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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  Torn between giving a good or bad review - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Chris.I - June 26 - 1:40 am

  I Bought my Grand Am in 2004, with 38k miles on it. I recently traded it in last week with 103k miles, and the dealership gave me $900 trade in value on it. I never really had any MAJOR issues, but had tons of minor issues, like 2 electrical issues, Drivers side power window broke, Both rearview mirrors broke, Oil change light constantly on (even right after an oil change), Trac system light comes on whenever I turn a sharp corner, Dials fell off, radio volume faded in & Out. last problem I had was everytime I stopped at a red light, the car would putt, like it wanted to stall, So I got a tuneup, hoping it would fix the problem, which it didnt. Overall I loved the car, but It had to go

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  Sporty G6 - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By ju - June 23 - 12:40 am

  Had the car for 4 months, runs great, very quiet. Overall a great car, wonderful style, excellent performance, engine is very quiet, good size trunk. Would like better mileage, getting 21/22mpg overall. Also two to three more inches of head space in the back seat

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  Overall decent car - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By JoeDub - June 20 - 10:50 pm

  This car has been good so far with only a few major repair jobs. I love the power of the engine and the quick acceleration. Even with over 100k miles on it the car still pulls strong.

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  what a awesome car! hold on to it! - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By southernguy27 - June 19 - 9:33 pm

  I have enjoyed this car since day one, I would hold on to this one since they dont make Pontiac anymore. I bought my GTP with 90k and now has 102k and runs great, the 3.8L is bulletproof, but if you get one, make sure you replace the intake manifold gaskets! they are made of plasic and leak. But GM has corrected the gaskets with aluminum ones and make sure you get the GM ones! DO NOT GET THE AFTERMARKET FEL-PRO ONES! they are also made of plasic! the car has been very reliable and extremely fun to drive. The car still looks new for a 97. Ive replace a few sensors and the gaskets since I bought it but thats it. Also parts are cheap, fairly easy to work on. Find one and get it!

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  Not too bad. - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Kyle78 - June 18 - 10:00 am

  So far, I havent had any real problems with this car. It has 67,000 miles on it and the only problem I have had is with the tail lights not working. I got that fixed at the dealership. No other problems.

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  Fun to drive, many repairs - 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
  By kirkhemphill78 - June 17 - 11:04 am

  60,000 miles, rear air shock bladder broke, $360. 65,000 miles, mass flow air sensor, $205. 70,000 miles, paint started peeling off hood and below gas cap, did not fix. 70,000 miles Service Engine Soon light, cracked vacuum line to gas tank, $105. 85,000 miles, upper manifold gasket and PVC valve, $895. 85,005 miles, throttle position sensor, $169. 90,000 miles, Service Engine Soon light, replaced gas cap, $105. 95,000 miles, replaced vacuum control valve, $169. 112,000 miles, replaced catalytic converter, $140. 125,000 miles, rebuilt transmission, $2,200. Not enough room to show all.

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  Good Little Car - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Good Little Car - June 8 - 7:03 pm

  Bought the car with only 1200 miles on it, and was always a great car. Always got me where I needed to go, never left me stranded. The AC always blows cold, and I have never had to do any major maintence besides brakes, and fluids. The engine is fast, and gets great fuel economy. But, one day we took it up town, went in the store, came out, and would not start. Car had 242,000 miles on it by then. Was a great car, and we were expecting it to go. Guy at the shop said the engine was blown, and we had the option to crush it, or rebuild it. We crushed it, and now own a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser.

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  Love my Grand Am - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By alie0313 - June 7 - 2:30 pm

  I have had this car for 5 years now, bought off my aunt. It has 150,000 miles on her and she still runs like new! Ive had to replave the power steering pump and chip that controls electricals on the dash at about 140,000 miles. Other than that, she runs great, mpg is good and plenty of room for a family!!

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  6 yrs and going strong - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ddeaves - June 4 - 5:07 pm

  I bought my little sunfire new in 2005. I got the sport package with the snazzy wheels and side designs. I have had more complements on this Electric Blue car, than my red mustang! It just looks FAST and sporty. Im not even a big fan of blue, but people love it. I have never had to do a thing to it, just reg. oil changes, runs great. I only have 35,000 miles on it, but Im pretty rough on a car, and it has done well, and is still BEAUTIFUL. I have the 5 speed manuel, gets good gas mileage, about 33 hwy, 25 in town. My kids all say it is a really rough passenger ride, but as the driver, I dont notice it. It has a lot of get up and go (torque).

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  GTO and the driver of today - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Hennesey GTO - June 4 - 7:30 am

  Coming back from a visit from Afghanistan I wanted a new vehicle. I was debating between three cars. A 2003 Ford Mustang Cobra, 2005 Corvette C-6 or a 2005/06 GTO. The Vette and the GTO offered 400Hp of true aspirated engine. The Cobra offered 390 with the factory Super Charger. The GTO had four seats. Also honestly, how many GTOs do you see compared to the mustang and Vette? My choice was obvious. I needed to put the test on it. I drove it from North Carolina to California and back. No problems the entire trip. When I got back there were some electronic issues. Nothing a few hundred cant fix. I later invested about $10,000 into the engine to make it a real 535 RWHP beast. I love my GTO.