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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  We love our "Blue Moblie" - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By tenkat - March 26 - 3:15 pm

  Weve had this car for 13 years and shes on 188,000 miles. Shes been amazingly reliable. Just now getting noisy after all the miles weve thrown her way.

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  Team Pontiac - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jbaker511 - March 25 - 10:33 am

  I purchased the 4-dr GT1 75th Anniversary Edition about 8 months ago. It has been the best decision I have made. The car absolutly rocks. Everyone that has driven it has been amazed about the great pick up and how smooth it rides. I can not say enough great things about this car.

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  Do not buy this car used - 2002 Pontiac Sunfire
  By dellis - March 25 - 8:43 am

  Bought this car on the cheap and that is exactly what I got, a cheap car. A litany of things went wrong with this car during the first 4 years, worst of all the rotors kept warping no matter what pads and rotors I put on. Of course the dealer told me it was because they werent OEM parts. Interior doesnt fit together snuggly, I felt like I had to fall in and climb out of this car, speakers rattle, passenger door not aligned right which was fixed by the dealer with a sledge hammer, very sluggish turn when starting, visor broke and flaps leisurely around while driving and its so loud in the cab that there is a feature that raises the radio volume automatically while driving certain speeds.

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  Rental car like - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By Lloyd Carder - March 25 - 3:26 am

  We purchased the G8 and was excited the the rear wheel drive would give the ride and feel of a classic American car. Instead the car rides like a go Kart is jumpy off the line and has a gas pedal like a tractor. The speedometer and Tach are covered by you hands at 10 and 2 leaving the digital speedometer to be stared at before you can focus to see what the faint red number says. The shifter slips into Neutral if you rest your hand on the shifter. The rear view mirror requires you to flip a lever, not a problem but the mirror has so many buttons for OnStar and other gadgets that you are always hitting them. We are selling the car after only 250 miles at a 6K loss to just get rid of it.

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  Best car Ive owned - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Jerry Rigsby - March 24 - 9:30 pm

  This car has brought back fun to the driving experience. Love to drive it in the city as well on the highway

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  Modern Muscle Car - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By JTAF - March 24 - 10:00 am

  This modern muscle car did not have to have the GTO name. It is its own muscle car made with todays features and technology. This is the first car of my era that I can think of that could possibly be an icon in the future. The 2000s has not seen too many strong American cars that have the right to be considered Muscle(without being $50k or higher). I am as excited about this as my Ftaher-in-law was when he was my age buying his GTO brand new. Who would have known then that his car would have been such an icon. This is history in the making. Thank you Pontiac for giving my generation the chance to be part of something great!

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  Pontiac Grand Am SE2 - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cmcbmh - March 24 - 10:00 am

  We purchased two of the Grand Am SE 2 within a week. The first experienced a module going which affected the anti lock braking mechanism. The part had to be ordered. It also had th electronic board in the dash go after 2 months. This made the tachometer freeze. Tehb 2nd car went 3 months and then had the same antilock braking module go. Be wary of this.

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  02 Grand Prix - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Testerman - March 23 - 4:43 pm

  This has been the best car I have ever owned. Only problem has been with the front wheel bearings. Both have gone out and it isnt a cheap repair. Engine is exceptional for the performance you get and the fuel economy you achieve. It has also run flawlessly for over 60,000 miles.

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  nothing is perfect, although this is close - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By jon - March 23 - 6:30 am

  GM needs to really get some younger engineers to design their vehicles or get new ones.This vehicle is made at the same plant which builds Toyota Matrix (which I like alot more than this cars outside design) I purchased this vehicle for the GM staple and show American car loyalty (please dont laugh, What loyalty?) Very versatile, functional, and fun to drive, no problems and car is 2 years old. Only regular maintenance and I would give this car a 10 but nothing is perfect.

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  Even better than I thought - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Matt - March 22 - 9:13 pm

  My previous car has been dying for the last few months and finally kicked the bucket this week. I have been researching cars for hours a day during the last few weeks and had trouble committing to something. Im the kind of person who wants everything. I wanted an SUV for the capacity. I have two dogs that I drive and need my car to move. Im on the road a lot. I also needed something that would be good on gas. I wanted a new car but those were too much for me right now. So I bought this used car with only 8,000 miles on it. Practically new. I love this car more than I would have thought. It looks great, drives great.