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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  numerous problems - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Paul - August 7 - 10:46 pm

  bought this car new, now has 76K. Have replaced front hub, needing 2nd rear wheel speed sensor, and heads-up display is out. This car has left me stranded on the road 3 times with electrical or fuel problems that they cannot find, always in hot weather, stop and go, driving. Acts like something going thermal. Left me sitting in Nashville for a weekend the first time. Now the front end is falling apart. It will probably be gone soon! This is my 3rd. new GM and by far the highest cost to maintain. Have a 90 Baretta with 240K that has needed less!

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  Absolute Junk! - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By billybob - August 7 - 10:00 am

  This car has been a lemon from the start. List of repairs... 1) 5 trips to the shop for leaking water when it rains. Problem continues. 2) Driver side window quit working. 3) Electric driver seat control quit working. 4) Gas gauge sending unit went out. 5) Service engine soon light came on at 23,000 miles.

• 

  great car - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By checkmate - August 6 - 10:20 pm

  54,000 miles on it so far. had no problem with it yet.good car for the winter. had no problem getting around.the car has a lot of power. nice looking car.

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  great car - 2001 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Tom - August 5 - 10:20 pm

  I have owned this car for 5 years. I bought it used with 35,000 miles and now has 225,000 on it. Only problem was the fuel pump went out at 150,000. If all cars were this reliable then auto makers would go out of business. Awesome car. The 2.4 L is very peppy and 32 mpg. What more could I ask for? Did I mention this car is an automatic?

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  disappointed - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Fishes - August 2 - 2:00 am

  Ill start by saying that Ive always liked Pontiacs. My wife and I have owned 6 between us. I put 200,000 mi on an 86 Firebird. This is our second Grand Prix. Loved the first, the second became completly unreliable at 38,000 mi, when the transmission suffered a catostrophic failure. Being out of warranty, we paid our mechanic $2000 to rebuild it. Pontiac will not help with this cost because we used our own mechanic not theirs. To make this worse, our mechanic has not been able to solve all the issues with the transmission. Even after replacing it. 6 months and counting.

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  Its a Good Point A to Point B Car - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By JC30 - August 2 - 2:00 am

  Overall, the 2004 Grand Am is a good car. I typically drive about 36,000 miles per year, and it has been sufficient for me so far. I like the Monsoon sound system, along with the MP3 capability. However, the overall stlying of the car hasnt changed much in several years, and some of the structural design seems somewhat cheap. I take very good care of automobiles, but this one, after only about 4 months is already showing some wear and tear. Im not knocking the Grand Am....like I said, it has been a pretty good vehicle for me so far.

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  2009 Pontiac G8 - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By gr2ar - July 31 - 6:10 pm

  I really like this car. The external design is awesome looking! The inside is nice and there arent many blind spots, either. I am averaging 22 mpg on the highway but have received 27 mpg! I get 18 mpg in the city. The car has about 1200 miles on it now.

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  Head Turner - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Fullthrottle - July 29 - 5:06 am

  An exceptional vehicle. Beautiful design(best GM has put together in a while)and always gets the looks. Simple with clean lines. Has that classic roadster feel. The car has plenty of pick up and power, always wants to go. (oh that turbo) So easy to spin those tires. Has pretty solid handling. Storage could be an issue for some. Interior is like a cockpit. Clean in design. Cup holder placing is in an odd spot(I dont use the 2 on the back wall. Stereo has great sound, love the mp3 adapter. Seats on the GXP are great, road trips have been really comfortable(Pack light).

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  Love the SV6! - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By Shell0995 - July 27 - 7:36 am

  I had did comparisons between the Uplander and SV6. Found the SV6 to be a better deal. We purchased a 2005 in 2/06, so it was one of the last of the previous year to be sold off the lot. Had pretty much all options on it, which is great. The standard DVD system is great for our 2 yr old.

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  Alright - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By spurge27 - July 26 - 1:48 am

  Ive had mine for almost 11 months and the only thing needed replaced was the fuel pump which as Ive read is one thing that normally goes. Ive yet to change my brakes or anything like that so maybe its just my car. I did have to keep dumping anti-freeze into my car but checked and found it was just a hose that went bad which I just ficed with liquid aluminum. Other then that this car drives smooth, gets good gas mileage (18-19 cty, 26-27 hwy), fast, good looking, and will get you where you need to go. I got mine with 98,000 miles on it and it is at 120,000 now with only that one problem. Would I recommend this car, no. Would I say that its a decent car, yes!