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 car - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By banbam - January 12 - 6:53 pm

  My dad bought this car for my sister. She was rear ended and then decided she didnt want the car so I took it. Im not a fan of the styling at all. The engine is really underpowered for my liking, and I have the 4 speed auto. Its a good car though. Ive had it for over a year now and all Ive done was replace the tires, when we bought the car, replace the brake pads, replace the starter, replace the battery, and an oil change. Maintenance really. Ive added a sound system and tinted windows and its a pretty enjoyable ride now. And being 62" I can say that I can fit somewhat comfortably, no longer than 2-3 hours though. Id say as a girls first car this would be great.

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  Dont buy this car - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By wgowern - January 3 - 7:40 pm

  My car had 3 recalls. The dealer didnt have the parts for one of them & I had to come back. The car failed less than a week after purchase(new). It was an electrical failure in the steering column. It was fixed and the same failure occurred less than a week later. There was several other failures (mostly electrical) over the 7 years I owned this car. Most of the plastic parts cracked or fell off,the dash panel cracked & the mirror fell off. Finally the computer failed and various other electrical components burned up (real smoke). The car repairs would have been much more than the car was worth so it went to a junkyard at 37000 miles. In a word it was a pile of junk.

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  A beautiful disaster - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By MW - December 30 - 4:00 am

  I fell in love with the Grand Am when my grandmother owned one, and let my family use it at the time our old Plymouth broke down. I threw the car up on a pedestal and practically worshiped the idea. Today, Im here to tear that idea down. Since buying the car LESS than a year ago when it only had 50,000 miles on it, it has given me nothing but hell. The brakes are poor, three power windows broke down, the head gasket went ($850), tie rod good-bye, CD player Error 20-ed out... and the PassLock system believes Im the enemy! Granted, the car is fun to drive and looks sleek, but the amount of money invested is NOT worth the pain unless $3000 is in your budget in a six month span.

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  my firebird review - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By dr2 - December 30 - 2:00 am

  I have had 3 sets of window motors replaced, 1 battery, 1 alternator, 2 intake manifolds, 2 gaskets, and now have a new engine assembly. This car has been nothing but trouble for me. I may have had a lemon, but nothing happened for about a year. Other than engine probs, I have a blown speaker,replaced a rear seal on the hatch, and i pushed a hole in the console with 1 finger, while I was cleaning it. The plastic on both door panels is splitting. Anyone else have probs like this?

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  Great design and ride but poor quality - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Abbott - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Love the design, performance, and ride. But,quality has not been good.Power steering and rack went out at 1000 miles.Other problems in the first 25000 miles include lose headliner, sunroof track misaligned, leaking window, power window broke, cracked speaker, numerous door rattles, ignition switch replaced, manifold gasket leak, replace tie rod ends, replace steering shaft. Now at 38,000 the transmission is acting up. The console has a 2 cup holder but the holders are too close together so only 1 cup will fit.

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  Shimmy Shimmy KoKo Bop - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By the booky - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Although I have really enjoyed the three Bonnevilles Ive owned, this 2000 model is the worst of the bunch. Lots of rattles & squeaks plus a lot of front end difficulties. Now they tell me the drive shaft is shot and needs replacement. Some strut squeaks and woes thrown in for good measure. Replaced brakes (new) make a lot of noise too. Still it has been reliable in all other regards.

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  Take heed! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By ravon - December 5 - 10:00 am

  I am very torn with this car. Replaced rotors at 27K miles that were overtorqued at manufacture. Had to pay for a complete brake job even though the rotors caused premature wear on the pads. Same dealership would not replace my bad radio. Glad that I purchased the extended warranty. Had to use it twice in the last month at 55K miles for almost $3000 in repairs. Both front bearings have been replaced as has strut mount and rack and pinion and a rear control arm. Complained to Pontiac Corp and have basically been told, sorry, at 60,001 miles when my warranty runs out, Im screwed. HOWEVER, when my car is not in the shop or on its way to the shop, I love it.

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  my car - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Roache - December 2 - 10:00 am

  I love the way the car drives. The seats are comfortable, but are very ugly. It is a great car to have right now being a college student. I love the outside also.

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  Unreliable - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By TomGA - November 25 - 10:00 am

  Car has 97xxx miles on it, transmission makes a whining noise past second gear (after some research Ive determinded that other people have also had this same problem). Needs to be rebuilt or replaced. Quad 4 engine is has known problems with cracking. Both drivers and passenger side window motors had to be replaced. Hazards recently stopped working. Ive gone through three sets of brakes so far. Overall, Ive put more money into it than I bought it for used (~$4000) a few years ago. Now that the transmission needs to rebuilt, a $2000 repair, I think Im going to ditch it and get a new car.

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  BAD NEWS - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By MARK SCHOLZ - November 25 - 10:00 am

  BRAKES ARE LIKE DISPOSABLE DIAPERS ON THIS CAR. IF YOU DRIVE IT HARD YOULL PAY. i HAVE SHUDDERING FROM THE FRONT END AS DO MANY OTHER OWNERS. THE ENGINE IS DIFFICULT TO WORK ON. THE SEATS DONT LAST AND YOUR REAR SPOILER WILL FADE QUICKLY. PARTS ARE CHEAP FOR THE CAR SO IF YOURE MECHANICALLY INCLINED AND HAVE THE TIME YOU CAN KEEP IT GOING. IM GLAD I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE I FORGOT HOW CRAPPY GM CARS WERE AND HAD PLANNED ON BUYING A TAHOE. NOT ANYMORE. THE CAR IS POORLY DESIGNED JUNK. AVOID IT. RESALE ON THE CAR IS PATHETIC.