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April 16,2001 AUTO AUCTION SHOPPER - photo by Joseph Cabadas UGLY DUCKLING: The buyin g public may be starting to accept GM 's Aztek, The automaker sent 125 of them throu gh Manheim's Detro it Auto Auction in Taylor, Mich ., and dealers snapped them up. Aztek Auction Price: $15,500 By Joseph Cabadas Used Car News Staff Writer DETROIT - Will the 200 I Pontiac Aztek turn into one of the "hottest" new sport utility vehicles to hit the auctions'? Deal ers snapped up used Azteks at a recent auc- tion . Although criticized by pundits for its looks, Gen- eral Motors Corp. and the dealers who are buying the four-seat SUVs at auction, say that the Aztek is turning the corner when it comes to public acceptance. On the new-car side, since the beginning of the year, the Aztek has seen all uptick in sales for three con- secutive months, said a GM spokesperson. In January, 1,930 Azteks sold, then sales climbed more than 25 per- cent to 2,567 in February ' and March saw another uptick in new Aztek sales, 22 percent to 3,140. The increase in Aztek sales coincides with Pon- tiac's advertising campaign during the time slot of the "Su rvivor 2" TV series . Th e increasing sales have rekindled GM's hopes to sell 50,000 new Azteks by the end of the model year, the sp okesman ad- ded . The Aztek's successful new-car sales may be per- suading some dealers to buy used Azteks at aucti on for resale 011 their used car lots. For example , at a recent closed GM factory sale at Manheim's Detroit Auto Auction in Taylor, Mich. , about 125 Pontiac Aztek s were among the 1,400 vehicles that went down the lanes. Out of those , about half of the SUVs sold, between the mid-$15,000s to the upper-$17 ,OOOs , according to Donald Hayati, owner of Don Automotive Group of Wauseon , Ohio . A new Pontiac Aztek has an MSRP of $21,445 for the base front-wheel drive version up to $26 ,915 for the all-Wheel drive version (not includ ing options). OM is also offering I Turn to page 17B LI Cc
