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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  Trouble with this car - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Hutch2 - May 24 - 2:00 am

  We have had nothing but problems with this car. 1 month out of warranty, it required a new alternator. We have had to replace a gasket for the transmission fluid. Power steering is going. The fan for heat/AC has been replaced - and currently doesnt work on the lowest two speeds. We will not be purchasing a Pontiac for a long time, if ever.

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  Vents - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Amy - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Owned my car for one month, the vents do not properly work in the center of the dash, there was a problem with my door not closing and the car not starting properly, Im told that my vents cannot be fixed due to the way the car was designed, so basically the car was designed for 3 out of 4 vents to get air-flow! Way to go Pontaic, ha.

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  engineered to fail - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By leefan32 - May 15 - 9:53 am

  Owned it for 3 years now and everything I heard would fail did. I even changed the tranny fluid and antifreeze when I bought it at 20000 miles (32000km) but this year the tranny was revving high before changing gears and failed, then 3 months later there is a slight smell of antifreeze when the engine is warm and we find out the intake gasket is leaking - this is all before hitting 50000 miles (80000km). I know 4 other people who have similar vans and have had the same things changed. I bought the vehicle with really low miles so i wouldnt have to buy the ext warranty MISTAKE! if you get suckered into buying this do youself a favour get the ext warranty cause you will need it!

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  worst car by GM - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By import-4-ever - May 10 - 2:00 am

  I bought my grandam at the same time my mom bought her masda protoge and since then i can see difference in the two .My grandam has had a head gasket job ($1000),stuck shifter ($70),several electronic sensors averaging $600 dollars excluding labour charges, failed ABS system($400), overheating ($200),no heater (Something is wrong with the heater core)....the list is endless.My advise ..DO NOT GET A USED GRANDAM..andif you have a trouble free one get rid of it before 100K besause thet is where the trouble begins

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  So glad to be rid of it!!!! - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By stlbluesfan - April 28 - 7:13 am

  What a piece of crap. Bought it used in 2007 with 34000 miles on it. Nothing but problems. Replaced the steering column after 1 year ($570), went through 2 sets of rotors (could not be turned, had to be replaced), front sway bars bad, wheel bearings bad, wouldnt start most of the time on first try, check engine light on intermittently, transmission starting to hard shift, sliding door stuck open more than once, rear windshield wiper motor burnt out, much much more...too much to keep listing here. All with only 86250 miles on it and regular service and maintenace. Traded it in on a 2007 Honda CR-V and could not be happier. Will never buy another GM product!!!

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  Garbage In Garbage Out - 2002 Pontiac Aztek
  By simpleaztek - April 14 - 9:30 am

  Words of Wisdom - once the Aztek is over 3 years old or 50,000 miles it will deteriorate into a money pit. We absolutely loved ours until about eight months ago. Front passenger wheel bearing went, then the intake manifold leaked (yes, I know about the DexCool settlement) and then we had a cracked head gasket. Over $3k into the car in the past six months and its only 5 1/2 years old and with only 60,000 miles on it. Here I come Honda! Never a GM car again for me.

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  no more american made cars - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By curlydoo - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I have 120,000 miles on this car and just had to replace the motor mounts,which in turn necessitated intake manifold and transmission service. It is now blowing blue smoke. Dont buy one of these.

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  Total Poor Quality - Beware! - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By JennyinOhio - March 15 - 12:16 am

  This car has given us nothing but trouble. It is poorly made in every regard. Parts have fallen off the car such as the interior door panel reflector and the wing type material above the window. The front hub bearing had an issue, the fuel pump went out, the electrical is very messed up and lights fill the dash at any given time whether or not there is an issue. The repairs it would take to make this car drivable far exceed its worth. Mechanics will tell you how many issues GMs motors are having. Just DONT DO IT.

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  S & K Pontiac Sucks!!!! - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Frustrated - March 11 - 10:00 am

  I bought my first new car in 2000. I replaced a tire that blew at 12,100 miles and the dealership wouldnt back it. This year alone, I replaced front wheel bearings, rear struts and my transmission went out. Not just a little but the planetary gear locked up and came apart, ruining my entire transmission. The dealership and the corporate people offered me 15% of a over $3000 bill. Needless to say this will be the last time I buy a pontiac in Springfield, IL.

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  GM Cheated Us - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GMMan - March 9 - 10:00 am

  WE bought a used pontiac grand prix se from Iron Trail Motors in Virginia Mn with 26,000 miles on it. The day after we got it the car started to have problems. The dealer fixed a few thing but not the major issues like the paint falling off. thats right the car now has 49,972 miles and the paint is falling off. i called GM and took it to get looked at, they told us it was in an accident and repainted and now delamination has began.GM said they cant help us but there is no proof of any accident on the title. They said theres nothing they can do. So in all dont go to a Gm dealer or you might get a car thats been smashed then GM says "sorry we cant help you"and so did the dealership that did it.