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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  Cute, Fun, Constant maintance - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By wt - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I really enjoyed my car when I first purchased it. My son thought the design was great and we began the adventure. The car requires alot of maintenance and appears to be in the shop every other month for some new issue. Pontiac charges for each diagnostic check and then the labor, then the parts......the car is menopausal.

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  Like it, But much rather have a G8. - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By delta125 - January 20 - 3:08 am

  Got mine in August 2010 with 54,000 miles on it and only paid 11000 for it with everything I could Want. Great car, I treat it terribly but have no problems with it. Averaging 18 mpg mostly a city drive for me, Not a big fan of all the exterior plastic and how the Controls are angled toward me. My by far favorite part of this car is the stiching on the leather, makes the interior shine im my opinion.

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  Still Blows Me Away - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By joser94 - January 19 - 12:08 am

  I have owned this car for a little over a year now after getting it pretty cheap and I love it and hope to have it for years to come. First few months were okay but did a few weird things that required some work to be done to it but no problem because I do just about all of it myself. It growled when accelerating from a stop but surprisingly fun to drive and extremely cozy in the fall and winter! I got 3 months/2000 miles out of it and the engine bearings went bad, guessing the previous owner didnt keep the oil changed. Since then all has been well with it. I have replaced the brake pads and rotors, drums and shoes, mounts and alternator but it makes up for that wit its power!

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  My first Pontiac ever so far so good, 2010 G6 - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By painter60 - January 18 - 8:41 pm

  So far we like the G6 we bought it 3 months ago with 25,000 miles and we have put another 1,000 miles on it, one thing I dont like is the hood bumpers keep loosening and the hood rattles, I found out after buying that t has been wrecked on the left front but its hard to tell. All I know at this point is that its a base model 2.4 motor it runs alittle rough in the morning but smoths out when it gets worm. I changed the tire size to 235/55-17 and it looks great with the wider tires, my wife wants me to paint it red she hates the white. Is there anything I can do to give it more HP?? I would like to find a rear wing for it (used) if anyone has one email me. Thanks for reading.

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  05 vibe - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Nick Davis - January 18 - 5:30 pm

  always seems to run and drive well, never any reliability concerns, I do have a rattle in the dash at less than 1 year old, and seems a little small at times. But I otherwise cant think of a more practical starter car for the small family.

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  just got it - 2009 Pontiac G3
  By sm - January 15 - 12:20 pm

  We needed better gas mileage. I never liked hatchbacks. We were looking at the Corolla, Prius or Civic when the G3 was shown to us. Someone had it for 3 mos and put in an in dash navigation system/sirius radio, etc. We looked at it, test drove it - took it him that night. We just got it, but I really like driving it. Roomier than it looks.

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  The car you dont want to buy - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By james101 - January 14 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Pontiac in 1998 its been the worst car I ever owned. I like the way the engine runs and the way the car looks, but thats where it stops! I had to replace the engine in it, had to replace the main oil seal, the power stearing pump twice, and i had to change the starter twice you do not want to buy this car just for this reason! Luckly its all under warnty or i would have around 5,000 to 10,000 in work done to it.

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  Good Riddance! - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jimdes - January 13 - 3:23 pm

  I thought Id be stuck with this car, but fortunately, I totaled it. It was nothing but trouble from day 3. First, the radio had to be replaced because it was draining the battery when the car was parked. Then there was a series of electrical issues, primarily with the brake warning lights coming on indicating the ABS and ETS were not functioning. Pontiac didnt know how to fix this and just told me to keep driving it. Finally, on the 5th attempt, it was fixed. Theres also a common issue that the blinker sound will come on while driving. Thank God I purchased a 60K warranty on this when I bought it brand new! My partner, on the other, hand purchased a 2002 Grand Am SE1 and had 0 probs

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  Lovin Every Minute of It!!!!! - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By LimoBarbie - January 12 - 3:13 pm

  I love this car! 1 sexy machine with a huge "hey BABY" factor. Im 50 and it makes me feel 16 again! Has every option available, wicked fast even with the auto tranny and Ive shown a lot of STUNNED Stangs and BMWs tire smoke and tail lights (got the performance upgrade so its hotter than the reg one) and I had to buy a radar detector because Im a very bad girl!! Loved my Town Car but after driving TCs for a decade I wanted something HOT-smooth sexy curves and the adorable eager-to-run expression on its little buck-toothed face makes me smile every time I see it. A real head-turner that folks swear must be an import and blazing speed to keep this old gal happy! I love him SO MUCH!!!!!!

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  decent transportation and cool looks - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By redsharkrodney - January 10 - 10:00 am

  reliable...few bugs...cd player went out...and my parents have same car and there cd player went out as well...nice sporty looking car. monsoon sound system is a plus. drives nice. good gas mileage.