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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  Winter Vehicle - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By sgwein - October 25 - 10:00 am

  With rebate there wasnt another AWD vehicle with the interior space for the price. First impressions - extremely comfortable front seats for a six footer and need for a rear window wiper. Couldnt find a thing wrong - everything worked and no rattles. The handling was ok for a SUV - its no sportscar!. Then snows came. Without having to shovel it plowed its way through about 15 inches of snow in the driveway. The brakes/ABS are excellent. The front window wipers were a pain. They had to be dug out of their "well" and sprayed with de-icer several times through the winter. Heater, window defrosters worked very well. All in all a great family vehicle for the northeast.

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  good car troubled by bad workmanship - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By WillWeasel - October 25 - 10:00 am

  Bought the car used with 30k on it. bout 3k out of warrenty found out the injector system was about to fall out of the car. Cost ~$400 to fix, no help from dealership even though they had done a full inspection, that I paid for,right before the warrenty ended. Otherwise car was great right up to 75K before I slammed it into a guardrail at 60mph. Which I walked away from even thought the air bags did not deploy,which im glad I would have been injured if they had. otherwise the car was fun and did great in downtown traffic and state to state highways.

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  97 GT Sedan - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Ronaldo - October 25 - 8:30 am

  Ive got over 80k miles on my 97 GT Sedan. Rack and pinion assembly had to be replaced at about 50k. Some occasional minor rattling in the dash and an annoyingly short range for the keyless remotes that several dealers were unable to fix since the car was new. Other than that the car is great and I may buy another one when they redesign it possibly next model year. 3800 V6 drivetrain is fantastic, plenty of reliable power, easy to work on too.

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  2006 G6 - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Chupa Cabra - October 22 - 10:56 am

  I really give the car a lot of credit. My wife runs the hell out of that thing and I just maintain it with the standard maintenance items that I normally do. Oil change, filter, air filter, check tire pressure. Have not checked plugs yet. More than likely they are fine. I believe there are iridium in there and there is not enough miles on it to worry about it. The only thing I get a little scared about is the car likes to continue to try to start after you turn the key to the starting position. Really bizarre. I personally dont like the rear window pillars. I cannot see anything when I go to switch lanes. So take your time switching lanes. ake sure it is clear.

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  Dont Buy New - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By ktsbonnie - October 22 - 12:23 am

  Bought used SE summer of 2004. Avoided some of that massive depreciation. Was a GM buyback because of water leak. Dealer said window seal fixed problem but I took it in twice before they un- clogged door drain holes. Water was coming in at bottom of door seal. Seems to be fixed, but now that warranty is out interior light fuse has blown several times. Concerning complaints about water in trunk, Ive found that this gets in when the car is wet and trunk is opened. Lot of wind noise on drivers side. Firestone Affinity tires need help. Otherwise car is comfy with a great engine and my transmission has worked fine.

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  Im SO glad I just got rid of mine!!!!! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By darklineup - October 20 - 10:00 am

  Just traded this lemon in. Got around OK, but small things go wrong constantly. Like: 1)drvrs side pwr window motor blew 2)turn signal crazy (dash clicking continues incessantly after turn) 3)radio stopped working altogether, then just worked again 3 weeks later 4)oxygen sensor caused engine light to go on and off whenever 5) pasgr side mirror torn off in a car wash... by soft cloths no less. I could go on and on. To be fair, it drove nicely for 100K miles til control arms were shot (mechanic says this is BIG problem on Grand Ams). Last straw! EVERY day in last 75K miles, something was wrong with the car. Good riddance and buyer beware!!!

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  Maybe Im the only one - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By raven24 - October 16 - 12:40 pm

  I bought it and when I accelarted, it would hesitate at high RPMs the dealership ran a check, nothing but 2 years later it now may have an engine problem. Ive dumped lots of money into small mechanical problems and the car still is having same issues lots of lights on dash, other owners told me same. Never stranded but always at mechanics. My passaenger and driver door have come misalligned and hitting the fenders for no reason. This all stinks because I really am comfortable driving it because Im petite. it really is the small problems that have given me the headaches. Oh and the clicking noise coming from hazard button, wheel barrons replaced many times but its easy to find parts

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  what i like to like - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By -chad - October 13 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car in order to get out of another one. It turns out that I like it so much, I wouldnt have believed it either four months ago. It runs well, the service is great, and the ride compares with my friends mercedes! The best part: The dash lights up red at night and the lights are automatic, dont ever worry about leaving lights on all night.

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  1997 Pontiac Bonny SE - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By hazenguy - October 13 - 3:00 am

  I bought my Bonny for a whopping $500. The guy thought the reverse was out on it, when their was no fluid in the trans. I put 3 qts in it, drove her home. My car has 268000 miles and looks great! Everything works on the car! I have tuned her up. She has been well maintained. I would recommend this car to anyone needing a good car on a budget. You can pick up a NICE one Cheap! The parts are common and there is alot of info on the "trouble spots" and "how tos" on the car. I usually would NOT buy a car with this mileage, BUT so far so good!!

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  European Road Trip 2010 - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Circo - October 11 - 10:00 am

  Whats all this about Bonnis with 35 K ? 75 K ?? 125 K? Mine has nearly 300 K on the clock and is still going strong - and as for those who dont think its comfortable - get a sofa ! Ive driven mine the whole way across the EU, have had it in Hungary for a few months and am about to roll it back to the UK this week in a 18 hr straight drive!