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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  Money Pit (not starring Tom Hanks) - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jager - August 31 - 10:03 am

  Heads up about the 3.4s, they have a known problem with the head gasket. Mine was faulty, leaked antifreeze into engine, brokedown oil and screwed my engine. $4000 (no warranty)later I have a new engine and no confidence in the rest of the car. Also, I had to have the electronic brake control module changed ($2000, but under warranty still). I desperately want to like Pontiacs but my faith is weakening in them.

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  Over the long haul - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By DLW - August 30 - 10:20 pm

  Bought the car two years ago, commute 320 miles round trip daily. We average 30 mpg, some days better, some days worse. Im a bigger fellow, small cars dont cut it, not on this commute! Only car I have that comes close to the comfort is my 91 Grand Marquis, and in the winter, the front wheel drive is a must over the mountain passes we traverse. In hot weather, the car quits. Always at speed on the interstate. Put it in neutral while coasting, and the engine comes back to life, and away we go. Just turned 255 thousand miles, and I dont know what to do to kill this car. Love it, but its been around too long. Just dont know what Id replace it with!

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  Sunfire - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Ronnysrv - August 30 - 2:00 am

  Over the course of owning the vehicle, I have had several major problems with it. The keyed ignition has consistantly had trouble unlocking at random times when I insert the key and I cant turn it. Usually after fiddling with it, it would turn. Twice it never would, and I had to have it towed to the dealer. The alternator has failed twice and I had to have it rebuilt. The compressor has been replaced.

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  97 trans am ws - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By art hicks - August 30 - 2:00 am

  terrible in snow. computer (ses) light is very sensative to aftermarket modifications, otherwise no major problems at 37000 miles.

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  Pleased - 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
  By BW - August 28 - 10:00 am

  Owned for 1 year with no problems. Has plenty of power. With the standard length van means less weight to lug around.

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  Good Cruiser - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By 2XBonnie - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This is my 2nd Bonnie. Ive had it 3 months. Replaced the front windshield (defective), had the windshield washed fixed and have one rattle that I fixed - they couldnt get the job done at the dealer. Jeez. The car is comfortable and roomy - good sized trunk. A good highway cruiser but not a good handling car in the twisties. VG standard radio. OK seats.

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  One cool car - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By JD - August 28 - 4:30 am

  Its been a fun and nice car to have. But at only 21,000 miles im already having problems with belts and rotors. It would be better i think to have it as a awd drive car with 305hp. Other than that i love all the features.

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  VERY NICE DRIVE - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By MARC CLAPP - August 25 - 10:00 am

  HIGHWAY RIDE IN VERY NICE. CRUISES AT 80+ VERY COMFORTABLY. AERODYNMAMICS MAKE IT EXCEPTIONALLY STABLE IN STRONG CROSSWINDS FOR A LIGHTWEIGHT CAR. HANDLES NICELY....FLAT IN TURNS. SOMETIMES YOU WISH ACCELERATION FROM 40 TO 60 MPH WAS STRONGER, BUT 30+ MPG IN SUBURB DRIVING IS WELCOME WITH HIGH GAS$$. LOVE SPLIT FOLD-DOWN REAR SEAT AND HARD FLOORING. HANDLES 5 BODIES AMAZINGLY WELL WITH REARSEAT UP. HEADROOM IS GOOD, ESPECIALLY IN REARSEATS!

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  every pennies worth - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Bryan Mirzaian - August 24 - 8:36 pm

  My dad bought me this car 10 years ago for little more than $6k with 67k on the odo. 10 years later,I still (hard) drive it daily with over 200k miles. @ 178k pulled a 16.07 sec 1/2 mile having less than $180 in performance parts,& that was with almost a half sec crap start! I use full syn oil, changed timely,& replace the usual parts when they fail. Parts failure is inevitable with any car, its the nature of the beast! But have never had to crack the motor open & thats the more pertinent point. Cost of ownership has been very low.My quad4 motor began smoking V6 GA`s with a $25 cone filter, so not sure why one would choose the heavier V6 that has more moving parts to potentially fail.

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  Reliable Car for me - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By luvmycar - August 24 - 8:20 pm

  I bought my Pontiac Sunfire used w/29k miles. It now has 77,000 and I have not had any major issues at all. I still get great gas mileage and over 30 mpg on the highways. Its fun to drive and noise is not a factor. The engine is strong and peppy for a 4 cylinder.