an Aztek. My impression of it is that it's basically a shorter minivan in ugly clothes. The seating position, ride, and handling are all like a minivan. Nothing wrong with that. It's probably not much better in snow than a FWD car, but it doesn't claim to be a truck. I have heard of the intake gasket problems with that 3.4L engine but I don't know what the extent of that is and what years were affected. One thing I did notice about the aztek is that the tailgate design sucks. It slopes down toward the load floor and makes loading and unloading large items very difficult. We used it to haul boxes when we moved and I hated it.

The G6/Malibu/Aura cars are nice. Why were you advised to avoid them? I've driven them a few times and have found them to be pretty comfortable cars, though my wife finds the seats uncomfortable.

[Kwelz]

G6 shares the same platform as the Chevy Malibu and the Saturn Aura.  I personally drive the Aura and love it.  I looked at the G6 but am not a huge fan of the interior of the G6.  There is nothing wrong with it but it just isn't my style. 

I've always loved Pontiac interiors.  The over-done instrumentation and the red lighting are right up my alley. 

LOl  then it is right up your alley  
Seriously though, it is built on a great platform.  Although if you are willing to spend a bit mroe maybe look at a used Saturn Aura XE.  I had an 07 XR, then traded it for an Acura TL then actually went back to an Aura.  They are solid card, drive and look great.  Mine is the higher end because I wanted 260HP but I almost got an XE.  Heck with gas at the price it is I wish I would have. 

[BrokenPaw]

BridgeWalker,

BrokenMa has an '07 Pontiac G6 that she absolutely adores.  She got it after we got me an '05 Grand Prix GXP, which she also loves, but which is too big for her (she can't reach the pedals without being too close to the steering wheel -- she's 5' even).  The G6 is perfectly-sized for her and for me (I'm 5'11"), because it has adjustable pedals, gets pretty good mileage, and we haven't had a single problem with it other than a slow leak in a tire from a nail...not even GM-haters can blame that on the make.

If you like the G6, get the G6.  Just like with guns, no matter what car you pick, there's someone out there who hates it and will tell you you're a fool for having it.  Shoot what shoots well in your hands, and likewise drive what drives well.

-BP

[brimic]

Stopping was interesting while it was in the process of failing, sometimes it would stop normally, othertimes it would think we were skidding and engage.  Etc and so on.  Her dad and brother had Grand Ams as well, both of them had all sorts of problems.  Her brother's blew a head gasket and overheated. 

I don't recall the year, but I think all three were mid to late 90s models.

The mid to late 90s Grand AMs ( I'm pretty sure of all engine types) and the Grand Prixs with the 3.1L or Series II 3.8 L V-6s  had serious engineering problems. Inadequate cheap gaskets that wouldn't hold up to the new coolant, hot EGR tubes running through plastic intake manifolds and a lack of heat shielding meant that a lot of these cars would have intake or gasket failures that would dump coolant into the crancase or cylinders without notice or warning. My wife's car has a Series II 3.8L, it started running really rough and I found a hole burned in the intake manifold. A redesigned replacement manifold with proper heat shielding cost over $500, I can't rememebr what the labor would have cost at a shop or dealership, but my neighbor charged me a day of babysitting his kids and a twelver of Miller Lite to do it.

[mtnbkr]

Thanks Brimic.  That explains at least some of the problems I've seen with those models.  Luckily for us, all of the Grand Am are long gone from our family.

Chris

[mfree]

haven't had a single problem with it other than a slow leak in a tire from a nail...not even GM-haters can blame that on the make.

Pansy G6, my Accord would have flung that nail out into the intake, sucked it through the filter, past the throttle and into the cylinder and then chewed it into powder before farting it out into the street as so much black dust with NO DAMAGE and it would have LIKED IT.

And then the tire would have gone flat. 

[Manedwolf]

haven't had a single problem with it other than a slow leak in a tire from a nail...not even GM-haters can blame that on the make.

Pansy G6, my Accord would have flung that nail out into the intake, sucked it through the filter, past the throttle and into the cylinder and then chewed it into powder before farting it out into the street as so much black dust with NO DAMAGE and it would have LIKED IT.

And then the tire would have gone flat. 

I think the intake I have in mine would at least suck a nail against itself like a vacuum cleaner on a shirt.  You can hear the suction hiss sound fade if you shut it down with the windows open.

Sure raised gas mileage, though. Engine doesn't have to work as hard to breathe as it did with the heavy de-resonated "family car" maze box.

[Uncle Bubba]

Just because mention of it reminded me of this, did anyone else think when the Aztek was introduced that it appeared to be no more than a newer-generation Le Mans whose body panels had been made taller? I figured Pontiac's bean-counters had told the design team to find a way to get them into the burgeoning SUV market on the cheap by using the then-current manufacturing setup for the Le Mans with only a relative few modifications.

I recall reading that when the Aztek was unveiled at that year's big auto show for dealers, reps, writers, and such, the initial reaction was a stunned silence. One of the reps immediately dubbed it the Pontiac A$$crack.

[Manedwolf]

Just because mention of it reminded me of this, did anyone else think when the Aztek was introduced that it appeared to be no more than a newer-generation Le Mans whose body panels had been made taller? I figured Pontiac's bean-counters had told the design team to find a way to get them into the burgeoning SUV market on the cheap by using the then-current manufacturing setup for the Le Mans with only a relative few modifications.

I recall reading that when the Aztek was unveiled at that year's big auto show for dealers, reps, writers, and such, the initial reaction was a stunned silence. One of the reps immediately dubbed it the Pontiac A$$crack.

It's just that front end. Japanese designers talk about a car having a "face". The Aztek has a face by Picasso.

[Gewehr98]

Wow.

Who would've thought there was a Honda Accord and/or Japanese automotive superiority threadjack coming down the pike in this thread?

Not me.   

She asked about an Aztek, folks.

Jeebus.

Sound familiar?

"Hey, which version of 1911 should I get?"

"You should get a Glock!"

[mfree]

This post seems to have unlocked itself.

(which gives me the opportunity to say my bit about the accord was a sarcastic poke at those who do tout their own vehicles in threads like this)