Article: Why Is There a Pontiac Aztek Parked Outside The Old Parkway Plaza?

DannyITR

Administrator
Staff member
For years now there has been an old Pontiac Aztek parked outside the old Parkway Plaza dealership in St-Laurent. It’s visible as you drive past it on the 40 in either direction. Each time I pass by, I wonder what its story is.

GM didn’t renew Parkway’s dealer license in 2010 shorty after the automaker went bankrupt during the financial crisis. You can read this Montreal Gazette article with that story. The dealer tried to fight it in court but ultimately wasn’t able to prevail. It was one of 240 dealerships that were slated for closure, despite being in business for over 50 years. The fact that the Pontiac brand was discontinued played a part in General Motors’ decision because the dealer sold a large volume of them.

But that bright yellow Pontiac Aztek still remains like a reminder to the site’s past life a decade ago. I found it really weird that it remains there so I decide to see what I could find out.

pontiac_aztek_parkway_plaza1-777x437.jpg


pontiac_aztek_parkway_plaza2.jpg


I noticed the gate was open and decided to drive in. There were a few other vehicles nearby but the building still looked empty. I tried the door and it was unlocked. I went inside to an empty showroom but I noticed a man talking on the phone in the back office. I asked him if he knew anything about the Aztek parked outside and he said it belongs to the owner of the property who leaves it there. Right now, Discount car rental is renting the building but that’s all he knows.

The car in not plated and doesn’t look like it’s been moved in a while but seems to be a great condition. Clearly, the owner has an attachment to it but why leave it outside where the sun will fade the paint or it could be vandalized? There is a massive lot and it could be parked anywhere but it’s in full view of the highway for everyone to see.

If it were any other car this wouldn’t be a story but that fact that it’s an Aztek makes it interesting. The Aztek is generally regarded as one of the ugliest vehicles ever made. It gained popularity after being featured in the TV series Breaking Bad and was produced from 2000-2005. Despite poor reviews and poor sales, the Aztek was well liked by many of its owners and scored high on customer satisfaction.

I still don’t know why this particular one remains parked there but I love a good mystery so I’ll keep looking for answers.

pontiac_aztek_parkway_plaza3.jpg
pontiac_aztek_parkway_plaza4.jpg
pontiac_aztek_parkway_plaza5.jpg
 
Did you call the JdM or tva? This sound like a matter of life and death.

Sent from my Moto Z3 Play using Tapatalk
 
It's a reminder for everyone, that at one moment in their history, GM did shitty decision in making a shitty car good for laughing at.

Envoyé de mon SM-A520W en utilisant Tapatalk
 
Ça te prouve à quel point GM faisait des chars de marde. 10 ans à la même place sans bouger sur le bord d'une autoroute et aucun signe de vandalisme ou tentative de vol
 
Tellement affreux

Mais j'ai vu de quoi de pire en France (déjà ils ont vraiment beaucoup de voitures laides).

Fiat Multipla
FIAT-MULTIPLA-0.JPG


Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top