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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  Used GTP 4dr - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Deez337 - April 23 - 10:00 am

  This car has over eighty thousand miles on the odometer and is still running strong. No major problems to speak of besides one leaky head gasket. After a one day fix it still runs like a charm. I sell Fords but I can smoke a GT Mustang without feeling bad, that is just how fun to drive this car is.

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  Dont Buy a Grand Am - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Gary Harris - April 22 - 9:50 pm

  I bought a 2002 Grand Am GT a couple of months ago and the passlock system started acting up. I have read a lot about this subject on message boards so I took my radio out to look at the yellow wire. Someone had soldered it to the black wire. I disconnected it from the black wire but left the yellow wire cut. Now the car wont even turn over let alone start. I wish I had never bought this car.

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  Great car! - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Fabulosa - April 22 - 4:00 pm

  I have nothing negative to say about my wonderful Vibe,I do housecleaning for a leaving and this car have been excellent for my business, I recommend everyone to buy this vehicle. Money well invested.

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  Pretty good, improved awd - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By john - April 21 - 3:23 pm

  I had a 2005 vibe awd that was horrible in the snow etc. It was like it didnt even have awd so I traded it in quickly. I test drove the 2009 Vibe awd and it was much much much better in snow. Pricing is good but gm needs to put some incentive on it, even Toyota is offering 0 percent on the Matrix. So I am waiting a bit to purchase unless the Subaru Forester comes out with some good incentive (great car too) first. Subis do have the best awd. I like the new vibe the 2.4 engine is a big big improvement over the 1.8 quiter, peppier smoother. I do think they should offer the 5 speed auto Rather than the 4 speed with the awd. Mileage would be better, get up to date gm and Toyota.

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  Always there - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By bmore2rutgers - April 19 - 2:52 pm

  Im sad to say, that my Vibe AWD was totaled a few weeks ago when someone ran into me. The 2005 Vibe AWD was in my family since coming off the production line. We kept up with regular maintenance, and can only remember it being in the shop once for a rear output bearing leaking. The vehicle was great, and very very dependable(toyota powertrain). It lacked some pep when getting on the highway, but other than that handled great. I remember taking it through two foot of snow, and well... it made it without getting stuck. Ill miss the car. I most likely wont look to buy another one, because I felt the interior was put together a little cheaply.

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  Almost Five years of Fun - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Vanessa - April 18 - 5:23 am

  I am still enjoying my car, I love the pick up on the open freeway. The CD player went out a very long time ago. All of the repairs I have had were minor such as radiator, waterpump.. when I first got the car I had problems with the sensory switch (or security light) but that was fixed under the warranty and it never happened again. When I sell my car next year (to up grade) someone will be getting a heck of a deal..

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  transmission - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By lou - April 17 - 7:30 pm

  at 57,000 miles 5-speed manual transmission failed. dealer helped because out of warranty so it cost $2200 for new trans. now have 92,000 miles and starting to hear noise again, afraid its going to fail again.

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  Tire Problem - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Art - April 16 - 1:23 am

  My gxp is a fun car to drive in the summer. I live in new england. This car is impossible to drive in the winter because of the performance tires. The car comes with two different size tires, 255/45R 18 front, and 225/50R 18 rear. I have spent hours on the internet to try to find a set of all-season tires. I have also checked with local tire dealers in my home area. So far, I have had no luck at all with this problem. Buyers Beware !!!

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  Hate it - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Unhappy - April 15 - 2:53 pm

  I hate this car! Horrible gas mileage (19-20 in town and 24 at best highway), uncomfortable on any trip longer than 15 minutes, and poor turning radius. My full size pickup gets better gas mileage! The cup holders are annoyingly small- I cant even fit a small size drink because the lid hits the heater controls. There may be a leak in the duct work because my feet always freeze in the winter as not enough warm air is blown out. Rear defroster just quit working. It has a lot of road noise and the front drivers side window leaks air. Looks sporty and cool, (especially the GT edition), but looks arent enough! I will never buy a Pontiac again.

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  Goat-Tastic! - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By masteropunk - April 15 - 1:53 am

  I love this car. Owned a supercharged Cobalt before this and the power in the GTO is so great over the latter. I have recently added an 80 mm turbo amongst other things and am running at a cool 1011 hp off the dyno. I loved this car stock and love it even more with the additions.