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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  GOOD BUT COULD BE BETTER - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By CARMAX GIRL - December 16 - 3:33 pm

  This car is fun to drive and gets great gas milege. The interior and exterior are both comfortable and stylish, but the exterior paint is of poor quality. The car is also very reliable, but not fast.

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  nice car but............ - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By RAN1506 - December 15 - 10:00 am

  im not going to mention the dealer, but the dealer didnt put the right sticker in the window. the car is missing options that were on the sticker like abs an traction control. an the dealer an gm are not doing anything to make a dissatified person happy. i would of never picked the car would of picked the car out if it didnt have those options, due to the climate i live in. the dealer states i didnt pay for them but i think there pulling my leg. other then that the car is nice but i dont think gm is that great anymore i have a feelin that audi will be my next car.

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  If It Wasnt For the Windows - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By lmojo - December 15 - 10:00 am

  This has been a great car EXCEPT for the 2 window and now 3 window mechanisms Ive had to replace. Without warning, my windows stopped going up they only went down and stayed there. Now, I trying to decide whether I want to replace another window mechanism or just bou another vehicle!

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  Runs and Drives but not much more. - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By driverEd! - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Purchased this with 30K on it and was excited for the 100K warranty. Too bad it does not cover anything that went wrong with this car. Fun to drive, exterior looks somewhat dated, but cool, interior is junk. Shift linkage jammed up and could not put car in drive, had to be towed. Heater vent fell out and split in half. Window seals on driver door leaks water, drips on window switches. Glove box handle broke and fell off, $165 for that part. Trunk seal leaks water, trunk gets moldy smell. Once and a while the engine wont start without cranking for over 1 FULL minute. Just another Union made piece of junk. Its for sale as of today!

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  A proud owner - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By rub1 - December 10 - 10:06 am

  Bought this van in 2005. I have the one built in Canada. I use this car on a daily basis and drive it 5 hours a week on the highway. I have not had any major issues with this fantastic vehicle. Issues in 5 years: replaced tires 4 times in 8 years the engine icon lights turns on occasionally, but after check up everything is alright. Sometimes the front a/c vent stops working for a couple of minutes and automatically starts again. I had never owned vehicle for this many years. I am a satisfied customer.

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  Mine has held up good - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cardude - December 9 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Grand Am SE V6 in August of 97. It now has 175,000 miles on it. In my experience the brakes last about 25,000 miles between replacement. I have had very few problems with this car and it never broke down. I had to have the intake manifold gasket replaced at about 140,000 because it was leaking coolant, but at this mileage a lot of cars arent running anymore. Was going to buy another till I looked at the window sticker of a 3.4 liter V6 model & saw: source of engine - MEXICO. Thank you NAFTA. Now I drive a Honda with an engine that was made in U.S.A., go figure.

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  soso so far - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By dapper - December 9 - 2:00 am

  This is my second GM with the 3800 motor. My only problem so far is the left front suspension area keeps producing a popping noise during turning. The dealership has lessened the problem but cant seem to fix it. The 3.8L is a great reliable motor. My last one, a 1998 Olds Intr, had 98,000 mi. in 3 years with no mechanical problems. The car performs great and looks great especially when you tint the windows and change rims.

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  review of our Pontiac Sunfire - 2001 Pontiac Sunfire
  By wworld - December 8 - 10:00 am

  This car is too small for me to get in and out of comfortably. It is a good looking little car, but that is the problem, it is too little for me and I am only 58". My wife and I are always bumping each others elbows, fighting for our space. We are wanting someone to take over payments on it.

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  Very Happy - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Simon - December 7 - 2:00 am

  I wasnt hestitant at all when buying this car(GT 4dr sedan). I knew I was getting a car I could be comfortable in. Its big yet very quick, agile and comes with dual airbags for safety. So far I have been getting 24 to 25 miles per gallon, not sure if I am misreading other websites that claim 28 to 30. So far this car has given me exactly what I needed, comfort, acceleration, safety and did I say comfort.

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  PCM - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By jk - December 6 - 2:00 am

  I had the Power control Module replaced in May 2010 and when I questioned the recall that just came out, I was advised that I should not have paid for the PCM since it was under a warranty put in place by the government and I received a full refund. Check into it if you have also had the PCM replaced and your Vibe is not over 8 years old