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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  2000 Pontiac boneville - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By PAM AMATO - March 16 - 3:03 am

  Lots of problems with this car. Window motors keep failing, ac went out, transmission problems. Looks good, put poor quality mechanical devices

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  Stay Away!! from Pontiac. - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Darin - March 14 - 5:03 am

  I bought my 98 Grand Prix GT off my parents in 2004 for $8000 it only had 58,000 on in. Then I drove it cross country. It was ok untill every electric thing you can think of failed!! I havent been able to see what time it is and the Heads up display "caught on FIRE" kind of.. there was smoke coming out of my dash! Then soon afterward I rolled down my driver side window and it didnt go up! I took it to the dealer and they rolled all 3 remaining windows and they WOULDN"T GO UP EITHER. So now I made the dealer fix the other 3 for FREE!!! Because I only came in there for the driver window. Now the MPH and Temp displays come on when they want to and flicker!

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  Good first car - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By gruvygirl1 - March 11 - 4:00 am

  This was my first car that I bought used for $4000 with 107,000 miles. There were a few things that were problematic to begin with -- the drivers side window was difficult to roll down and the air conditioning only worked on speeds 3-5. Eventually, the entire AC system failed and had to be repaired, which did restore the 1-2 settings. About a year after purchasing the vehicle, I had to replace both the alternator and the battery. In the past year, I paid over $600 repairing the ignition switch and the security lock column, only to find that I needed to repair the computer system due to an engine leak, meaning another costly repair, so at 124,000 miles, we finally parted.

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  G6 GT sedan (Average) - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Nate - February 27 - 5:50 pm

  I panicked and traded in my 01 Tacoma TRD for this when gas was almost 5 bux/gallon in cali. I kinda regret it. It had about 28k miles when i got it, and they didnt tell me it was a had been a rental until i was signing the papers. The gas mileage is ok, i get about 18-20 in town depending how i drive, but on the 6 hr drive home, i can get 30 mpg if i stay at 65-70. I struck a deer back in jan, and the car actually held up pretty well. I am now thinking of trading it in due to pontiac goin bye bye and getting a silverado etx cab. Overall, this car isnt bad, but isnt great. Id suggest a toyota or honda if purchasing a sedan.

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  One piece of crap!!! - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By jimmy grover - February 16 - 2:00 am

  NIGHTMARE! We have had so many problems with this car that GM gave us a free warranty up to 50,000. We are at 55,550 miles now and the cars sits in the driveway with a bad rear end. This car has been adult driven, maintained and never abused. This is just a partial list of problems: entire instrument cluster and replaced, A/C freezes up, front rotor problems, sensors replaced, headlamp door motor replaced, several suspension parts replaced, hatch support shocks replaced, monsoon stereo replaced, leaking t-tops, a clutch switch replaced, headlight flicker problem that could never be identified, one seatbelt replaced...

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  car sucks - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By wolfie47 - February 16 - 2:00 am

  bought the car brand new, after 100 miles, body moldings were falling off, after 3500 miles, tranny was leaking, idiot dealer "mechanic" didnt fill it with fluid and let my wife drive around that way. after 4000 miles, fuel pump went out, after 5000 miles, rack and pinion steering needed replacement. now after 13,500 the battery exploded and ate through my paint, then idiot "mechanic" sprayed acid all over my fender and bumper. (dont use dealer service if you can help it) Now i am just waiting for something else to go wrong.

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  Poor Reliability Ruins A Great Car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By manualgtp - February 8 - 1:00 pm

  The G6 is the right size and fun to drive. Gas mileage is above average. Reliability is a major problem: Brakes,rough idle, spark knock, Frequent engine light and airbag light issues, Front suspension parts wearing out early etc. Add that the dealer only provides a temporary fix, so you have to take it back again and again for the same problem. I have lost count of how many times it has been in for warranty work. I know it is over 14 times in less than 2 years. If it was reliable, it would be a great car. Maybe the base cars are better. This GTP has not. I have owned many new Pontiacs and this G6 has been the worst for repairs. Choose the Grand Prix instead. It appears to be more reliable.

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  Another floater from GM - 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
  By josh4488 - February 5 - 10:00 am

  1) Horrible handling. No on-center feel, wanders (with correct alignment); rolls heavily and non- linearly (including over its sidewalls); steering has super-weird feel while accelerating hard. Brakes warped in less than 10K mi. 2) Slow. Geared incredibly high (second gear can take you well over 100 mph), so theres little off-the- line power. Above 55 mph the car refuses to downshift into second - feels slow at almost every speed. 3) Junky interior. Bad plastics. The steering wheel has a squishy feel to the humps at 10 and 2. Buttons look haphazardly placed. Steering wheel obscures gauge cluster.

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  Gas Mileage - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Billy - January 31 - 7:16 pm

  Decent Transportation - do not go out of your way to seek out this car. I got some really great incentives so I bought it. The gas mileage is not up to what the sticker says. The automatic MPG on the dash board is about 2 miles more than what I calculate myself. I have the 6 cylinder. I recommend that you go for the 4 cylinder to improve gas mileage. Very small glove compartment. This is my first Pontiac.

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  Not so happy - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Todd - January 18 - 8:03 am

  I have had this car for almost 6 months now and it has been in the shop four times. The windshield makes noise, like wind is coming in somewhere. The front end has had the bearings replaced, the struts, and the rotors have already been turned, and need to be done again. I noticed if the car sits for more than a week, the rotors are totally shot. Is this something that anyone else is having problems with? Im also not happy with the noise in the car, all the plastic is coming loose already. I actually own a Honda Civic Si, and I havent had any problems with it, as well as my Scion TC. I wish I wouldnt have bought this car, but thankfully I purchased an extended warranty!!!!