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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  Frequent flier for the service shop - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Now a Chrysler owner - September 15 - 2:00 am

  First it was the a/c, power door, and radio. Then the steering column- $1,100.00. (They said I could get by for a while but eventually I would not be able to straighten the car after turning left!). 3 wks later the $700.00 manifold problem. Brake problem 2 months later- $400.00 dollars. One month later a bad alternator-$600.00! All after 42,000m! My husband thought I was having an affair with the service men. Ill sure miss sitting in the service lounge. Havent watched The Price Is Right in years!!!!

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  Practical and Sporty - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Adam. - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my Grand Prix two years ago, and my parents were so impressed with it that they bought one as well. As far as domestic cars go, it is a great buy.

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  my grand am - 2005 Pontiac Grand AM
  By scott - September 14 - 10:16 pm

  solid, reliable car. looks great, performs really well. definitely fun to drive and still gets good gas mileage (Ive averaging like 26-27 with a mix of city and highway driving)

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  Grand Am GT V6 - Going Stron - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By GMA - September 14 - 1:33 am

  Bought from a friend in 2005 who bought it new; it had ~50000 miles when i purchased it. Now has ~130000 on it. Replaced window motor, head gasket, alternator, brakes, rotors, rim leaking, shocks, etc... Typical for this car and similar to other posts. But, car drives great and if you keep RPMs under 2000, you can expect ok gas mileage. Everything still works, so no valid reason to trade it in, although it isnt work too much now. Will keep driving until the wheels fall off. If you are considering buying, try to get it cheap and make sure you go through these reviews to determine if any of these typical problems have been fixed. Mine is red, so looks good still when it is buffed

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  Never Again - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Naomi - September 12 - 1:36 pm

  I have had numerous problems with my 2001 Grand Am se 2.4 twin cam. There has been so many problems with it and still has problems that I wouldnt even know where to begin because Its been that rough

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  2008 Solstice - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Danny - September 12 - 1:56 am

  I just bought the solstice and I love it. The ride and handle is great. The inside a little cramped and the cup holders are in bad locations. Not much storage anywhere so dont go shopping on this car. But over all I love this car.

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  Suoercharged fun - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Mark - September 12 - 1:36 am

  Pontiac is the spirited style division of GM and this car shows it! If you dont love it you hate it. I love the style the SSEi brings to the table as well as its spirited performance. The red glow of the cluster is on par with my BMW 540i and the interior offers more room for the family. MPG is over 27 when going 75ish on the interstate, but fall of fast when dipping in to the supercharger around town. All in all I wouldnt give up my BMW for it, but when I figured in the bang for the buck factor, I bought and love it. Another great alternative is the Buick Park Ave ULTRA. Same power train, but more laid back in design.

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  Looks Better Than It Runs - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By The Fastest lemon - September 11 - 10:53 am

  Ive had my 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT Sedan for three and a half years. My Dad handed it down to me after he lost use of his right leg to cancer and I hit a deer with my 93 S-10. For the first three years Ive had it, it gave me no problems and I like the way it looks, especially in black, sleek and sinister, the fog lamps, spoilers, and dual exhausts dont hurt either. It was pretty fast and fuel efficient, but it turned into a piece of crap once it had 115,000 miles on it. The windshield wipers stick up when theyre turned off, the tail-break lights dont work, you could time its acceleration to highway speed with a calendar, the windows dont work, and it guzzles gas like a V8.

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  Build Quality leaves me disappointed - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By pgkuchar - September 11 - 5:53 am

  I purchased this van as a GM certified used vehicle with 10,000 miles on it. In the first week of having it I noticed transmission fluid dripping from under the engine. It turns out they needed to replace seals in the transaxle. This is major surgery on essentially a brand new vehicle. I traded a 2004 Kia with 30,000 miles on it that had never had a single issue, so I was very disappointed to have these kinds of problems immediately. The GM certification sure didnt mean much. I wonder now what else will be waiting for me from this point forward.

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  My grown up car - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Brenda23236 - September 10 - 10:33 pm

  I bought my G6 because I wanted a "grown-up" car with bells and whistles that was responsible and safe. I am insurance-cost conscious and I wanted it to be young and fun. I found all of these things in my purchase. It is the best thing I have done for myself in a long time!