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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  Delightful Black 99 Trans Am - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By LCBIII - July 15 - 6:03 pm

  I have had this car for almost 8 years and 100,000 miles. I have really enjoyed it. Always have loved the style - looks like it is flying even when sitting still. Lots of power with the V8, still gets looks (especailly after some Zaino). Corners like its on rails and brakes quickly. I get about 300 miles per fill up. Starting to have some trim problems with things falling apart, however, and was hit with the notorious 99 electrical problems such as bad alternator, bad power window motor, bad power antenna motor, several battery changes and fairly short life of headlight, fog lamp and turn signal bulbs. Despite this, my trans am has been my favorite car to date in terms of driving enjoyment.

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  Owned with a smile for 8 out of 9 yrs - 2002 Pontiac Sunfire
  By stillaways2go - July 15 - 12:16 pm

  I bought this car used with 9,900 miles on it. It was a Fleet rental before I got it. I liked how this car handled and it did me good until about 85,000 miles when all of the standard things tend to go wrong with lower end cars. I needed to fix the struts and the rotors kept warping no matter how many times they were replaced. But like I said, my car was paid for by the time that started happening. For me it was well worth the investment. I like how the car handled- nice tight steering. It may not have been the moost comfortable ride, but it was a trooper for a good 8 years before it started going downhill. My son totaled my Sunfire 9 months ago and I was sad to see it go after so many year

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  MID LIFE CRISIS. - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By CARHAULER - July 15 - 8:43 am

  I HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR 6 WEEKS. I LOVE THIS CAR. I HAUL NEW CARS FOR A LIVING, AND WHEN I HAULED ONE OF THESE. I NEW I HAD TO HAVE ONE.A SILVER 6 SPEED BLUR ON THE ROAD. THIS CAR WAS JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO REVIVE MY YOUTH AGAIN. MY WIFE EVEN LOVES IT. SHE DID NOT LIKE MY VETTE. ITS LIKE VIAGRA FOR THE STREET. ANYONE LOOKING FOR A REAL RUSH SHOULD CONSIDER THIS CAR. ANYONE I LET DRIVE IT, CANNOT BELIEVE THE POWER. IT HAS THE BEST HORSE POWER TO DOLLAR RATIO YOU CAN GET.AS FAR AS THE STEREO IS CONCERNED, I WOULD RATHER HEAR THE MOTOR PLAY!!!

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  What were they thinking? - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By S. Brooks - July 14 - 2:03 pm

  From the beginning, we thought we were purchasing the best mini-van on the market in looks, reliability, and performance. Okay, we got the looks but what were they thinking with the realiability adn performance? We have been back to the dealership several times. No, we didnt purchase the extended warranty on the used vehicle but who would have thought we would need to with an American made vehicle? Wheres the American pride? Weve had numerous inconvenient problems such as power windows not working, electronic sliding door opening while going down the road, gas gauge not working, cup holders breaking easily, directional not working, coolant problems -- so far over $2,000 in costs plus!

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  A Great Little Car - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By mekcamp - July 14 - 12:30 pm

  I am 68" and my job requires a lot of driving. Although I love my Chevy Silverado, I knew that I was going to need an fuel efficient vehicle or go broke trying to keep the truck filled up. I did a lot of research and of all the cars that fit this category, I found the Vibe a very good buy. Ive owned my 2006 for over a year now and have no complaints at all. As mentioned above, I am 68" and still have as much head room in the Vibe as I do in my pick-up. The only reservation that I do have is the placement of the Automatic Transmission console which restricts my right leg a bit. Overall, this is a very nice car and I will probably purchase another if the need arises.

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  Best Bang for the Buck Convertible Ever! - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ConvertibleSunfireJO - July 14 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Pontiac Sunfire Convertible (the first was a 1996)and I love it! Its definately the most fun you can have for $10,000. Its peppy response is surprising at traffic lights, and it is not noisy at highway speeds well over 70 mph. I get approximately 40 mpg doing 50 mph on the interstate for four hours.

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  Very Reliable Car - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By jet_dr969 - July 14 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car to get back and forth to school in back in 98 and besides brakes, tires and a battery it has been very reliable. I thought someone had vandalized it the other day but it turns out the headlight lens just fell off. They are apparently good for about 5 years. A word of caution, when replacing the headlight be very careful with the turn signal assembly! They go for about $110 and I found out the hard way.

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  Good Car - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Good Car - July 13 - 3:36 am

  Bought this car with 96,000 Km. Car is reliable and handles great, looks great also. The only main problem Ive had with this car is the front end but with our roads its to be expected. They only have to develop a better wheel bearing. Replaced 6 times in 1 and a half years and the wheel bearings are not cheap.

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  Great Vehicle - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Guitar Mickey - July 13 - 2:00 am

  !!!!!!!!!!!

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  Some of your judgement is bogus - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By jim - July 12 - 12:00 pm

  Like the 50s great English cars. As a average driver it is an excellent car in 90 % of my usage. I dont need cornering or any sort of road feed back, I do that with my eyes and feel. I love this machine. I have 7180 miles and still having fun.