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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  First feel evaluation - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Gary Sr - October 23 - 10:00 am

  Still "new" but a great car so far...Rides and drives great, corners fine for what it is. It has plenty of "gitty up" and it seems to stop on a dime with no brake fade. I think it is a real kick to drive. It handles good and It looks a little deceiving then you mash it and it becomes this other car. Fit and finish is really good and my cars paint is flawless. I pretty much love it so far.

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  love it - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By boomer1 - October 23 - 10:00 am

  Have not any significant problems with this vehicle. Some rust below back inside door. Pockets for gravel and dirt to collect in front of rear tires.

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  Great car - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By bobthebike - October 23 - 10:00 am

  A true luxo-cruiser. Amazing mileage for size (30mph on road). Quiet enough for a hands free phone. Power is very smooth and unobtrusive. Panel fit and paint quality still look new at 40K miles. Considering all the electrics on the car, never had a glitch. The car tracks very straight with no wandering. And it looks great with tremendous value vs. the competition. Im becoming a Pontiac man!(had another flawless 01 GP)

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  Every car bought has a story to tell - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Brett - October 21 - 8:56 pm

  I bought this van used, it already had sixty thousand miles on it. Myself have put over another one hundred thousand miles. Its been the best vehicle Ive ever owned. The car history report was clean when I bought it, still is today. No lie, the van runs like its new still to this day. However there is some minor issues that I think are small. The gas needle reads full all the time, It leeks dexacool, very small amount. My light comes on maybe once a month. I had to replace a fog light, and a head light. Thats it, I live up in the mountains of western Maryland and my van will fly up these hills like there nothing. Then again it should with a 3.4L V6!

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  No bad for a third owner - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By theskipman98 - October 21 - 5:13 am

  I purchased this car from private owner at tax time for $900. Previous owner had already replaced the water pump before I got it, but had had no problems with the car other than that. (the key to it is DO NOT drive the car while it is overheating, thats why most people had problems with the Quad 4 motor) Since I have owned it, I have put a starter on it ($85 from auto zone lifetime warranty), tune up with air filter(less than $20), Front brake pads ($20), replaced all the speakers to match after market Pioneer XM/CD deck ($75 from Walmart for Rockford Fosgate) Car is not perfect BUT it gets from point A to point B quickly, with good handling, and get 32 MPG doing it.

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  i love my g6 - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By letty - October 21 - 2:33 am

  I have had my g6 for 2 months and i absolutely love it. i just came back from summer vacation and drove from corpus christi tx to orlando florida and back.my car did wonderful, i wouldnt want to have anything else.

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  Love the Aztek - 2002 Pontiac Aztek
  By Don.Descy - October 21 - 2:00 am

  We bought the Aztek because we wanted the camper option... yes, we wondered about the style. But after driving it for a few weeks we are totally in love with it. It does everything and it is comfortable and roomy. We have the All Wheel Drive model. My wife drove back from Minneapolis in a blizzard last week and it held the road like a magnet. The is a Fun car and #1 in versitility!

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  98 GP GT Coupe - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By john344 - October 21 - 2:00 am

  This is my 3rd GP. I love this car, if only GM would use better quality interior parts. My door panel on the drivers side is loose, cheap plastic on dash. Engine gaskets are poor quality and Ive just had $1500.00 worth of work done on the engine due to leaky gaskets all over the place. Other than that, its a great car, fun to drive, looks hot with the dual exhaust...standard 17 inch rims would be great. Whats up the headlight assembly on these cars?? Mine is loose & wiggles around, was filling up with water every time it rained until I took to a repair shop the they silconed the edges to stop the leaks (the dealer would not fix this under warrently).

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  Love my Tek! - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By OCAztek - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I did a lot of research last year before ordering my Tek. I am very pleased (and constantly amazed) at the ride that I get out of it. Over the Christmas holidays, I drove over 3500 miles with it fully loaded (4 adults, gifts and luggage filling the back and a fully loaded rooftop carrier). I had the tow package installed for the load leveling and stabilization features and it certainly proved its worth. The handling of it was so good that I had to keep reminding myself that I had it so loaded. My parents were helping with the driving and I had to beg them to let me do some of the driving. They are now looking at buying one for themselves!

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  Love Pontiacs - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Brando - October 20 - 10:36 am

  Good on gas and has pep. Love the car. It was a one owner before I bought it so I dont know prior history. Engine light came on once because I forgot to replace the gas cap on it. I reset it by disconnecting the battery cable for a few seconds.