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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  overall performance - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By faynor - June 16 - 12:46 am

  this vehicle has been one of the better cars i have owned - have had only one problem, that being a rear oil seal - which was covered by the warr. - has very good gas mileage 29mpg on trips - is comfortable - and still is a good looking car

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  Frequent Shop Visits - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Griff - June 15 - 6:40 pm

  I have had my GR AM GT since 53 miles on it. I have had to replace brakes 5 times as they are too light for the vehicle. I have blown a head gasket every 60k miles, had the catalytic converter plug. all in all i have put about 8-10 k in repairs in 4 years into this car. trading off this weekend. car has 113k on it now.

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  Love Hurts - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By eRalph - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Sigh. I just love this car. It is very powerful, a kick to drive, comfortable, with a great stereo, very good rear seat room, great trunk. I got it used at 30K miles, its at 90K now. But the intake manifold blew at 70K, dumping coolant into the engine and leaving my wife stranded at the beach. Now its thrown a rod. Ssee other reviews for similar. Around $5500 in repairs in last 2 years. Sigh.

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  Good Deal - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By BigCoop - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Nice engine, could use more horsepower but lots of torque. Handles well, STICKS to turns. Sound system is great for a stock and steering wheel controls are nice. Reliability needs to be better, so far Ive had a fuel gasket replaced as well as a leak in the radiator and currently I need the brakes machined (get a pulsing when breaking - a common pontiac problem) and my engine is giving me problems as well. Feels like Im dropping it into gear when shifting from neutral to drive and between 1st and 2nd. Apart from the problems, driving it is a blast and it looks sharp.

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  Who needs steering? - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Stang - June 12 - 7:46 am

  I hate the variable speed assisted steering. Had to replace the steering box, $1,200, because of leaking fluid. I came back from my test drive asking what the whining in the engine came from. Just outside my warranty I discovered the problem. After fixing the problem, it still cuts out at low speeds. Will not buy a car with this type of steering again. You basically pull in at slow speed turn and you go straight instead of turning. Not good!

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  Vibe - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By Mike - June 9 - 10:13 am

  This is a great car getting 34 mph highway with a manual. Capable of 150- 200 K easy. Too bad it takes Toyota to design such a great car for GM.

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  Driving it until it dies. - 2009 Pontiac Torrent
  By mollyd - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Originally owned a 2007, traded in for a 2009 AWD when I heard they were stopping the line. I literally walked on the lot, said how much and then started negotiating. This one rides smoother than the 2007. Im 5 feet tall and not only do I feel safer in an SUV, this one isnt so wide that I feel like Im driving a bus. The AWD really gets me around in almost impassable snow. We had 13 inches and I didnt have a problem. I really love this car, mechanically I have not had a single problem at 30k+. My biggest challenge is where the front end ends, I always have about 12 inches of freedom I dont know about. Plus, parallel parking isnt tough unless its a tiny spot. Fuel econ 17/21.

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  just real fun - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By 4rdc - June 4 - 5:53 am

  A very raw vehicle, no fancy dashboard computers, just a basic car, just a basic fast car, reminds me of cars gone by. Closest I have come to a real factory racer.

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  It takes a lickin, but keeps on tickin - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By adam - June 3 - 12:03 pm

  This car really seems like it could run forever. Its a 3.1L V6 automatic. It runs pretty well still, and can even provide a little excitement when accelerating. Overall even after all these years it has had no real major problems engine, or transmission related. However, a new transmission/ tune-up/ allignment/ tires would help bring this baby back to superb quality. Other than a few minor replacements here and there, i still know that i can count on this car for just about anything. Problem is that with the ridiculously low resale now, theres no use in even attempting to fix her up. Its kinda sad, but Im gonna have to get a new car next time she has a minor problem over 400 bucks.

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  1999 Trans Am WS6 - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By nowlin20atm - May 30 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for over 3 years now with no major problems. One headlight motor went out and the radio display displayed nonsense at time, but both were fixed under warranty.