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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  Great Low cost car - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Esteban - July 22 - 10:03 am

  I have been driving a 2D SE pontiac for a couple of years and havent had any problem its a very good car for the price

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  A Cheap Car - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By hannah - July 21 - 2:26 pm

  I bought my Grand Am when I was strapped for cash. It was affordable.In the first 30 days of owning it the alternator and the battery went out. I have since replaced the alternator 3 times.The brakes have also been replaced 3 times. Major overhaul on them each time, costing me several hundred dollars. My transmission leaks badly, the water pump has been replaced, as has the serpentine belt. I also expeience severe vibrations when driving on the highway. I wouldnt by another grand am. I cannot afford to get it fixed every few months.

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  good old bonnie - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By woodsy - July 21 - 2:00 am

  This has a terrific car. Its fun to drive, has been reliable, and looks good. My only complaint is a small back seat. Very uncomfortable for adults, and definitely too small for 3 people.

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  surprised - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Darrell - July 17 - 3:33 am

  Bought it in June 05 , and have 9000 miles on it . Pleasantly surprised . MPG on Hwy at 80 mph we got 32 mpg on a 600 mile trip . My wife averages 28-30 in mixed driving . Very quiet except on really rough roads, excellent stereo , and spacious back seat on base sedan . Some cheap plastic on the interior , but what do you expect for under 20k ?

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  Fun car for short time - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By AkosPrime - July 17 - 2:00 am

  This car was excellent for about 100K miles. I only had a few problems with it during that time: power window motors died twice & the elec system easily. All in all it was still a great ride. After 110K miles the car developed a problem that I have spent many hours and dollars trying to get fixed. Now it needs to be warmed up for 5 minutes before it can be driven anywhere no matter what the temperature outside or else the engine dies when the clutch is depressed. The car looks beautiful, its great for driving in nice weather, and fun! The quality does not lead me to believe that it is a car for the long haul.

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  99 Sunfire se - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By E. - July 13 - 5:56 am

  Nice little car for work/travel. Had to replace tires & Rotors/calipers at 63,000 miles which cost me about $800.

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  Its the little things that matter most! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By New York Driver - July 12 - 6:56 am

  21,000 miles - I have had no problems with my GP mechanically yet. I am however a new york resident, and I often get pounded by the snow here. One of the first things that I noticed was that when lifting the windshield wipers up, they are stopped by there arms hitting the hood. This only allows for about 6 inches to clear all the snow and ice off, and they dont stay up, so you have to hold them. Also, the salt requires frequent squirts of washer fluid, but even the slightest cold weather freezes the squirters. The windows freeze easily too. The heated seats will burn your butt though! The chrome handles get scratched very easily. I always wanted a GP, and now I have one, its nice.

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  grand am - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By starfire78 - July 4 - 5:26 pm

  Bought this car from a dealer it had one owner w/17,900 miles on it in 2006 and its unbelievable it was a 2002 so I purchased it it was a great car and very reliable up till last year 2009 when I had to have the head gasket replaced and 6 months later the fuel pump and now with only little over 50,000 miles on it there is something seriously wrong dont know what and no mechanic seems to either went from a reliable car to not so much reliable now I am scared to drive it with my two children not knowing if I am going to be stranded or not

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  Choose Wisley - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Iffy - July 4 - 4:50 pm

  This is a good but not great car. I bought it used a year ago and have had some problems. 2 of the windows went down, alternator left me stuck on the side of the road 100 miles from home and now the right front speed sensor is bad. Convert is plugged also. The car has good power and is fun to drive.

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  2002 Pontiac Bonneville SE 4dr 3.8L 6cyl - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Leon - July 2 - 10:10 am

  Bought new 9/2001. bad move. poorly built, just a bad car. Fun to drive when its running. With Goodyear Assurance tires (soft ride), rides like a Cadillac. nice mileage for a big car, decent handling, fairly peppy. But - replaced lower intake manifold gasket twice ($700+ job), 1st time at 35,000 miles, 2nd at 95,000 miles. All 4 electric window units replaced, bad leaking problem, rain leaked into / under 3 of the doors and pooled on the carpeting. 8 trips to dealer. Moon roof was only used 15 times, then the linkage cracked and fell apart. $1200 to fix - I opted to seal it shut with gasket compound. Window washer motor replaced. A lot of rattles. My wife refuses to drive it.