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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  Still runs - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By mememe - August 16 - 9:13 am

  Bought it in 2001 with 17k miles on it. The 6-cylinder engine gives it decent speed pickup. There is no rust except on the underside, which is pretty good after this many years for Minnesota. It had never stalled on me. The numbers of problems Ive run into keeps growing though, even though I dont drive it much. Power windows dying a slow and painful death, one of the fog lights going out periodically due to bad wiring, the cd player display malfunctioning and it wouldnt play cds for about a year (I was about to have it replaced when it magically started working again), fan/ac giving off a high pitch noise, and the all-to-common leak problem.

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  grand am - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Anonymous - August 16 - 2:00 am

  This is the most miserable car Ive ever owned. The same three problems happen every year (window regulator, blower motor, transmission.) I paid $10,000 for it in 04 Ive put approx $6,000 into it in repairs. I will never own another pontiac again based on the performance of this car.

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  M6 Impulse Blue 2004 GTO - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Phillip Kelley - August 12 - 1:13 pm

  I purchased my 2004 GTO in November 2004. I have 2600 miles on the car and to date have had no problems with it mechanically. I do have a few concerns in the fact that the drivers and passengers windows do not defrost when there is inclement weather. Also the fact that you have to shift the 6 speed manual transmission from 1st to 4th (CAGS) under certain conditions is a pain in the neck! There is a bypass kit to eliminate this feature so I will probably install one soon. Also the fuel economy isnt close to what is stated on the window sticker. I thought that the power would be better but with a heavy car I guess its not too bad. In general I like the car very much and for the pricing it is great.

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  Good on the outside, bad in the middle. - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Steven - August 12 - 12:20 am

  I bought this car as a used car with 45,000 miles on it. The first couple months I had this car I had no problems with it. Then I was rear-ended at about 30mph and it did over $5,500 in damage, and wasnt totaled. Since then we have had nothing but problems out of this vehicle, and Ive had to buy another vehicle because its been in the shop so many times. The build quality, and reliability is absolutely horrible in this car. I cant believe American made Pontiac would produce such a horrendous car. The exterior is very beautiful, and the car does turn heads a lot. But, the downside is that everyone knows about Grand Ams reliability, and I wish I wouldve know that when I bought it.

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  2008 G6 Very Good - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By S N B - August 11 - 11:13 pm

  Its quick with great pickup and is fun to drive. I like a lot of space in the drivers side area and it has it. The view behind you is very limited because of the high trunk, I still have not mastered backing in to a spot yet.

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  Commuter Car - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Mark - August 11 - 9:56 am

  Bought this car from my sister with 140,000 on it, it currently has 155,000 on it and runs great. I drive to school 30 miles every day and 40 miles to work on the weekends. Going 60-65mph on highways and taking it easy in town i am getting 28-31mph consistently. I can go from 300-350 miles on a tank of gas..i have NEVER been able to get more than 12.5g of gas in the car even with the gas light on, great on gas if babied and not bad looking for the year/price

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  1997 Firebird - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By John - August 10 - 4:13 pm

  My dad bought me this car for my 16th birthday and I love it. It has had some minor problems with the driver window motor and the power steering hose broke. But other than that I have had only standard maintenance on it. With the 3.8 liter v6 it has enough power to keep up with some V8s and has enough power to smoke the tires. I have fun driving it but in rain and snow it is not the best vehicle on the road. My firebird is silver with T-Tops and in the summer is fun to drive overall I believe that for a 16 yr old like me this is the perfect car. and my next car will be a firebird.

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  Sporty!!! - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By Delaware Hobbs - August 10 - 6:16 am

  I knew as soon as I saw this coming attraction that I would have to hold off purchasing a new minivan until it arrived. I bought a Montana in 98 and knew that I didnt want another minivan unless it was another Montana. I was not disappointed by the look and style - Its the only truly sporty minivan as far as Im concerned. I didnt plan on buying leather this time but I felt the cloth interior just looked too cheap. It seems to handle fine but even though the engine is 3.5 instead of 3.4, Im not convinced it performs better than my old one. There are little things I miss such as a light in the glove compartment, aux pwr outlet up front, dash space, reclining rear seats, see below

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  Fullfilled My Expectations - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Leanne - August 7 - 11:03 am

  Bought almost new, In total, i have put 110K on it. I have had almost no issues at all in the 6 years Ive had it. I still get 28 mpg avg. It has been a good investment; paid off 2 years ago and kept on going. For a 4 cyl. it goes pretty well, no trouble passing, and travels well at 60+. Had recent starter trouble, replaced it, no problem since. Also gas gauge seems to be off sometimes, but ive never had it looked at. I live in upstate NY, not great in snow, but not horrible, however RUSTED a LOT! Im not in love with this car, but I wasnt when I bought it. I wanted a little cheap car for lots of driving, got good mileage etc, and it filled my needs and was very reliable and fun.

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  My opinion - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By MyMy - August 7 - 10:00 am

  I bought this cause my wife wanted it. It is a nice car but with two young kids it could use a little more room. Im not happy with the engine power but Im use to hopped up street/strip cars. The fuel mileage is nice and ride is about average. You feel the bumps but not too bad.