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:

• 

  Been good since 140K - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By cwitty - May 31 - 1:07 pm

  Great car. Ive owned for a couple years and havent had too many issues. Currently at 181K miles and I may need some new belts, but other than that, the engine is a haus. Feels like I couldnt do anything other than crash it to stop this thing from running. Best car for the money if you dont mind riding in a pontiac. Took it on a 3k roadtrip in the 170K range, and it made it there and back with only a wheel bearing that needed replaced. Regular problems/maintenance with this car, bearings, brakes (better than most cars), rear windows, some sensor problems, and from my experience and noting others, usually tranny needs to get rebuilt at some point during the life of the car.

• 

  Decent car, but no import-killer - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By arbee - May 31 - 7:40 am

  We bought a GT2 after a positive experience renting one for a couple of weeks - that, and several thousand dollars in GM incentives on top of fleet pricing. After owning the car for a little over a year, we basically ended up with exactly that - a rental car. Performance is adequate but the car is loud - due to a howl coming from both axles. Interior fit quality is average to good. The Monsoon stereo is a massively underperforming unit, outdone by the base level stereo in our 2000 Focus ZX3. Seats are comfortable, but head room is somewhat limited. The AC unit performs marginally in 100+ degree Texas summers.

• 

  Never Judge A Book By Its Cover - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By FRugar - May 31 - 1:03 am

  On the outside, the Pontiac Grand AM GT is a beautiful car. It looks like what it claims to be; a sporty mid size coupe thats fun to drive. The interior says the same. And granted, yes, it is. When it runs. I bought mine at 32000 miles when it was 2 years old. Since, Ive had nothing but problems such as: -Bad wheel bearing immediately after warranty expired : $800 -Brake caliper froze: $300 -Brake sensor burnt out, cluster needed to be replaced: $400 -Intake seals popped, leaking AF everywhere: $1200 -Fuel line leakage: $200 -Brake caliper frozen again: $300 And now the fuel pump is blown. And somewhere over the past 4-5 months the fuel economy of the car has dropped to around 23-24hwy.

• 

  2008 Soltice Automatic - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Danny - May 30 - 2:43 am

  Love the car and the way it handles. The red is a great color and the car gets a lot of heads turning. I have had so much fun driving this car with top up or down. All around fun to have. Have had no trouble out of this car.

• 

  Some good some bad - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By WS6 - May 30 - 2:00 am

  WS6 Trans-Am The Bad Interior cheap. Dash cracked. Passenger window rolls down slow. Drivers side door cracking (molding). Service engine light (bad air-pump). Poor excuse for traction control. Clutch slips when "performing" with too much weight (people in car). Stock tires crap! Speakers went POOOF! Rotors warped (110-0 doe!). "Backfire" noise when cold (lack of back pressure). Hate the skip-shift. The Good Hard hitting, throat tearing raw torque. My 6sp hurst shifted trans-am hits hard when I put it to the floor (new tires). Performs well around corners for the size of the car, suspension is stiff. Handles nice at high speeds 100+.

• 

  good machine! - 2002 Pontiac Sunfire
  By freelancer00145 - May 30 - 2:00 am

  i got my 02 sunfire in summer of this year and so far, i havent been disappointed. the fuel economy is fine, but i doesnt rate well to imports, but its enough. the engine power stacks up well for a 4cylinder engine...it accelerates quickly. interior space comes in bundles- i have plenty of headroom (but im only 510", so that has something to do with it). the audio system isnt the optional Monsoon system, but it is exceptional for a standard, factory system. the car is good overall, but i have yet to see how it does when it hits the 50k mi mark.

• 

  The best Goat ever!!!! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By amber - May 29 - 4:50 pm

  This car is the best Ive ever had (having had A LOT of cars)!! Its fun, fast, and couldnt ask for more. Getting a child into the back is not the greatest but hey, its not a family car!! The car makes the trouble worth it!! No issues yet. Interior is awesome!!

• 

  Best of the Last - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Sport Red - May 28 - 12:10 pm

  GM has "mothballed" the Pontiac brand indefinitely, but too soon! The Pontiac G8 is the best car GM has produced in my lifetime, thats nearly 60 years, and from the looks of the near future offerings, it will be my whole lifetime! This car has great performance, outstanding styling, excellent build quality, and for a high HP V8, very acceptable fuel mileage. If you want one of your own, you best hurray! Even thou Pontiac will be around until the end of 10, the G8s will be gone long before that!

• 

  just buy one - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GPlover - May 27 - 6:20 pm

  My car was given to me by my father, bought it off his friend for a hundred bucks. Guy who owned it before us drove it like a race car. got car at 150,000 miles. blew motor up at 200,000 miles, within those 50,000 miles, i had two window switches go out, a water pump, intake manifold, a tension pulley, and the tranny would just sometimes for some reason switch itself into neutral. and of course, the big bang at the end at exactly 199,987 miles, no kidding, loved the car while i had it, drove great, smashed all my friends little four bangers, and everytime it broke down it was always a block from home and i just coasted in the drive way, i just bought a gtp, everyone needs to own these cars

• 

  Its a commuter car... - 2009 Pontiac G5
  By ed - May 26 - 7:53 am

  Ive had this car for about a month. I love the so-so reviews on this. It keeps demand low and prices. Im very familar with the 2.2 - same engine I had in my 04 Grand Am and loved it. No problems great mileage - good power too. This time I went for MPG with the XFE and the 5 speed. Without any effort I got 35mpg on my first tank of combind city and highway. Its just a good commuter car. Not a sports car (I have the Miata for that) and not a lux car. With incentive and rebates about 5k lower in price than comparably equiped Honda and Toyota. AS far as resale - drive it. The sale of Grand Am brought half of what I paid with 75k on the clock - not bad for having the better half of its life..