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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  Love this car! - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By reviewer - December 18 - 8:54 pm

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  Mean machine - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By keb - December 17 - 5:16 pm

  I love this car. Its fast, handles well, and a beautiful machine. Now, I just wanna make it even faster.

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  A reason to buy elsewhere - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Ken Davis - December 17 - 12:46 pm

  The Pontiac G6 convertable is not a well made car. Since driving off the lot the roof has rattled,trim has come loose, paint quality is poor,and the muffler has developed leaks twice. However the engine and transmission have been trouble free.The 1st year of ownership resulted in at least six weeks in the dealer for the mentioned quality issues. Complaints through customer service resulted in a waste of time as no one really cared. Having owned many GM products in the past it comes as no suprise that the companys lack of quality and customer service resulted in the demise of the Pontiac brand. No one wants the cars and I have, as we all do the ability to buy elsewhere that is not GM.

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  White Lightening Review of GP GTP - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GFD 6K3 - December 17 - 10:00 am

  I have put all 81000+ miles on my Grand Prix GTP, is has been the most fun in the world....next to sex.

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  grand am - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By ttrer - December 17 - 10:00 am

  nice handling good gas milage

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  GOOD JOB GM - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GOOD GM PRODUCT - December 17 - 9:56 am

  I have owned this car for 2 1/2 years now and has been trouble free other than the intake gaskets. Great looks for an old car and the acceleration for a 6 cylinder is great. Fun to drive. For a inexpensive GM product I give it a very good overall rating.

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  Ram Air TA convertible 97 - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By Raggtoppz - December 15 - 11:36 am

  great looks, super power, good handling for convertible. the ram air is the only way to go. find a used one in good condition and avg miles. fun to drive, fun to clean, and worth the money (avg 12k to 14k). im 62 and 275 lbs. its pretty comfortable. it would be perfect for someone a little smaller.

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  It takes a beating - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mittens321 - December 15 - 10:43 am

  I bought my Grand Prix after totaling my mustang last spring, and I rushed into it. I bought it from a shady, crappy dealer who just wanted it off his lot because I was young and inexperienced in buying cars. Got the car with 131k on it (pretty low compared to the rest I looked at!) and drive it home... you can tell this car has had a rough life. Yet it still runs very, very reliably. Brakes were completely rusted over, ti rods were so bad my mechanic feared for my safety, yet this car never gives out on me. Now at 145k and the tranny starting to slip, it still is a very reliable car. Its just had a rough life, and for as badly as it was taken care of before it runs excellently.

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  Unreliable - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By luminitam - December 15 - 10:00 am

  New car was bought in 1998. Despite being very well maintained and with less than 26,000 on board, the car has experienced ongoing problems with the radio/cassette player, wiring and more recently, serious problems with defective ABS system and rear end motor, all which need replacing, costs exceeding $2,000.

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  WS6 Utopia - 2001 Pontiac Firebird
  By Mustang Stomper - December 15 - 10:00 am

  This puts the fun back in driving. The WS6 package cant be beat for looks and function.