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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  The Perfect Year - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By John Fraser - January 1 - 10:00 am

  I never realize how good of a deal I got ($4900) until I saw a friend spend $33,500 on a loaded 2003 model. Other than mine lacking mood roof and dual heated seats (only the driver in mine). The style interior and everything else looks exactly the same. I love the drive and the great gas milage on the highway (in town is not that good however).

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  Sensors - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By KJG517 - January 1 - 10:00 am

  ABS sensor is always going and having problems. Brakes wore down very quickly. Still going strong however because I keep it up and dont let my cars die

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  Hard to Follow - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By TAKerr - January 1 - 10:00 am

  American cars have come a long way. My Pontiac Grand Prix has been such a pleasant surprise! Its has such wonderful features, like the heads-up display, that would normally come in a much more expensive car. In the four and a half years that Ive owned it, I have not had one thing go wrong. I just love it. Unfortunately, the new Nissan Altima I just purchased just doesnt measure up. Its a nice car, but Im going through withdrawals from the Grand Prix. Its just a hard act to follow.

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  Blast to drive, very happy with this car - 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
  By CACruising - January 1 - 10:00 am

  This car is a blast to drive if you like a car with power that handles well. The suspension gives a great ride for long and short trips. To eliminate some expensive options that we did not want (12-CD, Satellite radio, chrome wheels and sun roof because of head clearance), we ordered the car. It arrived in 4 weeks. Had a water leak problem with trunk through the bolt holes that hold Spoiler. It was fixed after a couple of tries.

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  PS review - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By pa - December 31 - 8:36 pm

  Fun to drive. Easy handling. Fairly quiet. Sleek design. Good gas mileage. Able to manuever in traffic easily. Some blind spots need getting used to.

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  Excellent Quality - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By motormaster - December 31 - 12:20 pm

  I am surprised with the GM built vehicle. Design is better than any Japanese brand. Standard features such as ABS braking,DVD,regular unleaded fuel,immobilizer,alarm,power package, On Star, cruise etc. Very fuel efficient engine with lots of power on the road.

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  G6 Surprise - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Chris - December 30 - 6:40 pm

  Bought G6 for comfortable, leather, adjustable, heated seats and nice interior layout with good quality. Car has surpassed my expectations. Its quiet, well mannered, V6 is responsive, great fuel economy at 27 avg city/highway. Car is solid with no rattles, no problems of any kind. Best car Ive ever owned and Ive had many of all kinds - Ford, Toyota, trucks, SUVs and sports cars. It you want a relatively inexpensive car, that is solid, somewhat fun to drive, good looking and comfortable - this is worth a look.

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  Alright car - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By farmboy - December 30 - 10:16 am

  This is the car I had from sophomore year in high school through college and only now looking to replace. I bought it at about 115K miles and it now has 223K miles. It has the 3800 V6. I had to replace the intake like this engine always has to have done with it. Recently starting at about 210K Im getting the problem with the transmission as stated on the reliability on here and rust on the underside is starting to get bad. Things that went bad: cruise, AC, blower, pwr steering, sensors, wiper fluid pump, ABS, etc. Otherwise, it has stood up to all the abuse I put it through and kept going. Its a fun ride and has gone a long ways. But to much has gone wrong for me to want to buy another.

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  G6 Does Well - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Highlander - December 30 - 4:23 am

  I bought my G6 (non-GT) a few months ago now and wanted to express how pleased I am with my purchase. After much shopping and test driving every vehicle of this type (mid size, reasonably priced sedan) this was the first one that I was excited about after the test drive. It is fun to drive, looks good, feels good and the price was competitive. I have had no mechanical issues or other problems.

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  My little suv - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Lori - December 29 - 10:26 pm

  I was looking for a suv type vehicle, and saw a vib on the pontiac dealership lot by accident. I loved the looks of it, and when I found out it was made with Toyota i bought it. I love this little car. It sits upright, plenty of room, and very little wind noise. I recently drove it from Arkansas to Birmingham, Alabama, and got around 34 to 35 mpg runny at 60 to 70 mph. I never had any problems passing by just using common sense. I was very pleased with everything about it. The one thing that I did notice that bothered me at first, was the first time I turned on the AC around town. I noticed the pull of it on the motor, but after I got used to it it was no big deal. Paid $16,400