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 it has its moments - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By nails - April 14 - 10:00 am

  The car drives awesome, never a problem with engine ever. Now lets get to the other things though..I have had my drivers side motor replaced twice, it needs to be replaced. I cant get it replaced with the warrenty co because the motor is not totaly burnt out. So when i want to raise the window icant most of the time..hows this one try driving down the 90 in BUFFALO in the middle of WINTER and the window is stuck in the down position. fun!! I also had to have the wiper motor fix once. The spark plugs were messed up when i first got, the car would get up and go put it sputtered.

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  98 GT - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By 2drGT - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Good and reliable vehicle for work and play. Very economical on gasoline(29mpg highway and 22mpg city), but can use a larger gas tank. Sport-like interior.

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  1997 Pontiac GA GT Coupe 5-speed - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By mazurjb - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Overall, a good car. This car is VERY reliable and surprisingly peppy for its size with an I-4 motor. The only repairs I had to have done in five years were an oxygen sensor and a compressor for the cars A/C. Despite having a very good experience with my car, I would not recommend the new model of the GA. In addition to that, the new model does not come with a manual transmission... speaking of which, my 97 has a very exact manual tranny. The only drawback of the manual transmission is the long throws. The only drawback of the car is the unavilibility of aftermarket custom parts for the car.

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  amazing - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By paul_johnson_gto - April 14 - 7:23 am

  my car is the best car i have ever bought. i love my car. i would never trade it for another car. this car is smooth looking and gtes up and goes. it a great car for the price.

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  2005 Pontiac GXP - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Mike Wandell - April 13 - 4:56 am

  I really love this car, I am in sales and drive it all over. It has all comfort I need and the the power when needed. I almost traded it in about 6 months ago on a Cadillac CTS. I took the Cadillac back and got my Pontiac back. The Cadillac was not as good as the Pontiac. Its just a lot of fun to drive, at night the dash looks an airplane cockpit.

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  What a Beast! - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By David P. - April 12 - 8:16 pm

  I had a G8 GT before this one, what a difference. The G8 should be the model that all other GM cars should follow. It seems like the Aussies are the ones who are keeoing there end of the deal. People want more than just trucks and SUVs. Sure the fuel economy isnt the greatest, but lets be resonable here, its a 6.2 litre! You have to pay to play. I put an air intake (RotoFab), aftermarket exhaust (Borla) and some SLP headers and that made a huge difference. This car is very responsive to performance upgrades, especially intake and exhaust. If you want a car that will give you a serious kick in the pants for a great value (0% financing, factory pricing), this is your car.

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  Excitement in a 3100 4-door - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By cubre - April 12 - 6:10 pm

  I purchased this car from my father who put 115,000 highway miles on it. It tracks great, gets great gas mileage (35 mpg hwy), and is a strong runner. Unexpectedly fast for a smaller V-6. Car has great throttle response and excellent field of vision (unlike so many new cars). Also, noticed there is a heater vent under the drivers seat which is great on winter days (heats the seat) A credit to Pontiac for building a great car. An excellent value buy

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  Total road warrior - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Jordan - April 12 - 1:23 pm

  I have had my car since august 2005 and it has been so much fun. it is so great for having fun in whether it be street dragging or what ever it still got the job done in the end it has great low end and high end torque and everything is original except the alternater t-stat battery and starter and of course maintanance stuff. but if i was given the opportunity to buy another one it would be sooo worth it and i was 18 when i bought it on my own and there is not a day where i would go without it. and it handles so quickly and well at 90 mph and when going that fast you look at the road and your doing 110 mph without even knowing it. IT HAS A GREAT SOUND SYSTEM.

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  I Live In My Car - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Reeds-Kevin - April 11 - 3:20 pm

  This car rocks! I have been looking for a 4dr for a while and one day I just decided to check out the 2dr...It was awsome!! Not to mention a 63" guy like me fit in it perfectly. and when you sit down, it feels bigger inside than it looked from the outside. It rides nice and road noise is minimal.

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  Excellent - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Travis - April 10 - 2:16 pm

  Excellent car. Very reliable and fun to drive. 3800 V6 sounds sweet with dual exhaust. I have always had GM vehicles, and have been impressed with all, but especially Pontiac. Sporty, yet comfortable.