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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  PGT - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Sus - September 19 - 3:10 pm

  I bought this car after my 97 Pontiac was totalled. I was absolutely in love with the look of this car and had always wanted it, so I was pretty excited to get it. The outside still looks sporty, but I have had some major problems with the body. First, I live in MN and while parking I hit a snowbank and the front bottom of the bumper broke off. Cheaply piece of plastic! Then I had someone hit me and coulnt open my passenger side door, finally the paneling broke off on a drive home on the interstate. Maybe I just have bad car luck. As for the maintenance I havent, luckily, had to replace anything major. It is almost at 140,000 and I just recently replaced my serpentine belt and tensioner.

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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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  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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  One problem after another!! - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By cassandra1189 - September 1 - 8:27 pm

  I have had this car for a year and I cant wait to get rid of it! Bought it used with 40k in June 2010 and after a week noticed that the carpet in the back was wet. Thought it was a seal in the door but a few weeks later I had over an inch of water in the back. STILL having problems a year later! Driver headlight doesnt work, Ive had the bulb replaced and wiring tightened, still comes on and off at random. Brake lights stay on all the time, except when Im USING my brakes! Had the brakelight switch replaced and still not working properly. The silver/chrome interior is peeling and looks horrible. Had a 1999 grand prix that I loved and this car has definitely been a disappointment!!!

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  Grand AM - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Kriss - August 30 - 4:53 am

  I have had my Grand AM for 2 years now and its been a horrible experience. They are made very poorly, and nothing is easy to get to when trying to fix it. It has broken down 4 times already and nothing has been cheap to fix. It still runs and I am still driving it but I hate it. It is a very unreliable car and Im hoping to sell it or trade it off as soon as possible because I have a baby on the way and I dont want to be driving a unreliable car when I have a newborn.

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  Warning to other potential owners - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By echocheckin - August 27 - 11:22 am

  I bought my 2005 Montana used 4 years ago and actually loved it during that time, but in the last 2 months, Ive put over $4000 into it in repairs which seem neverending. Overheating was the initial problem and Ive had coolant leaks fixed, a new water pump and thermostat put on. The problem continued and Ive ended up with a leaking head gasket, then the battery died and now it has electrical problems. Door locks have never worked properly, the temp gauge sticks so I dont even know anymore if it is overheating. I love it for comfort and roominess but Ive lost all faith in it, and I only have 72k miles on it and drive it gently. Ill be trading it in as soon as I can get to a dealer.

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  Why the major problems with no recalls? - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By koriseyes - August 19 - 12:56 am

  The vehicle is really a nice vehicle but, and this is a big but. There are alot of problems with this car and I havent owned it a year. The a/c condenser is bad, so for most of the summer in 90 degree weather, Ive been a hot tamale. The cluster is bad in a spot or two. The odometer does not work. How is this supposed to affect my resale value when you cant see the mileage. Not to great I would imagine. And now it sounds like I may have the first Aztek to be apart of NASCAR. Everytime I turn a corner I sound like Im burning rubber. Im sure by now that Pontiac/GM know by now that every year of the Aztek has major problems so why is there not help to fixing these problems? Uh? REcall!

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  does it really matter anymore - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By mbk - August 9 - 8:16 pm

  I guess Im a little heart broken at the lack of quality materials in the interior of the G6. The leather is so thin, Im almost afraid to touch it. The fact that the sports package included only half electric seats and a horrible handle to move the seats back and forth just floors me. I drove a 99 Olds Intigue GLS with all the bells and whistles, this just doesnt compare. Why did I buy it, Classic exterior look, great engine,good deal for the money,and the fact that GM is GM, and I wanted to stay American with some style.

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  Vibe / Matrix Mediocre car at best - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By spark123 - August 6 - 10:00 am

  Expensive car to maintain and drive. Maintainence parts hard to come by. Car requires special tires $125 each for cheapest. Poor fuel economy for size 28MPG Highway. Poor acceleration. Poor HVAC system. Harsh ride. Fair handling. Lots of squeaks and rattles. Found out after I bought it it actually was a Toyota. Reliability is good after 70000. Large blind spots at all 4 corners.

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  Very Disappointed - 2003 Pontiac Montana
  By mad@gm - August 6 - 10:00 am

  Purchased vehicle new in Dec 03 from Conkle pontiac. Problems with interior features from day 1. Winshield leaked damaging the headliner. In the first month of ownership the van was in the shop 20 days. The dealership has never fixed the problems and are now refusing to work on it. My audio controls and all my interior lights are hanging down. Windows do not operate properly. it has a continuing popping noise that is very loud and now my engine has developed a knock. Would not recommend this vehice to anyone.