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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  Terrible G6! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By skpalmer - January 17 - 8:26 am

  I am with all the other G6 owners out there have the love hate relationship with their G6. I have had so many problems with my car, we had to buy a separate car that was more dependable just to make sure wed have a car to drive. Now just another problem to add to the list, tonight we started driving 55-60 mph and the stupid thing starts shaking so much that your voice shakes if you try and talk! Love the looks but hate the car! Never buying a Pontiac again, I had 02 Grand Prix and loved it so much I got this. Pontiac really messed up when they built this car!

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  Worse Car Ever Owned - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By ShameonGM - December 25 - 7:06 am

  From the second day I purchased this vehicle, we have had nothing but problems. Our first year alone it was serviced 14 times. I wont even start to describe all the problems. From bumper to bumper , we have had problems. Poorest handling, poorest acceleration, when you hit a bump the doors feel like they are going to fall off. We are on our 3rd set of tires, we cannot keep an alignment on it. Unfortunately for us, we have tried to trade for another mini van of better quality, most car dealers will not accept them on trades and if they do , my kids bicycle is worth more than the van.

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  Very disappointed - 2009 Pontiac G3
  By BB - December 23 - 4:06 pm

  Thinking of heading to the Lemon Law on this car...going in for the 3rd time in 6 months for check engine light having to do with the gas vac. canister...Wont take this on any kind of a trip and would like nothing better than to be rid of it...Hate to look at the dashboard when we turn it on.

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  POS - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By bob carlson - December 14 - 2:00 am

  This is a big ripoff of the public,the car for its size gets terrible gas mileage.It is ranked #10 of 10 in crash tests and retains 24% of value to rank it in worst ten cars in the USA.Overall the car is just a throwawy car.Parts are constantly breaking,door handles, mirrors dont fold back to resist breaking if you hit one .The door window motors are always breaking.

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  Dont Waste Your Money - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By neverbuypontiac - December 9 - 10:00 am

  This car was always at the garage. The car left my wife stranded two times due to the alternator dying and the automatic transmission needing rebuild at 45,000 miles. We also experienced the same problems as the other owners. (Warped brake rotors, Fan would not work on 1,2 or 3, Fuel injectors needed replaced after 2 years, and cracked interior molding) Better get the extended warranty, you are going to need it with this car!!!

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  Waiting for the hammer to drop - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Chris - November 20 - 5:23 am

  This was the worst vehicle I owned in well over 28 years, we (husband and I owned 5 GM in those years). We bought this as a buy back in 03, bought the platinum warranty, thank God. The problems started within a month, ignition wiring, spark plugs seized in place and cracked, fuel problems, torque converter problems, head gasket problems, rusted through and through on the roof with a big gaping hole in 04, window stopped working, ac clutch assy, flush injectors, valve body and pressure solenoid in transmission, throttle body, electrical problems that prevented starts or constant running, reconditioned heads, intake and plenum, t-stat, drive seal for the coolant leak in engine. 1st year

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  falling apart - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By reycor1842 - November 15 - 3:39 am

  i bought this pontiac grand am with 25,000 miles on it in 2004.was a good car until 2010. i started having electrical shorts-cruise control,horn,fog light window switch,dome light. at 90,000 miles the intake manifold gasket went out,while the mechanic was replacing the gasket he also discovered a censor that was not properly clipped down anywhere.the censor wiring was about shredded and in a place not visible unless the intake manifolds and other various parts are off the engine. had the brakes redone multiple times,in heavy rain the brakes make a grinding noise and seem as though the barely function at all when wet.I HATE THIS CAR...DO NOT BUY ONE OF THESE!!!

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  Never Again - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By Not Happy - October 26 - 11:03 am

  Bought this van with excitement and now cant wait to dump it. Fuel economy is horrible (Average 17 highway) and keep getting message that the All-wheel drive is disabled. Had it in the shop five times and they say nothing is the matter with it. Had to buy new tires for it because the ball joint in the passenger front went bad and tore up the tires. A joint in the steering column had to be replaced and when you apply the brakes, the whole van shutters. To top it all off, the interior stains horribly with just water. Not impressed.

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  Nothing but problems - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By tribal sun - October 8 - 10:00 am

  I cant believe the problems Ive had with this car. Ive had both light motors replaced. All lights on the car no matter when you replaced them, have been replaced like weekly. Bad window and antenna motor. Now I have a HUGE Tranny problem that no one seems to know about unless I dish out $1000 up front to take it apart! I would never wish this upon my worst Enemy.....Good luck

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  Dont waste your money - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By xar256 - October 8 - 10:00 am

  This car was great to look at when I first started shopping for cars. Over time, it proved to be a much bigger headache than it was ever worth. In 3 years time the car went through 5 factory sterios, 2 strut mounts, 2 wheel bearings, both wiper motors, and the windshield washer resovoir. Pontiac did little to help the issue. Very poor ratings by several other people I know who HAD these cars including a blown engine at 50000km. Proper maint had been performed on all these vehicals, they are just poorly made, and cant hold a resale value. My 23 year old full size 6 cylinder van gets better milage. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!