10 worse cars??? Aztec @ #10? should have been 1

[Stormtrooper]

Worst Cars of the 2000s- Yahoo! Autos Article Page

[Uncle Gary]

Yeah, but the list is "worst" cars, not "ugliest" cars. Under the ugly exterior, the Aztec was a pretty good car (or so I've been told by people who owned them).

[halfmoonclip]

The folks at Yahoo don't, in some cases, know their ass from 3d base. We got our kid a used Caliber, partly because it has excellent crash ratings from the Feds and the insurance people. Actually isn't a bad car, and 25 mpg for an AWD with reasonable power isn't too shabby.
Can't pleas 'em all, I 'spect.
Moon

[mynameisphunk]

Echo is not a bad car, either. Just because it's ugly and it didn't sell particularly well doesn't change the fact that it is practical, relatively comfortable, had a great, reliable drivetrain, and kind of changed the game as far as roominess in a compact car.

[Uncle Gary]

I still consider the Caliber a poor replacement for the Neon (I've owned two). Bigger on the outside, smaller on the inside, poorer gas mileage (I averaged 32-33 MPG over the life of my Neons), and a look that makes the Pontiac Aztec look absolutely stylish by comparison. I was a lifelong Chrysler owner, but their lack of a world class small car finally "drove" me to buy a Honda Fit.

[doctorz]

It's not an unreasonable list. Cars have just gotten significantly better to the point where it's truly hard to find a complete POS these days. None of these cars are utter failures - for the most part they will start and get you to where you are going with minimum drama, unless you include the peals of laughter and pointing if you drive something as ridiculously styled as the VehiCROSS or the Aztek. But we're not talking about anything like some of the garbage from the 70s and early 80s that were not guaranteed to work even when new.

No Hondas or Acuras on the list, though.

[mynameisphunk]

The VehiCROSS was (and is) awesome. I'd love to own one. Even now, 10 years later, it still looks futuristic and closer to a concept car than a production car.

[jzerocsk]

I always liked the Vehicross. It seemed like the actually-functional counterpart to the purely-useless Suzuki X-90.

I never got why the Aztek was considered so "ugly". So many cars these days have that exact shape! It seems like one guy complained about it and everyone just dogpiled on.

[Steve244]

Originally Posted by jzerocsk

I always liked the Vehicross. It seemed like the actually-functional counterpart to the purely-useless Suzuki X-90.

I never got why the Aztek was considered so "ugly". So many cars these days have that exact shape! It seems like one guy complained about it and everyone just dogpiled on.

no no, I threw up a little in my mouth the first time I saw an Aztek drive by. I didn't even know what it was. It looks like it was designed by committee.

[stevet47]

X2 or vehicross's being awesome. I'd rock one in a second.

[kenchan]

dang, im surprised aztek is still on the list. lol

[hanzo]

VehiCROSS is a bad @ss SUV. Always loved those and hope they would bring it back.

[Stormtrooper]

Aztec not ugly? Vehicross badass? I don't expect any less form a bunch of folks that drive "hamsters" around!!!

all kidding aside I think most of the cars were just put in the wrong market, or marketed wrong. I do see how the Aztec and Prius share a few lines, but the pruis works cuz its not as large and clumsy looking...

[halfmoonclip]

DrZ, you said it all. My only gripe with the list makers is the usual one; they're entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. They totally mistated the safety rating of the Caliber tribe.

Uncle Gary, first a Neon story. A chit-kicking buddy from near our hunting camp has a built-up Chevy pickup and his wife has a Neon. He has a long commute to a coal mine in Kentucky. He'd been talking about how great the Neon was; lots of pep, great gas mileage, fun to drive. We asked him why he didn't take the Neon on his long commute,and let the truck for his wife. He responded '...you don' unnerstand; real men don't drive Neons...'
Even tho' it's slotted in the same spot in the Chrysler lineup, the Caliber really isn't a Neon replacement; instead it is more of a crossover.
All I knew of them is what I read, but I was pleasantly surprised when I drove it. We took it on vacation as a test hop, and it did very well for three people and a bunch of luggage; we still got 24-25 mpg with 80mph running and the A/C cranking, and it is the AWD version.
Moon

[specboy]

Originally Posted by doctorz

It's not an unreasonable list. Cars have just gotten significantly better to the point where it's truly hard to find a complete POS these days. None of these cars are utter failures - for the most part they will start and get you to where you are going with minimum drama, unless you include the peals of laughter and pointing if you drive something as ridiculously styled as the VehiCROSS or the Aztek.

