Truth be told, nobody wants to build a cult classic. In order to develop a cult following, that usually means that you missed your shot at mainstream success. Toyota famously spent more than a billion dollars to develop the original Lexus LS. We doubt any automaker wants to invest that kind of money only to tell disinterested buyers: "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it." *The Pontiac Aztek owes much of its cult status to the fact that it's one of the ugliest cars ever sold to the mass market. Or at least, that's how it was received. It looks sort of like a Subaru Forester mixed with a DeLorean, with hard angles and smooth lines seemingly thrown into the body design at random.As is often the case, it's the funkiest, weirdest artifacts of the past that seem to generate the most nostalgia, so we're not surprised to see that the Pontiac Aztek is having a moment. Here's why... The Most Versatile Vehicle On The Planet? PontiacTake a look at the Pontiac Aztek's performance specs and the reasons for its failure don't become immediately apparent. Advertised as "quite possibily the most versatile vehicle on the planet," the Aztek backed that claim up with all the makings of a weekend adventure vehicle, a family car, or a carpool commuter, depending on what you needed on any given day.The Aztek was a solid light-duty off-roader, with up to 7.2 inches of ground clearance. It was a capable daily driver, averaging 18 MPG combined in the all-wheel drive model, or 20 MPG combined in the front-wheel drive variant. The ride was smooth (if a bit floaty), it was spacious enough for three kids and a dog, and you could even get an overlanding tent to turn your SUV into a camper van.Could it really be that the car was just too ugly to succeed, or is there more to the story than that? The Aztek Was Fairly Reliable, But... As funky-looking as the Pontiac Aztek may have been, we've seen uglier cars with better sales numbers. We find it more appealing than, say, the Chrysler PT Cruiser, which sold 138,650 units in 2006 alone. If you look at the Aztek's underwhelming sales figures, you would guess that the SUV's weird profile wasn't the only thing holding it back, and you'd be right.JD Power loved this vehicle, naming it the Most Appealing Entry Sport Utility Vehicle in 2001, and noting that it scored well in every area of its consumer survey except for its styling. But, JD Power stamp of approval or no, the early rollout was marred by reliability concerns.If we take a look at the CarComplaints timeline for this SUV, we find that the first two model years were very troubled, with 63 complaints on file for the 2001 Aztek, and 85 complaints for the 2002 edition. The 2002 model has three complaints on file for engine stall, at an average 70,700 miles, with one driver reporting that they needed to replace the fuel pump. Both model years have generated reports of blown head gaskets, and owners of 2001 Pontiac Azteks have reported the issue resulting in a total engine swap before 100,000 miles.While these early Azteks only had a handful of recalls in their first few years on the road, the 2001 model was hit with six service bulletins for potentially catastrophic transmission issues in its first year on the road alone. The Aztek isn't an especially unreliable car, but these early hiccups only confirmed for hesitant buyers that they'd made the right choice in not grabbing the funny-looking mid-size. The Aztek Had A Hard Time Finding Its Place On The Market General Motors Aside from its weird look and a handful of reliability concerns, the Aztek was just an odd fit, overall. It was intended as a kind of Swiss army knife, being all things to all drivers, but specifically focused on Gen X buyers, who were put off by the base MSRP of $21,995. The GT Sport Utility trim started at $24,995. Adjusting for inflation, that comes out to around $47,136 in 2026 dollars.Imagine if Nissan announced a new Altima starting at $45,000, or if Kia brought the recently canceled Soul back at $50,000. That price point just didn't make any sense for a generation of drivers who were just coming out of college, working entry-level jobs, and looking for something cheap and reliable.In reaching out to young drivers, the advertising around the Pontiac Aztek was playfully risque in a way that felt more hokey than hip.In our estimation, the Pontiac Aztek could have overcome its weird visual design, its off-putting ad campaign, and its first-year reliability hiccups. But, you put that all together and charge more than anyone wants to spend on an entry-level SUV, and you've got a car that we can't believe sold as well as it did.Breaking Bad (And An Attractive Used Price) Helped The Aztek Bounce Back Sony Pictures Television, AMC You know another 00s classic that got off to a slow start before becoming a hit? Breaking Bad. More than 10 million viewers tuned in to see the series finale, "Felina," in 2013, but, in its first season, the show didn't always break one million viewers. In that sense, the show is not so different from Walter White's vehicle of choice in the early seasons, a fern green 2004 Pontiac Aztek.The Aztek was already out of production, and essentially forgotten, by the time Breaking Bad premiered, in 2008. Associating the car with a dorky science teacher turned megalomaniacal drug kingpin might not have been the sort of advertising an automaker would court, but the show brought the car back into the public conversation, with viewers asking "what the heck is that... thing he's driving?"Had the show come out just four years earlier, who knows, it might have launched the Aztek to 50,000 sales a year. In any event, the show's popularity, and plummeting prices, helped it to finally secure that Gen X demographic it had initially sought on release. It's A Seller's Market Out There PontiacAt present, we can only find three listings for a used Pontiac Aztek. A 200,484-mile 2004 Aztek is selling for $2,150 in Florida. A 54,171-mile 2005 Aztek is selling for $11,990 in Wisconsin. A 102,026-mile 2004 Aztek is selling for $5,495 in California. These prices, and odometers, are all over the place specifically because most Aztek owners are not in a hurry to part with their funky looking SUVs. This means that it's hard to gauge a fair price for the car. Anyone selling a used Aztek likely knows exactly how hard it is to find one in good condition, and will pretty much name whatever price they care to name, knowing that you don't have a lot of other listings to pick from.Note that these listings are only provided as examples of what's out there. Chances are you'll be looking at a completely different bunch of listings if you want to go shopping for one of your own.We'd love to say that $11,990 feels "a bit steep" for a 2005 SUV, even if it does have just 54,171 miles on the odometer. But, that's the only listing we could find with under 100,000 on it. It's really up to the seller to decide the asking price, and it's up to the buyer to determine whether that's fair. History Might Just Be Repeating Itself Pontiac When the Aztek first launched, it failed to capture the heart of Gen X buyers specifically because it was a little too pricey. Ironically, 20-something years later, the car's status as a cult favorite could see history repeating itself. This car is easy to recommend at $5,000, but at $12,000? That might be more than a now-middle-aged Gen X buyer cares to spend on a used mid-size.* This was a reference to Back To The Future. If you have not seen the movie, we cannot help you.