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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  Ex GM customer - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Done with Pontiac - January 13 - 6:33 am

  I will never purchase a gm product again. I bought this car new, paid 25k for it and have nothing but problems as soon as the warranty was up. I had the catalytic converter replaced twice, passanger window work only sometines, windshield wipers stop working in down pours. Also replaced numerous sensors adding up to at least $1500 Had the intake manifold gasket replaced $500 with a class action suite only got $100 back. Now I have to replace the oil pan gasket,it will cost $350. Not to mention the gas milage is nothing close to what they said it would be. I was told the transmission will be next. I can not afford a new car now, but as soon as I can this car will be history.

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  Cheap unreliable car - 2009 Pontiac G3
  By chente1 - December 28 - 10:12 am

  My wife got this car new on a emergency.( Cheap and need it a car right away). Since she got it, it had problems with the electrical system. She took it to the dealer several times but they always give her excuses not to fix it, even thoug it was under guarranty. Car have 80000 miles and already need it a new tranny and radiator, which GM didnt want it to fix, even thoug it was under warranty, 100,000 miles power train.($5500.00 repair) at this point, the A/C is acting up, even thoug we took it to the dealer before the end of warranty, but they didnt want to fix it. So now we have a car with bad sensors ( four total at $150.00 a piece) plus airbag and tire sensors all acting up. Thanks GM!

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  Dont waste your money - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Heather - December 18 - 2:53 am

  Things were always going wrong and needed to be replaced with expensive special parts. The window motor died & supposedly each window has a different specific motor... $750. The stereo LCD went in and out randomly as well as the ABS sensor light. This car also takes special tires... went to wal-mart & got the cheapest of that kind... $500+ for 3 tires. My air/heat duct came undone and i could only faintly feel air if it was set to level 5 (high). I was rear-ended the other day in Christmas traffic; it totaled it (because its plastic), while the bmw that hit me was able to drive away afterward. Kelly Blue book says Ill only get 1k after all that money I put into it.

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  Commuter car only! - 2001 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Andddy P - December 13 - 8:00 pm

  I am very unpleased with my purchase of this car it does not get the gas mileage it is supposed to i will be lucky to get 20 miles to the gallon. The interior looks like something you would see at a dentists office, and the exterior design makes it seem as if it would have a nice amount of hp but instead this sunflower is equipped with 115 hp. I bought this car 08/07 and it had 9,000 miles on it but i should have looked at more reviews before making my purchase

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  One of the worst cars Ive owned - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By HalS - November 30 - 5:50 am

  Where do I start. It leaks: windshield, side windows, headlights are full of water. Tail-lights keep blowing, Im told its the electrical system. Windshield wipers stop in the up position. Air-conditioning stopped working. exterior trim has fallen off. Auto-side mirrors dont work. Im the only owner of this car and my kids say I drive like an old lady and I do a mix of highway and suburban driving - so I dont think its me. Ive kept up with regular maintenance but the cost of fixing this stuff again and again is becoming quite a burden

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  I will never buy a GM again - 2002 Pontiac Aztek
  By eebrando - November 22 - 8:33 pm

  Well, I thought I had made a pretty good deal at the time of purchase but when you add up all I have spent in repairs (transmission, a/c (had only 48k miles at the time), traction system) I am driving a $30k PONTIAC. I hate cars.

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  Plan on Spending Time in the Shop - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Total Junk - October 25 - 9:20 am

  Shortly after purchasing this vehicle 20k miles I noticed a spring sound coming from the front passenger wheel. Turned out to be a strut problem. 30k miles replaced the drivers side strut and then had to replace the entire front suspension. Now at 52k it is doing it all again. The interior door molding is pulling away from the door. Now I also think the the bearings are bad in the front passenger wheel because the tire sounds like an airplane engine taking off and landing as I reduce speed. This vehicle has been nothing but problems and would not recommend a G6 or any other GM product to anyone that I valued as a friend. Ive replaced my rotors at least 6 times as well.

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  Engine failure - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By New Mexico Smith - September 20 - 10:00 am

  My new 2005 GP lasted less than 500 miles before smoke started pouring out of the exhaust. The dealer has had the car for 2 weeks and still has no idea what is wrong. They have torn down the engine and are at a loss what to do next. Pontiac has suggested that they may have to crate up the engine and replace the whole thing. This is quite an investment to have sitting in a garage. I suggest you think twice before purchasing a 2005 GP.

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  2006 Pontiacs have issues - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By mcompton - September 14 - 5:46 pm

  I bought this pontiac used in 2007. I know I do not know what the history of the car was before this other than carfax being clean, it has had many issues. Now has 50,000 miles on it and just had to replace power steering rack b/c of leak, I have a valve that has broken and has to e replaced to turn off check engine light (was told this is really common in these cars by dealer due to design flaw and freezing water breaking a valve in low temperatures), and my drivers side window motor has broken. I was also told by dealer in replacing my power steering rack that my tire rod in the front is shot and will need to be replaced soon. Only 50,000 miles!

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  buyers beware - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By konadh34 - September 9 - 1:56 am

  At first the sunfire was a great little car. Then it all came crashing down. Within 2 yrs. I had to replace the transmission and ignition switch (3 times I had to fix the switch, each time I was left in the middle of nowhere with an absolutely non functioning car). The ignition switch was a warranty recall yet every time it was "fixed" it broke down again! Ive spent as much as I paid for this car on repairs, it is ridiculous. I was lucky enough to get rid of it for a trade in on a cherokee. For a commuter, it got decent gas mileage but when youre constantly worried about being left stranded god knows where, 100mpg couldnt make up for it. Do not buy this car!