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:

• 

  The last GM vehicle I will ever own. - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Wally - March 21 - 12:33 am

  43,000 miles: 2 oil leaks (oil pan gasket & lower head gasket), 1 power steering leak (w, 1 transmission leak (cooler hose). I purchased this vehicle brand new. It operated fairly well for the past 2 years, until May of this year, when I noticed an oil leak. Fortunately, it was still within warranty so I had it fixed (oil pan gasket). Recently I noticed another oil leak, and transmission leak. I brought it into the same dealer that repaired the oil pan leak. They informed me that my lower head gasket, and power steering pump are now leaking. How strange that all these leaks occur so near to the 36,000 mile mark (warranty expires). Never again will I buy GM!!!

• 

  Warning!!!!! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By jed_460 - February 26 - 9:12 am

  This car is by far the worst car I have ever owned. At 47,000 miles i had my 2nd pair of rotors put on. At 50,000 I had struts replaced. At 70,000 my cd player went out. At 75,000 My transmission needed to be rebuilt along with the catalytic converter and all of the o2 sensors. It seems like every time I have fixed it; it breaks down again. This could just be my experience but I would not wish this on anyone. I am at about $4,000 in repairs and the car is only worth about $5,000.

• 

  Lemon, stay away, far, far away! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Languish - February 10 - 10:30 am

  7 years I have owned this car I have had to replace the following: 2 alternators 2 batteries 3 driver side power window motors 2 abs sensors 1 heating & a/c fan 1 head gasket and 1 intake manifold gasket 2 times rotors replaced 2 times rotors reground STAY AWAY FROM PONTIAC!

• 

  Its a shame - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By mike - February 6 - 5:16 am

  My wife and I bought this vehicle used, 3y rs old, 34,000 miles. We LOVED the bells and whistles that the vehicle is equipped with. It drives, rides and handles like a dream. Unfortunately, thats where the love affair ends. The design and build quality of this van is simply appalling. This vehicle should have been recalled early on. The fact that it hasnt, speaks VOLUMES about GMs attitude toward customer satisfaction. If you ever wondered why the Japanese car companies are killing American auto makers, you need look no further than this vehicle. The cheap quality of interior parts is only surpassed by the $1500 repair bill every 2-6 months when yet another sys/component fails.

• 

  pure junk! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By JUNK - February 5 - 6:36 am

  this car is junk, theres no other way to say it... Im now on my 4th transmission and Im very easy on cars as well as had to replace the "O" ring twice on the power steering reservoir, etc.... if you want a good car, look elsewhere!.

• 

  leaking roof on hardtop convertible - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By conv - January 26 - 10:10 am

  spent $33,000 on this car and took it into a car wash 5 days later and it leaked all around the interior roof water poured inside the car soaking the interior including me. dealer did nothing told me nothing could be done. anybody out there had the same problem?????

• 

  Tin Foil Car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Matt - January 22 - 4:33 am

  This car is a basic to and from work car. Front fenders are thinner than the Lunar Landers. Interior is cheap, cheap, cheap. Visor mirror has closing lid on driver side only? Scared to death of being hit in this car at any speed.Cannot shut off auto headlights.Undercoat on car has to be re - applied due to poor quality control. Passenger seat too low. No power seats available.

• 

  Bad Decision - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By mrsp1 - January 21 - 8:13 am

  After purchasing 5 other gm vehicles, i purchased this car used and thought that i was getting a quality product. Now 2 years 4 months later i sit having to trade the car with a bad engine. My car is not overdriven in 4 years it has 59,000 miles on it. The dealership i took it to in Escondido states that its just a valve failure and cannot tell me what caused it or why. While i was sitting in a dealership looking at another vehicle another 02 Pontiac owner came in and said that her vehicle was falling apart. Needless to say after 6500 in repair (much more than i can get on trade) i will not be going with another Pontiac ever.

• 

  Wouldnt Do It Again - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Father of 5 - January 11 - 4:20 am

  I had expected better from a 2000 model GM vehicle. I began having electrical problems right after the warranty ran out, smelling smoke while I was driving and tracing the problem to a 24 V DC short in a connector in the interior driver side rear panel. The wiring bundle was so hot that it melted the insulation on the wires. This resulted in damage to the tail/brake light, automatic leveling and interior air compressor circuits. Now, after roughly 65K miles, the transmission has started to go out. This is a family vehicle that I needed to last for many years. As it is, I will likely get it paid off in time to junk it. Next time, Ill buy Japanese.

• 

  Will never buy it again - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By Yuan Li - January 8 - 10:00 am

  We drive a lot and buy a new vehicle every three years. Own this van for more than two years. Went through three major repairs: engine head gasket, cooliing system(Condensor) and now ABS module. Each repair costs more than thousand dollar. So what ever GM rebate is, dont be lured to think to buy it, because eventually you will use the saving from rebate to pay for the repair.