There comes a time when you have to fish or cut bait… We took on this 2003 Pontiac Aztek GT back in August of 2022 after our episode with Paul & Jon from the Aztek Owners Group; and it was a good idea at the time. We were covering the World Challenge race in Nashville, TN where the car had spent most of its life and the idea was to bring it home and use it as a promotional vehicle for our podcast Break/Fix, because after all… our color is: YELLOW.
The Aztek is fan favorite, and people have looked it all over, asking so many questions, telling lots of jokes and we’ve been invited to numerous “Concours d’Lemons” but its never been quite ready for prime time. After nearly a year of being with us here at GTM, its unfortunately taken a back seat to other projects and race cars and our dream was never fully realized.
And now it’s time that we pay it forward and find it another caretaker. Someone who will finish what we intended to start!
The Specifics
- 2003 Pontiac Aztek GT in Corvette Yellow
- 196k original miles.
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The Good
- It’s a GT! Which means all the bells and whistles that entails, including the 17″ 5-spoke factory wheels.
- According to the previous owner the transmission had been recently rebuilt; and we have driven it a short distance and it shifts smoothly and the motor pulls strong all the way to 60.
- It doesn’t leak! It’s dry and tight everywhere.
- We added brand new WeatherTech floormats and trunk liner and a conducted a deep detailing of the interior.
- It still has the center factory “drink cooler”
- It has 1 dent that we could find on the entire body; no external (body) rust.
- Clean Tennessee Title, 1 key, and a working Key Fob.
- The handle for the glove box was broken, and we purchased a replacement one off eBay; unfortunately the key for the vehicle doesn’t lock the glovebox, but it will remain closed. The original handle comes with the vehicle (in case someone can swap the tumblers).
The Bad
- No- it doesn’t have the tent package; the previous owner kept that.
- Typical Aztek issues that you would expect, shrinking dashboard, etc.
- Every once in a while the ignition will stick and the key is hard to get back in, seems to get stuck. We lubricated it, and that helps, but it might require a longer term solution.
- Needs an oil change (but comes with 2 new FRAM oil filters)
- Needs new brakes (rotors, pads, fluids, drums, etc)
- Needs new wiper blades
- There are spots of clear coat peeling on the hood, roof and especially on the rear spoiler.
- We did a headlight refresh buff to get rid of the fogging, its better, but not great (see pictures).
- There is a slow drain on the electrical system and the battery will go flat within a couple of weeks of sitting. The vehicle can be jump started easily and the alternator will run the vehicle but it’s going to need a new battery immediately.
- The spare tire is completely shredded (see picture).
- The right rear tire doesn’t hold air, after about a week it tends to go flat. All 4 tires will need to be replaced.
The seemingly Terrible…
- Due to the harsh “rust belt winters” the seam welds on either side of the vehicle are compromised; we devised a way to strengthen everything and even add jack points, but we never got to that part of the project.
- As a result of a known production issue with the Aztek – which the previous owner explained to us – water managed to get down into the area above the left rear trailing arm, causing the spot welds to break. The vehicle runs smooth up to 44mph, starts shaking at 45mph, and gets very unruly at 46+mph because the rear trailing arm is no longer connected to the frame. The video below outlines the issue, and we devised a repair (by re-welding) to make the car road worthy again but haven’t had the time to devote to it. This is an expert level repair.
What’s it gonna cost me?
We’d like to pay this vehicle forward. It’s FREE to the right person. It was donated to us, and we’d like to keep the good karma going and give it to a willing and wanting new home. …Someone that will pick up where we left off.
But there are some important exceptions:
- We will not ship this vehicle, you have to arrange your own transport. We would prefer that you have the ability to transport the vehicle yourself by trailer or other means, especially if you’re from outside the DMV + Pennsylvania area.
- If you live in the DMV + Pennsylvania area we might be able to work out an arrangement where we can deliver the vehicle within the tri-state area for a non-refundable $500 to cover fuel and other expenses. (Diesel & DEF ain’t cheap!)
- The vehicle is sold AS-IS, that means no warranties and no guarantees. The new caretaker is responsible for whatever comes next, whatever they discover, and/or wasn’t disclosed or asked about prior to taking delivery of the Aztek.
- Honestly, we just don’t know enough about it or its previous history to tell you more than what is outlined in this article; we can put you in contact with the previous owner if you need more details. We took this Aztek on as a project, and that’s that.
I can be reached at eric@gtmotorsports.org or call/text 202-630-1770 if you’re serious about this vehicle.
REMEMBER: All sales are final, no refunds, no returns, no complaints, no bad vibes, no negative comments and anything else that might make people angry are not welcomed. It is, what it is, and if that works for you… then this Aztek is yours!
