Overview & Reviews

The Pontiac brand is part of the General Motors family, and is home to many of the automaker's more performance-oriented vehicles. Currently, the marque offers a broad range of sporty cars and SUVs. However, as part of GM's restructuring plan, the brand is slated to be discontinued by the end of the 2010 model year.

Pontiac originated as the Oakland Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan, in 1907; it was founded by Edward Murphy. Acquired by General Motors in 1909, Oakland introduced the first Pontiac vehicle in 1926. Dubbed the "Chief of the Sixes," the car was powered by a six-cylinder engine and made its debut at that year's New York auto show. It was so successful that the Oakland name was phased out in favor of Pontiac, the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa Indians. Throughout the 1930s and '40s Pontiac made coupes, sedans and wagons in the low-to-mid price ranges. A unique styling cue of Pontiac cars from the mid-'30s to the mid-'50s was known as "Silver Streak," a set of art-deco-inspired chrome "speed lines" that ran up over the length of the hood to the base of the windshield.

The 1950s saw the introduction of the Pontiac Bonneville. The sprawling, stylish cruiser offered equal measures of performance and luxury, and was a breakout hit. But it wasn't until the 1960s that the Pontiac brand truly came into its own. American manufacturers had begun to offer downsized alternatives to the gigantic cruisers that had ruled the highways in previous decades. Pontiac came to market with the compact Tempest. In 1964, Pontiac made its biggest impact yet with the creation of the GTO option for the Tempest. By equipping the car with the powerful 389 cubic-inch V8 from the full-size car line, Pontiac created the first "muscle car." Phenomenally successful, the GTO helped define the burgeoning muscle car category. Pontiac also saw tremendous success during the latter part of this decade with its Firebird and Firebird Trans Am.

The oil crisis of the '70s made fuel efficiency a priority for many car buyers. Following the lead of its GM siblings, Pontiac made compact vehicles like the Ventura and Phoenix a major part of its lineup. The '80s saw the launch of the two-seat Pontiac Fiero. Despite its modest beginnings (it was initially marketed as a "commuter car"), the Fiero eventually blossomed into a credible sports car.

The '90s saw the launch of Pontiacs like the Sunfire and Montana minivan. Pontiac has slowly lost sales due to changing tastes and a lack of differentiation between its models and those of other GM divisions. In hopes of recapturing past glory, the division embarked on a plan to retire aged models and introduce all-new ones with distinctive styling and personality. For a while, the effort seemed to be bearing fruit. New models like the Vibe, Solstice and G8 made Pontiac a brand to consider in many segments. However, GM's financial troubles in 2008 and 2009 have resulted in the company's decision to phase out Pontiac as a brand. It's expected 2010 will be Pontiac's last year for new models.

User Reviews:

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  It’s okay but not all that - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Mackenna Stidd - October 23 - 10:43 am

  I bought my 2008 Pontiac g6 from a second hand dealer. I will state that it was previously totaled and it was refurbished and fixed by the time I got it. The car handles really well truly. It does curves and turns better than any car I’ve driven previously. My issue with it is that it’s unreliable. My car turns off when driving it. I will be on the highway going steady and my car just shuts off and I have to pull over and hope to not get hit. I have paid lots of money for this to be replaced and it always get re broken. I have put more money into the car to fix the parts then I bought the car for. For the first year of ownership it was WONDERFUL but the least two has been very underwhelming. I wouldn’t recommend this car to anyone that wants safety as their main concern.

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  1st and last GM product. - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Unhappyg6owner - December 30 - 9:53 pm

  Bought this car over a Ford Mustang convertible because it was front wheel drive. Wasnt impressed with the acceleration, but this was after driving the Mustang. In the beginning I loved the car. The car looked great with the top down and even better with the top up. Sluggish and had too much pause between shifting. Horrible in snow, so ended up driving my truck all winter anyways. Now almost 8 months later I am in a rental car while I wait for my transmission to be fully rebuilt. The moldings around the seats are coming off for no reason. There is no where to put anything. Cup holders are in a bad place. Random rattles. More things, but running out of room. Should have bought the Ford.

