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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  READ THIS!! - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By Mandersn - May 2 - 10:00 am

  These idiots below me who said bad things about this car, dont know what theyre talking about! Ive had 3 TAs and theyve all been great. My 1995 has 95K miles on it and only in the shop for maintenance. As far as other reviews...the bad ones are only from people who dont take care of the car and rag it out every time they drive it. They quit making these to make room for new vehicles (GTO, SSR) not because they are unreliable. Morons often break things or dont take car of their cars and then blame the car when something goes wrong....what a shame. I would recommend a TA to anyone looking for a good fun car with cool looks and great power.

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  1998 Grand Prix GTP - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By debiau88 - May 2 - 10:00 am

  I love my Grand Prix. The car is fun to drive and has all of the features I want. The only drawback is that I do a lot of driving and the gas mileage isnt the best on the supercharged model.

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  Better then you think. - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Chrono Avenger - April 27 - 8:56 am

  My last driver was a 2002 BMW M3. Is this car as good, NO. But it is 95% as good for 55%(price I paid). This car is the most fun to drive that $32,000 will buy. Handling is about 85% of the M3, but that BMW is the best right?? The ride is better then the M3 and the fit is almost as good. The seats are the best of any GM car. This is a classic GT car, big, heavy, and very fast. If your think that heaven is going around little cones in a parking lot this is not you car. If you like going for one state to the next in comfort, on real roads, not race tracks, in record times (432 mi. in 4hrs and 36mins.) under the radar. This is your car.

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  decent - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By sean - April 26 - 3:03 am

  Bought the car about 4 yrs ago with only 20k... Ran fine for about 10k and a timing chain tensior went out. Had it replaced. But other than that this has been a wonderful car. Only think i notice is if you turn the heater on your smell coolant for a min then goes away. No leaks however.

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  Never buy from the cheapest - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mike - April 25 - 4:53 am

  I purchased the 1999 Gold edition Grand Prix GT. Now with only 105,000 km thats right no error. I had to have the brake lines from the fire wall back all replaced. Was told Pontiac does not sell complete brake line assembly. Thats a days work for the mechanic to install. The car has been undercoated also. The mechanic who did the job replaced all the brake lines in his 1999 Chevy pick-up. Unbelievable! For a 10 year-old car thats not even a daily driver. Now I have a hood release cable that doesnt work when its cold outside. If you can wrestle the hood open, afterward the hood will not close properly. Also I was warned to replace the rubber bush mounts (suspension), both left & right side.

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  Couldnt Pass It Up! - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By archstud - April 20 - 1:03 pm

  The key selling point was the price; after rebates, auto show cash, and GM employee discount the cost of my G6 couldnt be passed up. I live in the Chicagoland area and purchased this car for summer time use only. After breaking in the engine, I took this car on a 1,500 mile, 5 day, 5 state road trip to the Smoky Mountains N.P. This car was a blast to drive on the interstate. With the top down, conversation can easily be made even when traveling 80-90 mph. With a large displacement of the 3.9L engine maneuvering through traffic was a breeze although this car could really benefit from a 5th and even a 6th gear, because it only returned 23.5 mpg on this particular trip.

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  The Legend Returns - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By autopower - April 19 - 8:36 pm

  Acquired this car new after turning in an 04 BMW 330 coupe. Definitely great power for the money. It doesnt handle like a BMW or Porsche, but those arent muscle cars. Got the 6spd manual with the 18" wheels. Average 21 mpg in mixed driving, when I behave. The rear can get sloppy with slight road imperfections or slippery surfaces, but it teaches respect. After over 2 years I still dislike the gearbox, though. I despise the 1 to 4 lock-out in city driving, and it repeatedly pops out of gear. But just one stab at the throttle removes all frustrations. The exhaust note sells the car. It is quiet when youre cruising, but loud when you get into it.

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  Better than expected - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By dner - April 16 - 2:00 am

  We needed a winter car as our Mercedes is rear wheel drive. Normally we drive luxury or sporty cars or suvs. We picked this G6 because we like front drive cars on ice or slick roads. We have 2 suvs for deeper snow. For the money this is a nice car. Comfortable, reasonable performance, great economy, decent grownup looks. The seat are nice and I like the Onstar, ipod hookup, traction control and the ride. Quieter and nicer riding than I expected.

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  Not too bad - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By MISTIE - April 12 - 8:03 pm

  Got it with a two year warranty. It is noisy. The gas mileage is great!! I would tell anyone to try one.

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  Has to stop and think about accelerating - 2010 Pontiac Vibe
  By Darryl - April 10 - 4:46 pm

  It has a hesitation, a miss, a delay in acceleration, a hiccup after stepping on the gasÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….it is obvious to me all the time and there to catch my attention whenever I try to go. Its not a shift issue, shifting up & down is fine. The problem is: step on the gas at 20 mph it dips its nose then goes, or step on the gas at 30 mph it dips its nose then goes, or step on the gas at 40 mph it dips its nose then goes, or step on the gas at 50 mph it dips its nose then goes, and so on. Kinda been snubbed by my dealerships service department on this, not sure if their problem, GMs issue, or what.