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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  Fun to drive, but some issues - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By David - September 15 - 6:36 am

  This overall has been a great first car! The car was my sisters and when she got a newer Grand Am, she gave hers to me. The car is a lot of fun to drive, it has a lot of pick up with the V6, but has some mechanical issues. In the time that weve both had it weve replaced the passenger window motor, the passenger window, front breaks, a couple sensors here and there, it needs a new engine belt, the drivers brake light had to be replaced and some other repairs here and there.

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  Im having doubts - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ahnalia - September 14 - 8:54 pm

  I have read a lot of good reviews about this car. I found one for sale with very low mileage, only 70k miles. Within 2 days of buying it, the ICP went out, so I had to replace that for $230.00. Not even a week later there was a loud knocking noice when I turned on the defroster, so now that will need replaced too. I know when you buy a used car, you take a risk, but I have -never- had a car start having problems within TWO days of buying it. It seems to drive OK, but I am having a lot of doubts about tyhe electrical system. It does handle good on ice, but doesnt have a lot of "Get up and go" it feels sort of laggy. It is a pretty car though, but still, Im not impressed.

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  Good solid car with some issues - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By R. Florez - September 14 - 4:33 pm

  Interior design is great. Very flexible, roomy, and comfortable, however there have been a few quality issues common to this model. Broken blend door motor, broken latches on HVAC air filter, overly sensitive automatic headlight sensor that turns on headlights and dims dash lights on a sunny day when A-pillar casts a shadow on sensor. Ive had an issue with the headlights mysteriously turning on when the car sits overnight in temperatures near or below freezing, resulting in a dead battery the next morning. No mechanical problems. Fuel mileage is excellent with 1.8L engine. I get about 31-32mpg in mostly city driving. Of course the downside is that acceleration with this engine is anemic.

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  3.8 V6 solid as a rock - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Arrowhead - September 14 - 4:23 pm

  Having been raised in a Pontiac family, I have owned more Oldsmobiles and Buicks. Bought this car for a reasonable price back in 05 with a GM certified warranty. This car has needed periodic maintenance per the owners manual of which absolutely no one follows. Doing the correct fluid flushs on time, the filters, injection cleaning, wires, plugs, brakes, tires. Its motor is bullet proof. I plan on keeping this car another 3 or 4 more years and I can most certainly expect with normal on time maintenance, it will perform as desired. It hauls quickly o-60, it handles incredible, has plenty of room. Some cheap interior stuff, but it just can be overlooked with its looks and reliability.

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  SSEi review - 1999 Pontiac Bonneville
  By FXE - September 14 - 2:00 am

  The Pontiac Bonneville SSEi is a sensational bargain for the power, comfort, and overall room it delivers. For the price point it is hard to compete with it. If you are wanting to compare it to the foreign market it really doesnt have a direct comparison until you get way up into the larger BMWs and Lexus. The Bonneville doesnt compare in quality or design with the larger exotics. Its only true competitors reside in the domestic market, (Buicks and Cadillacs). The only drawback to the car is that it is FWD. A full horsepower northstar, along with RWD would make a lot closer to competing with the larger car foreign markets.

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  Great family minivan - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By Steve from Philly - September 12 - 6:00 am

  The extended model is the way to go for larger families - plenty of cargo space. After 5 months and several ski trips we are still very pleased with this car. The GM Buypower purchasing experience was great - all the dickering by email, came in to sign the papers and the deal was EXACTLY as represented. No typical car dealer bull****. Try that with Hondas "You can test drive it if you buy it first" approach.

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  Great on gas, but poor engine - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Kristy - September 11 - 11:03 am

  I bought my vibe because I have heard such good reviews, and I liked the fact that it is a Toyota in disguise, but I am truly dissapointed. The check engine light came on and when checked out, it turns out I need a catalytic converter, also it has started losing oil so a compression test was done and I need a new engine also, which is why my cat. converter went bad. I have been sooo upset because I dont have the money to just go and put a whole new engine in and I have to have a car. Regular oil changes have always been done in this car so we dont know why the engine has went bad. I hope everyone else has better luck with their vibe.

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  HOT SUNFIRE! - 2002 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Avrils Pontiac - September 9 - 1:26 am

  I love my Sunfire SE Sedan, bought it brand new with 103 miles on it and now I got it up @ 135854 miles and never had a problem with it except for brakes, been having problems. But good car, I did alot to it so far. HID headlights, LED foglights(Yallow and White), limo tinting, intake, custom muffler/ail lights, LED brake lights/side marks, blue neons under car and inside, Sony CD player with iPod connection, Viper car alaram, 17" rims with NItto Tires and working on Lambo doors next ;)

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  Im gonna miss ya, Joey - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jleahcap - September 8 - 8:12 pm

  I bought my Grand Am in 99, and shes still with me at 133,000 miles. I Love getting into this car every time. The color (navy blue), the style. There are just too many things that are falling off - both side mirrors, the overhead light, no visible clock, back window goes half-way up/down depending on mood. Its a good thing I own this car, because I wouldnt be able to afford the repairs every 3-4 months if I had to make car payments. Giving up my Grand Am will be like losing my best friend - albeit a high-maintenance friend. If I could find a way to replace all these problems to make it run for another 10 years, I would in half-a-heartbeat.

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  Bye Bye SUV - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By Steve Hale - September 8 - 2:30 pm

  After looking for a replacement for my wifes SUV. I chose the 2009 AWD Vibe over the Subaru Impreza. The sunroof was not available in the Subaru which we desired. We also liked the plastic flat floor when the seats were down. Since the drive train is Toyota in the Vibe we new reliability should not be an issue. Add the XM radio and OnStar into the mix and the value seemed to be much better. So far my wife loves the car. We cant wait to see how the AWD does this winter.