Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Montezuma's Revenge: 2004 Pontiac Aztek

Daydreaming about which American muscle car or European exotic to park in the garage is a great pastime, but inevitably most of us have to fill basic transportation needs first before acting on our dreams.  Filling those needs usually involves some type of multi-purpose family hauler.  Fortunately, no one said it has to be mainstream...or of this world.  Find this 2004 Pontiac Aztek for sale near Phoenix, AZ for $2,999 via craigslist.


As family man myself, I detested the idea of a mini-van for escorting my kids to soccer, baseball, dance, or (...fill in the blank) practices.  By no means am I an anarchist, but floating around town in a mini-van among a sea of indiscernible likeness just won't cut it.  My family haulers over the years consisted of sport-ute wagons or underappreciated sedans.  If I had to do it over again, I just might have tried the Aztek.


Many words & phrases have been used to describe the Aztek: ugly or funky come to mind, along with ground breaking or ahead of it's time.  Pontiac was known as GM's "out there" division and they fully delivered on that motto with this model.  Personally, I think the Aztek was a sign of things to come, seen a Nissan Juke lately?  Oh yeah...and the Juke just happens to be Nissan's second best selling vehicle in Europe!


The seller does not disclose much information in this ad but the pictures supplied show a very clean example.  If mileage is reasonable and maintenance current then this example could provide many more years of "unique" transportation.  With all it's fugliness, the looks and finger pointing alone would be worth it.


I am all about squeezing maximum versatility out of my vehicles, and seeing an Aztek fitted with the factory tent/mattress option like the one in this picture piques my interest.  A quick search of Craigslist shows a number of these kits for sale, many still in the packaging from the dealer and never used.  An oddball family hauler worthy of weekend jaunts to my favorite fishing hole?  Now were talking!  

See another SUV capable of  Storm Trooper use? email us here: tips@dailyturismo.com

When not receiving complaints of "distracted by cars...again" from his wife, Glenn can be found in the kitchen whipping up exotic cuisine and nourishing nosh.
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3 comments:

  1. Matt CramerSeptember 20, 2016 at 9:42 AM

    Now you guys have me wanting to track down an Aztec with a blown engine and an LS4 V8 to swap in, just so I can call my project build "Montezuma's Revenge."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stan BeyermanSeptember 20, 2016 at 5:55 PM

    Someone once described the design as GM's home version of a garbage truck.

    Hard to get that image out of your mind when you see one...

    I dig the photo (above) of the Aztec with a black delivery shroud on its hindquarters.

    Must be giving birth to a new Aztec.

    I wonder what a baby Aztec looks like?

    [image src="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDQ3OA==/z/6UcAAOxyRhBS-q3t/$_3.JPG?set_id=2" width="400px"/]

    -Stan (the *other* Stan)

    ReplyDelete
  3. hugh crawfordSeptember 22, 2016 at 9:09 AM

    Sullies the good name of the FiberFab Aztek!

    ReplyDelete

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