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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  Perfect car for the college kid! - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By PontiacRocker - September 19 - 10:00 am

  I love the car! It looks great and runs perfect. It is very fun to drive and the handling is incredible. Its great for making the trek across 3 states to college with plenty of room for all my stuff. Most importantly, it is affordable! All in all, Im very happy with it.

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  Love the new GP - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By drob - September 19 - 10:00 am

  So far, so good on my new 2004 GT2. It additionally has everything the GTP has minus the engine. Its quick enough, but Im sure the extra horsepower would be nice... I love the looks and the interior is 1000% improved. I drove a 94 GP to 201,000 miles and it was reliable till the end. Ive had the 2004 back to the dealer twice (steering alignment, and the rear defogger was cutting out the radio.) Other than that, Ive been pleased.

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  take care of it, it will return the favor - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By englisap - September 17 - 2:03 pm

  I have come to love my Grand Am. I have also come to believe that if you take good care of it, it will repay you. Got it from my mom in 2006 with 25k on it. It had been parked in her driveway collecting waterstains and mice. Initially I named it the lemon (I never liked it, but my husband did) after getting new tires, new fluids, getting rid of rabbits chewing wires and some other normal things, I made a deal with it. It takes care of me and I take care of it. Yes, they have quirks, but if you take really good care of it, it will run like a champ. It thinks its a sports car. I drive it at least 51 miles everyday. It now has about 145k miles on it and still gets 26mi/gal

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  So far, so good - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By dmblystone14 - September 16 - 1:32 am

  I just bought my G8 GT 4 months ago, though Ive been looking for one for over a year and a half. I originally wanted one when they were new but they were a little too expensive so I went with a used Grand Prix GXP (big mistake). So far I love this car. I get "nice car" comments weekly, even by my local GM/ex-Pontiac dealer who apparently doesnt get to service too many of these. If you are looking for performance and value you really cant beat this. For a new car with this performance youd easily spend $35k.

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  Early Solstice Review - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Billdaman - September 13 - 11:03 pm

  This Convertible has it all. To view this beauty from a distance with its flowing lines and growling grill tells you in your first glance that this car is destined to be a classic. Enough cannot be said about this car as an embodiment of a "has it all" modern roadster. Its interior is a beautifuly trimed cockpit with high quality fit finish and materials. This is a car that is the fulfullment of my dream to own a true performance roadster, that is most importantly American through and through. At just under 20 K there is NOTHING that can come even close. I have driven the Solstices competition from Honda, Mazda and BMW. They cant match this cars looks or performace at the price

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  The Grand Am - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By camaroj - September 12 - 8:37 pm

  Ive owned this car for a Year and a half it was pretty much immaculate When I bought it I happened to be the second owner in Its life time the pros: Its fun to Drive ,amazing on gas, reliable if well taken Care of , very stylish mines in white , interior is stylish ,has curb appeal , excellent sound system didnt exspect it to be that good, my complaints about this car is the front bumper is way too low to the ground and allways scrapes Its rusting Like crazy around Wheel Wells and on the rockers of the doors clear coat is chipping on spoiler and the most important thing remember to keep your oil topped off to the top twin CAM engines are notorios for that they burn oil Like crazy

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  Like the car - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By sara - September 12 - 12:30 pm

  I never owned a poniac before. Im a jeff gordan fan hehe but.. This car runs very good 100,000 miles and no repairs yet. even drive 9 hour trips home and back. I feel safe in this car. I love the look, and think its a great car.

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  Good little car. - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By paintballove - September 11 - 11:01 pm

  Its a functional wagon. Good MPGs, but with any car its all in how you drive it. The 5spd manual is fairly fun. The steering is responsive and effective. It wont win awards for looks, but I bought her at 88,000 miles and hope to keep it until it dies. You really dont discover the usefulness in having a wagon until you own one. The stereo layout looked too 90s. Not acceptable for a car made in 2006.

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  Poor gas mileage - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By chipvic - September 10 - 4:20 pm

  Bought this to save on gas mileage, commuting 1 hour a day to work Hwy. Im only getting 25 mph, sticker says 26-31 and am not happy. We planned on traveling and using luggage carrier ( we unfortunately discovered rails to hold carrier don"t come with car so you need to spend extra to buy that) but where to put carrier as radio antennae is on roof? I do like driving it tho, not sure if we will keep car tho with gas mileage poor.

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  04 FWD AZTEK - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By Mike T - September 8 - 7:50 pm

  I bought vehicle Certified w/ 32K miles on it. Previously owned 2 gas guzzling Cadillac Devilles and wanted a roomy car w/ better MPG. Our Aztek is probably the best looking one on the road. Black w/ 17" factory alloys, auto-leveling suspension with rear compresser jack, 2 tone heated leather seats, moonroof, trip computer, spoiler..every option but AWD and the Pioneer stereo. Apparently Onstar was also an option but you couldnt have a moonroof with that package.. I also bought the optional camping package online for $300 which Ive used 2 times. FWD w/traction control gets better MPG than AWD and handled great in 06 Michigan winter...its too bad this vehicle was discontinued.