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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  worst new car i ever owned - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By brent walton - April 5 - 10:10 pm

  my g6 is the worst car i have ever owned...car is overpriced and is poorly built....have had many problems with this car....sunroof, radio, steering, rattles and noise from all areas....car is now in dealer shop again....cant find front end noise ..... cant fix sunroof noise .... car feels like it has 100,000 miles on it instead of 7000 ...... would never buy again....hate this car !

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  Trouble From Day 1 - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By RJB - March 28 - 9:13 am

  I bought this vehicle brand new and it has been nothing but trouble since I drove it off the lot. The warning lights on the dash light up constantly and randomly. You never can tell which lights or group of lights will come on. Of course the dealership never found a thing wrong. Its most recent behaviour is to either stall of have the engine nearly choke off each time you step on the accelerstor. Ive had the system gone over with a fine tooth comb and you guessed it. Nothing so far has corrected the problem. This was the first time in my life I had both car payments and repair bills. This vehicle is a true piece of junk. Always has been and always will be.

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  Looks nice, no Quality! - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By CRitter - March 19 - 7:53 am

  From the day I bought my 200 Grand AM, I have had to put thousands..yes thousands, into this car. The first problem was in the very first month, the power steering went ... it was covered under warranty .. .thank god, but the very day I picked it up the emergency brake was now not working. The car has just under 105,000 KMs on it and I have had to replace the brakes 3x, not only that the front AND rear struts/springs have had to be replaced 2x!! The next thing blew my mind! As I was driving all of a sudden the cassette panel started to smoke??!! Then it went away then there was this "clicky click" noise comming from the inside...That was another $300 to fix...and the coolant is constantly leaking!

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  Wheres the quality? - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Fozman - March 4 - 3:50 pm

  This car has been nothing but a pain since I bought it. Ive had to replace 2 window motors, a transmission (100,000 miles), blower control module, blower motor, stabilizer bar, and now the CV joints are going bad. When it rains hard you get water the car and trunk. Almost impossible to change the spark plugs yourself. Interior components are cheaply made and designed. The gas mileage is unimpressive. The front doors have started to rub the fender when you open them!! I find it disturbing when i go tot he junkyard to get parts that theres an abundance of Grand Prix to get parts off of. I will never buy another GM product.

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  bad - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By wayne - February 12 - 12:20 pm

  I purchased this car so my wife would have a safe reliable car, this is the first car I ever purchased new, 3000 miles the dealership changed the oil and didnt put oil back in the engine, car broke down on interstate and had to be towed back. got no help from dealership and have since purchased a Honda Civic, do not buy a car like this it is cheap, and not reliable

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  Piece of junk ! - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Brian - February 9 - 12:26 pm

  Bought this car from a private sale about 4 years ago and its cost my wife and I big money ever since. First the heater fan burnt out (Actually fried the wires)big dollars to fix, then the windshield vent started to leak very badly,tailight cover seals went allowing water in to rust wiring, now it appears the water pump is going and I have a concern with the transmission. Its been one thing after another ! Fuel economy is terrible as well. Only has 111,000 kms on it. Getting rid of it soon once repairs are made and this will be our final General Motors vehicle.

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  poor - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Brenda - February 2 - 12:46 am

  I thought this was a nice looking vehicle, loved the sporty look, but I have had nothing but problems with CD player, sunroof to replace Power Steering pump over 800$ I called GM said there was recall but would not help me with replacing power steering pump, no one would return my call and had to stay on line for a long period of time to talk to anyone.

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  Ripped off - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By ANGRY - February 1 - 9:36 am

  I am very disappointed in this minivan. I bought only 4 months ago, have had it in the service dept 8 times with sliding door problems, overhead console breakage, bounce in front end, starter is messing up, and got a message "service due soon". I have 1800 miles on vehicle. I got ripped off royally, being a woman they took advantage and dumped a bad car on me. I was talked into buying it before I knew it was a 2006, 2 year old van being sold as new. I was given a phony story by the salesman. I think they saw me coming with "Sucker" written on my forehead! I am thoroughly disappointed in it and the dealership attitude about it. Service dept helpful & nice, but I wish I had my Dodge van back!

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  Not impressed - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By trying to dump it - January 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought the vehicle in a crunch situation, and now wish I wouldve never looked American. The imports (Honda, Toyota) are light years ahead in engine science and quality of interior and paint exterior. The foreign market holds value much better and for the amount of money I paid for the 3100 V6, I would rather buy a 6- cylinder V-tec in the Accord or the V- tec in the Prelude. Much improvement is necessary.

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  bad idea - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By kps - January 20 - 10:00 am

  I paid six tousand for the car and put in 4000 worth of engine repair work into the car