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  dont make the same mistake - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Meagan - December 22 - 10:00 am

  Uncomfortable seats. Plus my son is only five and his knees hit my back when he sits behind driver seat. We have had lots of electronic problems too. Power window controls went out temporarily, vertical seat adjuster went out, side mirror came off when touched, has a starter problem, and digital mileage and radio numbers go crazy. Bad seal above the front windows makes riding very loud when driving 60 or higher. Car stalls out or jumps sometimes when accelerating.

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  Ill never buy another one - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By mavispaul - December 9 - 2:00 am

  The transmission went out at 132,000 miles, had a new one put in and it started leaking tranny fluid 20,000 miles later. It had a coolant leak, the fan motor blew up on me, and the LCD display didnt work. After putting over $1700 into fixing it, I finally traded it off. Piece of crap, Ill never buy a Grand Am again, new or used.

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  Fast and Furious - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Chip McGirt - November 28 - 10:00 am

  I love my Grand Am. I love the acceleration for a 4dr midsize sedan. With 170 hp underneath the hood, it has decent power to go along with a decent ride.

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  wish I wasnt so upside down - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By sleepless in st loui - November 19 - 10:46 pm

  I bought it as a demo car with about 7000 miles on it and did purchase the extended warranty. Glad I did after reading other reviews, it seems my car is on the brink of a breakdown because I have had many of the same issues mentioned. Sometimes it turns over real hard when you start it but they dont know what is wrong. The tires lose air pretty easily, and it makes this squeaky creaky sound like shocks/suspension but it is not and they dont know what that is either. Also, it has pulled hard to the left forever and I have had alignments done at all different places and even the dealer look to see if the specs were right and it is still weird.

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  Too much maintenence - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Matt - November 14 - 7:43 pm

  Bought the car with 62k miles, have only driven it for 20k and have spent close to $2,000 in repairs already. New wheel bearing, intake manifold, electronic repair to ignition because it wouldnt release the key out the the hole, fixed wipers twice! When the car is running, I like the smooth ride, decent power and the roomy comfortable interior. The sound system is good, but the interior is made up of cheap plastic parts, much like the rest of the car. I would like the car a lot more had it not broken down so much. Ill never buy a pontiac again.

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  Mediocre GM build - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By blaine - November 13 - 7:43 am

  I was impressed by initial style, comfort, and fuel economy. Soon discovered its limitations. V6 is a bit noisy and seems unrefined. Suspension is loose. The car wants to jump out of your hands- when you accelerate (I mean step on it) – it pulls to one side. Before our 36,000 mile anniversary we started having popping sounds coming from front suspension (especially while turning corners), even with a tire rotation/balance routine and alignment, the tires had cupped out, and rotors warped. Bye-bye G6 After 18 months together I’ll miss your roomy comfortable cabin and leg room. Will not miss your little trunk opening- awkward for large items.

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  Reliability is not worth the price! - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By ATS - October 28 - 2:00 am

  We like the vehicle and the first 40,000 miles were fine. Then the problems began to appear. They included failed intake manifold (requiring engine rebuild) at 60K, ABS pump at 70K, transmission at 52K, radio twice, computer modules three times, and now at 105K, the manifold went again to the tune of $1200! For what we paid for the car, I would not recommend this model especially when GM has issued tech bulletins on these issues yet will not cover the repair costs.

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  nice car-poor quality - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By chaps - October 25 - 3:40 pm

  Love that motor, handles nice with a good ride, overall a rewarding car to drive. Quality is poor, car is midnight blue and the primer shows through all over. GM wont respond so Im going to BBB for buy back. 13 new GMs in last 20 years and this is how they treat return customers? Very unhappy with the fact they wont meet with me. Time to look at the Imports.