Uhh.. The Aztek was based off of the Montana platform which had HUGE numbers of Electrical and transmission issue, especially when mated to the AWD system that they dropped into them. I'd say the VehiCross was not a failure at all, just completely the wrong market at the wrong time. I always liked the aggressive look that they had and Isuzu made/makes some pretty decent SUV's. They were good enough at one point for Acura to us them as their First SUV, the SLX. Honda's Passport and initial Odyssey were also joint ventures with Isuzu.

Originally Posted by jzerocsk

I always liked the Vehicross. It seemed like the actually-functional counterpart to the purely-useless Suzuki X-90.

I never got why the Aztek was considered so "ugly". So many cars these days have that exact shape! It seems like one guy complained about it and everyone just dogpiled on.

It's a rhino without the horn. Slap a horn on the hood just above the nostrils that points up and slightly backwards and there you have it. A Rhino... and a FUGLY one at that. the back looked like a bad attempt at a "sport-back minivan"... not a good option and it's narrow stance made the vehicle as a whole just look awkward. It may have had some function (camper tent for the back, lots of storage, etc...) but overall it was a practice in what not to do from a design standpoint. And then there were the mechanical/electrical issues I mentioned above... It's a combination of Ugly and lack of quality. I feel a few more years on the list before being kicked off.

This should have been on the list.


~SB

[doctorz]

Originally Posted by specboy

Uhh.. The Aztek was based off of the Montana platform which had HUGE numbers of Electrical and transmission issue, especially when mated to the AWD system that they dropped into them. I'd say the VehiCross was not a failure at all, just completely the wrong market at the wrong time. I always liked the aggressive look that they had and Isuzu made/makes some pretty decent SUV's. They were good enough at one point for Acura to us them as their First SUV, the SLX. Honda's Passport and initial Odyssey were also joint ventures with Isuzu.

The first Odyssey was a Honda product that Isuzu rebadged. As far as the Aztek issue, all I'm saying is that anything built in this decade will likely have its defenders because most examples probably did start, run, and transport its passengers fairly comfortably for a period of time. The same can't be said for many cars built in the 1970s and early 1980s.

I have a stack of Car and Drivers dating back to the early 1980s. It's very funny to read road tests from that era - in addition to the writing being much better, there were some serious pieces of junk.

[specboy]

Originally Posted by doctorz

The first Odyssey was a Honda product that Isuzu rebadged. As far as the Aztek issue, all I'm saying is that anything built in this decade will likely have its defenders because most examples probably did start, run, and transport its passengers fairly comfortably for a period of time. The same can't be said for many cars built in the 1970s and early 1980s.

I have a stack of Car and Drivers dating back to the early 1980s. It's very funny to read road tests from that era - in addition to the writing being much better, there were some serious pieces of junk.

Some Yugo's got people from point a to point be for a few years but most didn't. much like the Aztek.

As for the Odyssey, what I should have said was that there was a joint trade agreement in regards to the SLX, Passport, & Odyssey The odyssey was a honda that Isuzu rebadged, the Passport and SLX were Isuzus that Honda rebadged (and actually Isuzu rebadged the Civic in Japan too).

I look back at old MT and C&D mags from the 80's and read about sports cars back then and 7.5s 0-60 times... when 170hp was HUGE etc... makes me remember back to my prelude; how my 1.5LFit has 3hp more than my '86 prelude Si 2.0 before figuring out SAE corrections.

~SB

[Konservative]

Originally Posted by Stormtrooper

Worst Cars of the 2000s- Yahoo! Autos Article Page

wrong board? has nothing to do with GE fits.

[calrose rice]

I've always seen those fortwo cars on the road. I saw one today. A middle-aged man was driving one around. I'm all for people buying whatever car they want, but this car honestly can't do anything much for you other than get you from point A to B. If you wanted to go out and buy a lot of groceries or anything large, you couldn't. Good luck carpooling cause you can only hold 2 people! Might as well get a motorcycle than drive around in that thing.

Didn't realize it was only 40 mpg either. Doesn't seem that great considering a Prius can get a bit more than that and offers a whole lot more features and room for 5.

Wow, those cars really ARE terrible!

[Stormtrooper]

Originally Posted by Konservative

wrong board? has nothing to do with GE fits.

tru, but I own a GE, so is that ok?