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:
Showing 21 through 30 of 8,540.00-
Trans Am Ram Air - 1998 Pontiac Firebird
By tedmc - December 12 - 5:30 amLove this car! Fun to drive and the 5.7 liter coupled with a six speed tranny is pure throwback American muscle. All the horsepower and torque of higher priced cars is readily available under your right foot! Its really hard to beat this car in the bang for your buck category.
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Security system light probs - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
By sjclark - December 11 - 1:56 pmI have loved my car for the last 5 years i have had it, but then slowly I am starting to have probs. The security light flashes and I do the "10 minutes, keep your key in the ON position" and it goes back to normal. I did have to finally replace the pass lock cylinder which GM swears they are the only ones that can fix this. $500 later its fixed, but its been 3 years and I am starting to have those probs again! Very frustrating. Other than this issue, I love my car.
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Not Crazy About The SE Model - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
By jackdaniels7070 - December 7 - 6:00 amOnly owned for 9 or 10 months and the problems are starting to mount. Its only at 200,000 Km. The first week of ownership, the transmission started to kick in between 1st & 2nd gear while accelerating, ($2500 repair) it still continues to be a problem but cannon afford to fix transmission, rather deal with discomfort till I buy something better. Head gasket is on the edge of blowing, just driving a short distance and I can smell the dexcool leaking ($1500 repair) on to the hot engine. Power feels weak in the city, very stiff pedal, must apply a lot of force to accelerate. Bushings in the front are flattened, going around turns makes the car feel like its on ice year round ($1000 repair)
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Pontiac vibe - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
By moonstone - December 6 - 9:40 pmThis is a great driving car. Has power on interstate driving at 75 mph. Has plenty of head room, seats are ok ?
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great car - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
By jameshorton4 - December 6 - 9:38 amhad this GA 04 for 10 yrs. got it with 19000 miles on it. So far, had to replace the master/slave cylinder-due to defective master-trailing arm,due to hydroplaning into ditch. and now its getting close to 200000 miles and its starting to crunch shifting to third. guess its time to change the syncros. been a great car. excellent handling and mileage for gas. dont know if its worth the expense or time to change them. but it has been an awesome car. I put it through a lot of stuff over the last ten years. would def get another one like it.
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1 month - 7500 miles later - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
By Nat - December 4 - 12:23 pmTook my Vibe (a rebadged Toyota Matrix) in its first month of ownership on a road trip across the country after taking advantage of the Clunkers program. No major issues or squeaks and rattles have arisen yet. Have only changed the oil/filter and added fuel injector cleaner so far. Was getting a fairly consistent 30 mpg of mostly highway driving with a fully loaded car, bike hitch rack, and a codriver who doesnt know how to smoothly modulate a gas pedal. Vibe has decent midrange punch with the 2.4 to pass and get up the hills. Glad I opted for the bigger engine Overall pretty happy with my purchase as the car has been both reliable and practical. For the money this car is hard to beat
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good little car - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
By Becky - December 1 - 5:23 pmThis is a good car for the people that needs a second car with room! I would buy another Aztek! I love mine and it has never let me down! I feel like I made an excellent choice!
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Better than Grand Am - 2005 Pontiac G6
By Jery S - November 30 - 9:20 pmThis car is fun to drive. Great mileage, good acceleration and cornering. The ride is stiff with some road noise and a little wind noise. The tires take a cold set in cold weather which makes the tires feel like they are out of balance until they warm up after about 5 miles. Have some rattles which the dealer corrected. The electric steering feels a little numb but transmits vibration back to the driver. I expected more from this model.
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Pure Fun - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
By V8frk - November 30 - 11:33 amI went from a 2001 Yukon to my 2004 Greystone Metallic GXP. The size was the toughest adjustment, but the power and handling made up for the loss of room. Its nothing but muscle and fun to drive. Theres nothing better then merging into fast moving interstate traffic and listening to the growl of the Northstar at its best! I have had it in for warranty work four times since purchase in six months for silly minor things and one major A/C water leak which the dealer kept in the shop for a week! Probably more of a dealer issue. The brake rotors rust as well and the dealer thinks its acceptable.
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A decent "cheap" car - 2009 Pontiac G6
By partsman99 - November 27 - 1:01 amThis is a decent car. Not a fan of all the plastic everywhere, and the very thin hollow sound of the doors when you close them, but other than that not a bad car. Key fobs = terrible! Theyre expensive, and do not last long. The 3.5L has more than enough power, and never ceases to amaze me. Car is VERY quiet; you can barely hear the engine rev. Excellent fuel economy: hwy averages around 28, with as much as 36 on a long road trip. The controls are easy to read, and arranged well. The seats start to get uncomfortable after 5 hours in on a road trip. In short, if you are looking for basic transportation that is dependible and capable of passing slower cars, this is a good choice.
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Pontiac Aztek 501 Reviews
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Pontiac Bonneville 462 Reviews
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Pontiac Firebird 385 Reviews
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Pontiac G3 25 Reviews
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Pontiac G5 150 Reviews
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Pontiac G6 925 Reviews
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Pontiac G8 287 Reviews
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Pontiac Grand AM 1,106 Reviews
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Pontiac Grand Prix 1,601 Reviews
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Pontiac GTO 540 Reviews
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Pontiac Montana 369 Reviews
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Pontiac Montana SV6 62 Reviews
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Pontiac Solstice 286 Reviews
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Pontiac Sunfire 449 Reviews
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Pontiac Torrent 258 Reviews
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Pontiac Trans Sport 37 Reviews
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Pontiac Vibe 1,097 Reviews