The Pontiac Aztek, among other discontinued vehicles, is enjoying newfound popularity on the used car shopping lists of Millennials.
A recent Edmunds survey listed 10 cars that had the largest proportion of Millennial buyers — defined as customers 18 to 34 years of age — in the second-hand market. While the industry averaged a 16.8 percent for most models, the top ten models all saw 24.7 percent of their sales or higher go towards Millennials.
Widely regarded as one of the ugliest cars ever built, the Pontiac Aztek ranked in sixth place, with over a quarter of all sales going to Millennials. Edmunds called it a result of the Breaking Bad Effect, named after the hit TV show that followed the exploits of a chemistry teacher turned meth kingpin. The main character of the show drove an Aztek.
Other somewhat surprising choices, including the defunct Chrysler Pacifica and Saturn Outlook. In fact, six of the ten cars on the list were no longer in production. Domestic SUVs were also popular, with the Chevy Trailblazer and Dodge Durango. Meanwhile, proving that the stigma of mom’s station wagon has all but completely vanished, the Dodge Magnum topped the list with 27.6 percent of all sales going to 18-34-year-olds.
Edmunds’ analysis of the survey theorized that Millennials are looking for a combination of practicality and low cost.
Rounding out the list were the Nissan GT-R, Lexus IS-F, Subaru WRX and VW Golf R32, all enthusiast cars that deserve mention, as there is a common belief in the auto industry that Millennials care more about tech features than driving performance. Or, perhaps it’s due to the fact that it is a generation bombarded with a seven-film street racing franchise — the Fast and Furious Effect, if you will.
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