I remember when the Aztec came out. My Dad saw a picture of one with a tent on the back of it. And he fell in love. My father wasn't known for making great financial decisions. And I was afraid this was one of them. It just looked so hideous to me. I couldn't imagine the car being successful. And sure enough it wasn't. The first article on google is one about it being the biggest failure ever. lol. (I just read the headline. Not positive that is true. But I would believe it. That thing was FUGLY.)
The other one I couldn't stand was the PT Cruiser. And my Dads' best friend had one that he would take to car shows. LMAO! I could see they were trying to emulate the old GM wagons or panel vans maybe(?) from the 50's. And bring in that older age group that at the time had grown up wanting a cool hot rodded one. But who's age group could also afford one. But it just never hit the mark for me. Cause they are so damn small. Maybe I'm way off on the old 50's wagons or panel trucks I guess they called them - thing. But it just always looked like a failed attempt at that.
Some interesting production numbers for you to ponder...
AMC Gremlin______1970-1978____
671,475 units
PT Cruiser______2000-2011____
1,091,236 units
Ford Pinto_______1971-1980____
3,173,491 units
Not bad numbers, I'd say. Obviously
someone saw fit to buy them for a fair number of years...
Now, some that didn't sell as well as hoped:
AMC Pacer______1975-1980____
280,858 units
Pontiac Aztek______2000-2007____
119,650 units
Edsel_________1958-1960____
118,287 units
But my personal favorite is the following:
Rambler/AMC Marlin____1965-1967
____17,419 units.
*As a sidebar, the '67 Marlin was completely different from the previous years. New chassis, new drivetrain, and sleeker styling. It sold a grand total of
2,545 units. Ouch!
I've owned a number of the cars I've listed above (still own some, in fact), and enjoyed every one of them. While the styling may be quirky, the mechanicals are often shared with a number of other models. The longevity of the production runs must say something about these vehicles that folks now love to ridicule. Gremlin-9 years. PT Cruiser-12 years. Even the Aztek ran for 8 years. So, what truly qualifies as a failure, or a bad car? Guess it's a matter of opinion.