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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  WOW - Simply Put - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Digger - July 27 - 2:00 am

  At first I was skeptical about buying the Grand Prix, but now I am so happy I did!!! This car has been totally reliable, fun, and economical.

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  99 gp - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By stevie - July 27 - 2:00 am

  fast, fun to drive,but economically bad.

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  I love my 2003 GrandAM GT! - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Raymondray - July 27 - 2:00 am

  I got A GrandAM GT1 Sedan,fully loaded. I love the leather seats! I got a beautiful color,"Polo Green Metallic" Which gleams beautifully when the sun hits it. I got the "Moonsoon" sound system which I highly reccomend,the best stock sound system I have ever heard. The 6 cylinder isvery quick,and with the "Ram Air" I got plus I put a K&N perfomance air filter in,it has about 200 horse power,and I have timed my car zero-60 in about 7.5 seconds! Good horse power for a V-6,I can remeber years ago when V-8s had 200 horse power. Over all a great car,I give it a 10!!

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  My Convertible - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By krhahn - July 26 - 1:13 pm

  I have not had the automobile long, but the handling and striking good looks are incredible.

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  Very good car - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Rob9512 - July 25 - 4:03 pm

  Overall this car is just great. Car has great performance for this type of car, very good gas mileage for the hp, and has plenty of room. The cars do have some common problems like leaking intake gaskets, failing window switches, and blower motor resistor failures but its just general repairs. The drivetrain is overall extremely reliable and it is very common for these to hit 200k+ miles. The overall performance, style, gas mileage, features, reliability, and practicality make its pros far out weigh its cons. People who post on here about reliability issues with the motors in these cars are insane. Most of what people list are general maintenance. The 3800 is a very proven motor

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  Lots of Miles - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By Kirk - July 25 - 8:56 am

  My van has 281,000 miles on it. The major problem with them is related to antifreeze. Everything that has cost me money to fix was antifreeze related. I had to replace parts that wore out like struts, steering components and such. I use it as a cargo van daily loaded down with 1500 pounds of weight daily and carry a ladder on top. I get about 17 mpg. When I drive it empty I still get 24mpg. The body is still in good shape, I just had to replace the door hinge because I open the door way too many times. The v6 is still has a lot of torque with all those miles. At 250k it finally got a hole in the leather seats, not to bad for a work truck.

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  Well - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mike - July 25 - 2:00 am

  A month after I bought the car, the both power windows went out. GM wants $315 per motor. You can find them online for $50 - $80. I bought a power motor online, and it wasnt an exact fit. Sent it back, and requested another one. Hopefully it will work. The car hesitates when pushing on the gas when it isnt warmed up. Im sure guy I bought it from warmed it up before I came since it didnt do that when I test drove it. Long story short, I wished I hadnt bought it.

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  5spd - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By 3ni - July 25 - 12:10 am

  All factory with aftermarket 19 inch bbs rims, rides nice kinda slow as compared to a 1.8 vtech honda, I have 310000 KM and it still runs smooth with no major problems eccept for that dam window!!!

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  The best GTO ever !!! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By GTO by Ben - July 24 - 3:50 am

  I had a 1966 and 1968 GTO from the same dealer I got my 2005 Midnight Blue GTO Cant believe the sound and power from the LS2 400hp engine.Very comfortable ride and did I mention the POWER. Great sounding radio system,love the six-disc cd changer. I agree that it looks so much better in person.

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  A lot better than my 2001GT - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By pontiacrod1970 - July 23 - 5:46 pm

  I purchased this car after owning a 2001 Grand Prix GT that seemed to have alot of drive axle trouble!