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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  Worst Vehicle Ever - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By KD Coughlan - September 5 - 7:16 pm

  Traded 02 Montana, first day knew I had made big mistake. Alternator, air conditioning, CD player, OnStar, side doors, first year 14 times in for service. Will never purchase another GM product. This vehicle is unsafe. Unfortunately, it is worth nothing. Anyone that does not agree with this does not realize the poor quality of this vehicle. On my third set of tires, cannot keep an alignment on it. Also just replaced brakes for the third time. I am not a reckless driver. Car dealers will not even accept these vehicles on trade in, will have to give it away. Buy a Toyota, I know I will be from now on.

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  Not a vehicle to buy if you live where it snows - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By magic10fingers - September 3 - 10:55 am

  I purchased my 2006 Vibe in October of 2010 and have had nothing but trouble with it. This car handles horribly in midwest winters. It has newer tires, just no traction on or in snow and rain. I went in a complete circle turning a corner 1 day and I was barely moving because the snow was fresh and could tell the Vibe wasnt handling well. I was having issues with my key not working in the ignition back in November, and just got a letter on February 19 2011 there is a safety recall with my car. I wouldnt have known about the recall because it wasnt discovered until Aug of 2010 and I bought it in October. Letters didnt start going out until January 14th 2011. Shakes on windy days.

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  WORST CAR!!! - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By unhappy - August 4 - 11:30 pm

  I bought the car in 2009. It only had 63000 miles on it. I thought it would be good for a 2002 model vehicle. The interior has cheap plastic. I only got to put 8000 miles on it when there were too many problems to list in order to fix this chunk of metal GM called a car. It did run fairly well. But I was unsure how reliable it would have been on longer trips other than around town. I will NEVER buy another pontiac vehicle.

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  Horrible and terrible vehicle - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By jimmac404 - July 14 - 1:06 pm

  This was the most awful car that was ever purchased by me. From the time I purchased the vehicle to the time I got rid of it, which was 2 months, the car spent more time in the shop than on the road. Lucky for me the dealer attempted to fix all the problems but this car as far as Im concerned was beyond repairs. First the rear suspension went out, then the air conditioner and finally the car leaked inside from a heavy rainstorm. Pontiac should have went out of business instead of Oldsmobile. Car was traded for a 2005 Chevy Impala which was 10 times better. No Pontiac ever for me!

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  Lemon - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By mom of 3 - July 14 - 12:06 pm

  We have had this car in the dealership service 15 times in 1 year with no resolve. It drives horrible with transmission or fuel pump like problems. Nobody seems to have any clue as to what is wrong with it or how to fix it.

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  A HORRIBLE CAR - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Sandra Poppell - July 12 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car, a demo, from a dealer with less than 3000 miles on it. This car is on its THIRD totally new, transmission at 62,000 miles. All of the window motors and door locks, the coil housing unit (twice), the catalytic converter (twice), power steering unit, water pump and both oxygen sensors were replaced within three years. There have been numerous repairs to gauges, fans, and pressure lines. Ive had the car towed twice this year because it starts and then chokes off immediately. They cant find the problem. I got a recall notice today from GM stating a "starting" problem that could cause fire. Great!! I wouldnt recommend this car to anyone.

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  GM -Generates Maintenance - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Worst Buy Ever! - July 6 - 10:23 am

  Worst vehicle I ever bought. Also have the revving problem. Coolant leaking into the cylinders for quite some time but just letting it go to squeeze the last few miles out of this. Electrical problems since new, hooking up to computer does not tell mechs what is wrong. Front windows both not working!Replaced steering, ignition,headlamp switch, fuel system (2 x). Replaced cup holders under warranty several times and now all broken. Do not close rear hatch with handle because I know it will break. Sliding door serviced 5 separate times. Replaces generator. Bought this for 30K. have spent another 5K. No wonder GM is having problems! Go spend time with Japanese to find out how to make cars!

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  Got money? Youll need it... - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By MelF - May 26 - 2:00 am

  Up until last week I swore I would always stick w/ Pontiac. Then my water pump went and because the Quad4 engine is so insane it would cost me $800+ to have a $44 water pump replaced. As it is my husband has to completely disassemble the engine, jack it up, remove the timing chain, etc. just to get to the water pump. My landlord owns an auto repair shop and refuses to even touch my Quad4 setup. Im getting rid of it within a month before I end up spending $1500 for a used head plus labor...

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  Dont Buy It - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mike - April 17 - 1:46 pm

  I bought this car with 97,000 miles for $3000. I only drive 14 miles a day to and from work. In the seven months Ive owned the car, Ive had to replace two power window motors ($350 each) and the car is now leaking antifreeze into the engine through a faulty manifold. This will cost an additional $600 to fix. In addition, the thermostat is continually sticking making for some very cold commutes. Dont be tempted to buy this car. Spend an extra few thousand and get Toyota or Honda.

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  very mad - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By very mad - March 24 - 8:33 pm

  This is a list of the things that went wrong with the vehicle since 2-05: Alternator replaced (going to be recalled) 11-05 Left crankcase seal (dealer said its due to faulty build at plant) 11-05 All lettering fell off rear hatch (finally replaced 12-05) Rear hatch handle faulty (never fixed by dealer properly) Transmission slipping (dealer had found no evidence of this) Tracking system engaged during dry Texas weather, locking up the wheels and making van undrivable unless you turned off the tracking system. Happened 1-1-06 when nobody could help us. Stability tracking system service message on (dealer on 2nd try found a short in the computer which made wheels lock up.