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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  The 1998 was better! - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By TED BEHR - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I have had transmission problems (repl under warr.) & brake prblems (pads repl several times under warr. My 1998 was "the best car I ever drove" in 35 yrs 800,000 miles of driving. The 2000 was NOT as good as my 98! I also miss the lumbar support from 98

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  Plan to own it a decade - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By MichaelT - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car in August 2000 and havent had a single problem with it. Mileage is as advertised, and power is fine. Survived a wreck with it when another driver turned out in front of us and the car took all the punishment. Dealer repaired it and it drives like brand new. Would buy another one when were in the market. Used the GM Card rebate program when we bought it and saved $3,400.

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  better than expected - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By tmister - March 29 - 10:00 am

  This car has been surprisingly reliable. Maintenance has been non existant with the exception of routine upkeep. With about 160000 miles, it is still running strong. the v-6 has plenty of power to spare. She always starts with ease. I bought the car as economy transportation, but it turned out to be much better than expected. I have passed the car on to my kids. I would recommend this car to any friend.

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  Montanas break!! - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By missywi - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Bought used with 47K miles on it. Luckily bought the Gold extended warranty on it otherwise wed have had to pay over a 1K in repairs after only owning it for over a year. Water pump went, 2 weeks later the lower intake manifold gasket had to be replaced. The airbag light kept coming on and off then finally stayed on. Turns out GM knows that this is a defect(corroding wires) but considered part of the warranty. Could have to have it fixed again in 6 months at over $100 a pop. This is a safety issue. If the connection isnt there for the airbag, if in an accident, the airbag might not deploy. The left ti-rod needs to be replaced.

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  fun ride but poor quality - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By structengineer - March 29 - 10:00 am

  My car may or may not be typical, but it was in the shop four times for repairs (wheel speed sensor, fuel level sending unit, fan speed control unit, head gasket, rusty rotors, loud pinging engine when cold). Once it left me stranded on the highway. The trim was loose in places, it got horrible radio reception, winshield trim rattled in the wind, radio station tuning knob turned station #s the wrong way half the time. Other than the poor quality, it was a good car to drive. The car has good acceleration and cornering and is fun to drive.

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  Pontiac GT - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Lissette Quinones - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Fun, Excellent Car!!!! Everything in this car is perfect, big trunk for babys stroller and to fit all those extras in the trunk. Also it is very spacious inside with all confort.

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  First week - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Kevin Gilliss - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Okay, after a week of ownership hopefully nobody would be completely dissatisfied with a $30k vehicle. I didnt like the Comp G rims at first but now I dont think I could live without them, sorta like the 35 aniv T- bird SC rims, it just goes together. I cant accurately tell about reliability at this point. But I can go over my first thoughts. The interior sets low. Its a sports car, accept it. On rough roads there is some interior noise. Its a sports car, accept it. I completely walked away from a BMW 330i on the free way, accept it!

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  buy a grand prix youll love it - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By chris s. - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I think the Grand Prix offers a lot of car for the money. the gtp handles great, plenty of power. Very comfortable and the car is very well built.

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  Not sure if i like it - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By tess - March 29 - 2:56 am

  What is that squeaking noise? I bought this car because I had a grand am and I loved it. Not sure if g6 can compare to my grand am. Sometimes when Im on the highway, its like, it loses power. Considering trading it in.

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  Best Bird yet - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By Fredsbird - March 28 - 5:33 am

  I bought mine new and it has proven very reliable. It has a solid feel, great looks (mine came with a beautiful metallic blue paint and chrome wheels).I have had 3 birds of various gens and none have been good off the line at a light, but on the highway they are incredible. I first learned this when I found the passing gear going 80, it was like light speed kicked in. The gas mileage city/hwy is incredible. I had a weird noise in the engine but it went away, I believe it was due to my feeding it lower octane, stick with 93.