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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  Excellent Car! - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By evej - September 22 - 6:36 am

  I bought my Grand Prix used in 2009. I bought it with 60,000 Miles... Now July 6th 2012, It has 96,348 miles... it still runs great! The car was originally from California, and ever since i bought it i have never had any problems with it other thank the usual( breaks, wipers, etc..) i greatly recommend this car to any one who is considering buying one! Me and my son ( a high school/college student) share the car. We drive it A LOT everyday... gas mileage is okay. I would buy another one of these any day!

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  Great car to drive for the money - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By G6 Owner - September 21 - 1:46 am

  With my daughter off to college, I traded by big, old Chrysler Concorde for a small, fun to drive, 2007 Pontiac G6 hard-top convertible. I love this car! I wanted a convertible and since I drive 100+ miles a day, I also wanted quiet and comfort. This car provides both with its retractable hard top. Steers great, back seats are comfortable. The only problem Ive experienced was a rubbing noise when I made tight turns. The dealer trimmed the seam sealer which was pushing out on the fender liner and all is good!

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  Quality car - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By neilb - September 20 - 10:00 am

  Very well puy together car

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  Fun to drive - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By user324 - September 20 - 10:00 am

  Had to revitalize my image, was getting on in years, my last three cars were Buick Century. Trade every two years. It works, great exterior looks. Very sporty for a four doors.

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  2000 Grand Prix SE - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Scott Jones - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car for $9500 in May with 71,000 miles on it. It now has 82,000 and still going perfectly. I have had very little problems with it. It handles very well, very reliable and fun to drive. The inside is spacy and comfortable. The resale value has dropped greatly, I dont know why because Pontiac did a very well job and its worth every bit I paid for it. The only problems is the gas gage indicator gauge quite working. I really wish Pontiac would bring back the 97-00 SE style back, I like it best of all prix styles.

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  Trans Am - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By tafrenzy - September 16 - 6:46 am

  This car is amazing, my Dad bought it in 1995 and after 12years in the house its been mine for 3 years. Its seating position is low and tiring for long rides but a car like this is meant for racing and the seats with regards to that are perfect. I got 305hp stock motor. It isnt driven in winter. It just wont go straight. Too powerful with low end torque. It still has 47670km on it. Its still brand new, black on black. Its a beautiful summer car. I wouldnt sell in another 50years. Nothing is wrong with it. So far the only thing we changed since we had it are the tires and oils. Other than that the original smell is in it. Beautiful car to have.

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  best in its class - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By all_pr - September 15 - 7:15 am

  I never owned this vehicle but was assigned one of the 4 owned by the place i used to work.I got it with less than 50 miles basically brand new i used to drove 200 up to 500 miles daily and have to say this car was great in every way. First lets call things by their name this is a 4 cylinder economy base car you cant expect great acceleration or killer looks or comforts found in luxury cars.I put 108k miles in 14 months besides oil changes(cheap oil by the way every 7500 miles) and wiper blades it never gave any problem if that is not reliable i dont know what it is.Even the tires it came with lasted for about 13 months.Sometimes i question the ability of some people to review cars.

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  Nice but has its flaws - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Norm Ried - September 13 - 10:16 pm

  Overall decent buy. I bought the car wit about 153,000 miles mostly highway miles. I now hav 160 and so far had a dirty EGR valve, bad O2 sensor, and a faulty crank shaft position sensor. The position sensor cost $160 to fix. The O2 sensor was a great opportunity to upgrade to a performance sensor $80. The car attaches itself to you. Great looking, and great open throttle sound bouth inside and out. Keeps up with many newer tuner cars!

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  not terrible, but not great either - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ash_ley - September 13 - 5:33 pm

  drives great, but weird clunking noise coming from the right dash. dont know what it could be.. dealer claims to not hear it. exterior of car is amazing, love the color and style. fits my personality perfectly.

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  Pontiac G6 - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Alisha - September 12 - 6:26 pm

  Its fun and pretty....rides quite and smooth...feel great when it turns...really nice to drive. But...Im now at 84000 miles, and over the past 20000 ive constantly had to get the brakes replaced and rotars turned...its ridiculous how quick they go out and it starts shaking. Im also having tons of electrical stuff now....CD player stopped working, inside light quit working, trunk light, right window wont go down, cigarette lighter went out, now the sun roof is wanting to get stuck open, sometimes it has the same starting issues others have described, auto entry doesnt work, and Ive been taking it into the show every few months to get something new fixed. After 65000, get rid of it!