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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  Typical car - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By OK - May 15 - 10:43 pm

  I bought my GTP in January 2003 as my "dream car". Before that I had a 1997 Intrepid with the 3.5 engine. This car is much more exciting in both the exterior and interior with the excellent bose sound system and HUD, etc. The performance was good, but not that much better than my intrepid. The transmission does not shift nearly as smoothly as the Intrepid, it feels like you are "beating" on it no matter how careful you are. I had the tranny checked out by two different shops and they both say its OK. So no big deal. I had a wheel bearing go out at about 40k miles. My windshield washer pump went out at 60k. Had the belts and thermostat replaced. Nothing major. Overall Im pretty satisfied.

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  GO Buy a G8 NOW! - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By gtocpa - May 15 - 3:03 pm

  This is a GREAT car. Believe everything youve read and more. If you drive this car, you will buy it. It is absolutely incredible and Id compare it to any YUPPIE mobile. I have to fight my wife on who gets to drive it!! Go buy this thing now and show GM that when you finally build it right, we will come back! My kids get up every morning and say hello to the G8 - its that awesome.

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  love it - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Ben - May 15 - 3:26 am

  My Grand Prix is the best car I have ever owned. I enjoy the comfortable ride along with the great gas milage. The power is always there if I need it.

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  Review - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Sonny - May 14 - 9:40 pm

  My GXP is a head turner with wht/gold tricoat paint. Fuel economy is poor in city driving, but performance and styling outweighs this big gas guzzling sedan.

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  Love my G8 GT - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By jshane111 - May 14 - 2:26 pm

  After owning foriegn for a while, I was leery about buying American again after being burnt by quality issue in the past. However, after test driving Acuras we tried the G8 GT and fell in love. The design, quality, and of course the performance are GREAT! I know I should have look for better gas milage, but when you can have this much fun, this much perfoemance, and still get 25 MPG what the heck. Its a great car at a great price, way to go GM!!!

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  Grand Am Brake Nightmare - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By DrRotty - May 14 - 2:00 am

  The car is a blast to drive, when it isnt in the shop having the front brakes worked on! Im very disappointed with Pontiac in the brake department. Ive had my 2000 GT in the shop four times in 1 1/2 years because of brake problems. One would think that GM would have taken care of the poor brake design by now, with all of the warranty work they are paying for. Because of this I will never buy another Grand AM!

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  Used G6 - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By bautistaiii - May 13 - 3:03 pm

  The vehicle interior is not handsome and the seats are by far not the most comfortable and supportive, the car should have been tinted by the manufacturer. If you live in a sunny state window tinting is highly suggested and get seat covers if you dont get one in leather. It does have some pep to it, when you step on the pedals it does take off relatively quick. The mileage is also surprising in that I am averging about 29/30 on the highway with the V6 so that is a pleasant surprise. The noise inside the cabin is moderate. Use ceramic tint in the rear since the radio antenae is built into the glass. The power pedals make it easy to find a comfortable driving position for my wife and I.

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  dont waste your money on this one - 2002 Pontiac Aztek
  By bigsuzukifan - May 13 - 10:00 am

  since i bought this i had problem with it every day. try looking for some other japanese suv. try the suzuki xL-7 the aztek is so ugly. dont spend money on this american junk. it took me almost 6 months to sell this thing. even the gm Dealer gave a very low tarding value. only $6000.00 for it with 10000 miles on it

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  Love my car - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Stevep - May 13 - 10:00 am

  I have had many things replaced already, intake manifold, alternator, water pump, serpentine belt, headlights (leaking), but all of it was covered. I will be so sad when this car is gone, I can go fast, it looks great, and I still get about 24 mpg. At 78,000 miles it looks as good as my wifes 2002 GP GT rental! I told her that I prefer MY cars performance to the 2002s!

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  Overall its a good buy and a fun drive! - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By snoopkus - May 13 - 10:00 am

  my grand am is smoke blue with black tinted window on the outside, i have a new cd player on the inside... and that all i had to do to feel satisfied with the vehicle. It looks good, it drives good, and if you make some engine mods that are under $300 total, it can be fast enough to suit your racing urges.