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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  Great Family Car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Joeytdietz - October 10 - 1:23 pm

  We have had this car for 3 1/2 years. We have kept pretty good care of it with oil changes every 3000 miles. Transmission fluid tends to run dark, not sure if this is a common problem with Vibes. No major repairs. We did have a computer replaced recently (at 82,000) after the check engine light came on. That cost us $600. Glad it wasnt a transmission problem because they can run about $3000 in this car. The car has lots of room for our family of four and being that it is a 4 cylinder it gets great gas mileage (32 mpg freeway) for a car its size.

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  Fun little car - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Mark - October 8 - 7:56 pm

  I have had it going on 4 years now. Only thing replaced has been the battery. No problems except with some clunk noise in the front suspension. Either has gone away or dont notice it anymore.

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  Its a hand grenade! - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By OLDMANBOB - October 8 - 9:43 am

  It was fun to drive but its a rattle trap piece of junk. What hasnt been replaced or fixed? You name it. The rear end bearings have been done twice and third gear just disappeared. Doors sag, locks jam, wiper motor went, have replaced all rotors the fronts twice, calipers replaced, cat is rattling, sway bar links replaced, as it gets older everything is loosening up exponentially (spelling on that one?). the motor is starting to knock a bit in cold weather (sounds like a rod) and I use Synthetic Oil only. Looks nice and goes fast but wasnt made for the long haul. If your looking at one over 100K run RUN!

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  My 4th GP - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Explicit_Spade - October 7 - 1:36 am

  This is my fourth Grand Prix, so I may be a little biased, but the quality for the price cant be beat. I have a heavy right foot, and this car has done nothing but perform. Its a large bulky car, however, the advertisement at the time was "Wider is Better" and I couldnt agree more. The bold styling turns heads. The interior is made for the driver by drivers, with a cockpit style design. Its the most luxury and power you can get for the price.

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  Very Dependable Car! - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By BuckeyesFan - October 6 - 1:16 am

  I bought this car brand new in September 1997. It now (Feb. 2005) has 95000 miles. I am very impressed with its dependability. The only problem that frustrated me was that the brakes needed to be replaced more often than most other cars. I love the radio and overall design. I am looking forward to driving it many, many more miles!

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  Great Car - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Kris - October 4 - 4:00 pm

  This car has been great so far after almost 2 years, No really big problems except a tie rod that was supposily gona go, at least thats what firestone said. But in two years ive only put in $200 in repairs, thats pretty good considering my Ford Escort I had and was dumping a grand a year in that stupid thing. Tires sucked that came with it so i had to replace that, boy did that make a difference in handling around turns, and in the rain.

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  good car - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Stacie - October 1 - 2:56 am

  Ive had the car for just over two years with 38k miles on it and I didnt have to take it into the shop until just before it hit 36k for a minor air conditioning issue and a seat squeak. Took it all the way to Georgia...great gas mileage - about 31 per gallon for those trips. Gas mileage in the city is even better after that trip. Its been a great, reliable car and I moved from the Alero - which was a good car to this.

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  1999 Grand Prix 2 Dr. coupe - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Randy Ratliff - September 29 - 10:00 am

  Has been a great car. Well equiped, ok power, great handeling and road manners. This car has lots of leg room in the front and back and is a great family car. Ive owned Z-28s and Trans Ams and would have liked another performance car and split the differance between performance and a family with this car. The $4000 for the GTP version is to much money for 40 horsepower.

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  Getting The Looks..... - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Carriebear22 - September 29 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love my 200 pontiac grand am. The greatest part is when the sporty styling grabs the attention of the good looking guys next to me at the stop light! The only things better than that is blowing that guy in the other car away with the amazing takeoff! Eat My Dust Baby!

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  Gonna miss Pontiac - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By net2008 - September 29 - 6:13 am

  Bought this car less than a month ago and I love it so far. It drives awesomely and hasnt had any problems yet. However if you research it youll find that the power steering does go out because its electric and it cost about $700 to fix. so Im just waiting for mine to go . This should be recalled . but Ive only owned Pontiacs and this is by far my favorite. Really fast even with the 3.5 and awesome sound insulation. Remote start is awesome and the sunroof is sweet. However the monsoon system is probably my favorite also. And the 21 mpg is wrong. I get 26 - 27 highway easily and about 24 in the city.