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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  goods and bads - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By ws6mania - August 24 - 10:00 am

  I love my WS6, i mean, LOVE IT, its fun to drive and a great looker, i have had more girls check me out since i got this car, however, the fact that i average about a grand every two months in maintanance is just rediculous, im seliing it as soon i get the piston that broke replaced, dont think this car is maintanance free, be sure you can afford it.

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  Flickering Lights - 2001 Pontiac Montana
  By gadget - August 19 - 2:00 am

  Occasionally when we drive at night, the headlights, tailights and interior instrument panel lights will quickly flicker (blink). Weve brought it back to the dealership a couple of times, but they dont know whats causing the flickering. They refuse to check or change the alternator and /or voltage regulator. Very frustrating............

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  Decent but with problems - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By --Andy - August 19 - 2:00 am

  If you ride your brakes, forget this car. My wife uses this car and has gone through 6 brake changes. With that said, it has been reliable. Good pick-up and loose steering. Not my kind of steering, but wifey loves if. We have gone through 2 drivers side mirrors. They dont seem to like the carwash.

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  Solstice - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By roger edwards - August 19 - 1:43 am

  I love my car. I have nothing but fun with it. Ive done some minor changes but nothing major.

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  Great Car But Why So Ugly? - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By Butuglyride - August 14 - 10:00 am

  I love this high quality car/truck but wish the folks at Pontiac had been wearing their glasses when they designed the exterior.

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  Avoid the GP at all costs - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Maroose - August 13 - 4:00 pm

  My vehicle was at the dealership at least once per month to diagnose problems. While the car looks great, and the performance is fantastic, the car lacks in overall quality. It is unreliable, costly to maintain, and quite frankly, unsafe to drive when one considers the nature of its mechanical failures. In total (before I got rid of it at 190K), the vehicle incurred approximately $16,000 in repair costs, with $12,000 of those costs incurring within the warranty/extended warranty period. This includes an engine overhaul after total engine failure at 120K.

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  Sunfire Review - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Sunfire 4_life - August 12 - 7:43 pm

  Well the Caar is a blast to drive. I have only had one repair since new the cable for my heating system and seal on my dash where the air comes out for my defrost. I was most impressed with the performance. I like the sunfire due to it has a nice new styling and It fits the sport tuner class.

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  my cat - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Kayla - August 12 - 4:56 pm

  This car has been absolutely amazing untill I had to get the motor redone. The passenger side window had to be replace once the wire broke and it fell. This is the second one ive owned.. Other than the problems i recently had with the motor.. it has been great I would recommend to anyone as long a they were willing to keep it well taken care of!

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  Fun ride for kids=Relaxing drive for us! - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By KGeysbeek - August 12 - 10:00 am

  We got the Thunder package along with all the bells an whistles. I didnt intend to spend quite as much as we did but 0% interest allowed us to get everything we wanted. The seats are comfortable except the arm rest could be wider. The kids love the DVD player and they no longer feel "stuck" in their car seats for the trip to grandmas. The ride is very smooth but we were driving a Blazer so the change is more noticable. Almost bought a MPV but the seats were not as comfortable and we thought the extra space in the Montana could come in handy in certain situations. I think we will keep this van for a long time.

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  Good Little Reliable GT - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By dpdiamond - August 11 - 8:06 pm

  Purchased new in Oct 1999. Was my 3rd Pontiac (had Bonnevilles, all driven up to 135K-155K miles). Every option except moon roof. I thought I made a mistake, when at 6K miles the water pump went. I was surprised, but dealer fixed under warranty. Now at 43K miles, and driven by an adult female, the only servicing we have had has been front brakes, and oil changes every 3,000 miles. I just put 4 brand new tires on (Goodyear Assurance) and the car rides very well. The fuel MPG around town is 15, but on the open road it will do 22-25. We baby this car, do not abuse it in any way. If you take care of the car, it will last. Overall, I have been satisfied. Resale value will be poor (buyer perception)