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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  Nice looking, poorly built - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Matt Grabau - November 23 - 8:43 pm

  Pontiac does not stand behind their vehicles. While the car looks great, its a nightmare to own. I promise myself that I will never buy from GM again (new or used). This car has endless electrical problems. My next car will be Japanese! There seems to be too many known problems with this car (in general) but not recognized by Pontiac / General Motors.

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  Where are my breaks? - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Fleur - November 23 - 2:00 am

  used to love it, until i swerved to dodge a bob cat, lost my breaks and steering.....I mean totally, i hit the breaks several times and nothing. The steering you ask....um none. I hit a median and flipped 2 and a half times. I walked away with little to no injury, but i will probably never buy another grand am. I totally agree with the artical crashkid wrote. I know where you are coming from. It happend to me to. Not as safe as i thought it was.

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  Pontiac Montana, money maker for repair shop - 2001 Pontiac Montana
  By jmusolf - November 22 - 1:03 pm

  Head gaskets gone 3 times. Window regulator replaced 2 times, kept taking it to dealer. And it only has 83K miles on it. Now Im going to trade this in and get an import.

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  Hope you dont get the one I had - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Dan - November 8 - 8:03 pm

  I bought this car new from the dealership and it returned frequently. I love the styling and the car is fun to drive when its new, however I drove more miles with a shimmy, shake, or rattle more than not. At 4K the starter burned up and the car smelled like fire for 4 months. Tie rods wore out 3 times, struts broke, finally a rattle in the front end that couldnt be found. GM finally bought the car back and I move into a 2008 Malibu.

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  Dont Buy One! - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By Goodbye Pontiac - November 2 - 12:43 am

  I have been buying Pontiacs for many many years, I am so disappointed with this product, I will probably not buy another. I will be saying hello to Ford again. The seats water stain and I am talking one trip to the pool and your seats will be a mess and take many many hours of work. I even had the dealership steam them and that didnt work. I scrubbed and scrubbed and had to saturate the whole seats to get them decent. Next time to pool, they did it all over again. They knew this and continue to use this material. If it doesnt have leather seats, dont even think about it, you will be as sorry as I am. Cant wait till it is time to trade. Emailed a complaint and no results.

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  poor fuel economy - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By brian - October 28 - 12:33 pm

  This vehicle is poor in the snow.Fuel economy is 20-25 mpg max,dont try to pass a car at hwy speed on two lane rd or you might be dead!!! If you are looking for fuel economy and a good car in snowy areas this is not your your car.

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  Not so Good - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Oscar - October 24 - 10:00 am

  The crapiest engine that ones ever seen! ... 120,000 Kms, and its knocking left and right! ... I just did a tune-up at GM about 3-4 months ago ... (which cost me $800 Cnd), and its still knocking ... getting rid of it as soon as possible, and getting a HONDA! ... already have one a 1991 Civic, not one sqeek out of it!

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  DRIVES GREAT WHEN NOT IN THE SHOP! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By singer - August 30 - 10:00 am

  This car is a mixed bag. When its running, its a great car. But I have had sooo many problems with it. I bot it from Hertz with 28,000 mi. Now has 59,000. Ive had to replace brakes 2 xs (and they still feel weird), 2 altenators, 2 batteries, water pump. The door hinge is broken, the winshield washer tank leaks. There is an oil leak and transmission fluid is leaking. Just traded it in - couldnt take all the time & money in the shop.

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  Im through with this car - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By AG - August 23 - 1:43 pm

  I had an 04 but totaled it - bought an 05 and have had slew of problems. Bad brake rotors to the point of where they snapped while I was driving leaving me stranded. The engine stalls, the cd/mp3 player frequently shorts resetting my clock, the model itself affects my tires in which Ive replaced 6 in the past 21/2 years that I purchased this car. The window motor shorts leaving one of my Windows down in Atlanta during winter. Power steering flawed, trunk shorted out and wouldnt close for about three months. My gauges cross over each other in some malfunction preventing me from checking my speed/rpms. Fuel gauge backlight does not fully turn on. Everything on this car sucks!

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  Bad Mistake - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By lg9090 - August 21 - 11:10 am

  I loved the exterior of the car and it drove great the first six months I had it. The best decision I ever made was to buy the extended warranty because had I not I would have spent about $4,000 dollars on this car. Its been to the shop 3X in the past 4 mo. Ive repaired the ignition coil module, fuel injector, spark plugs, A/C resistor blower (2X), blinker recall problem, broken a/c knob, window motor and regulator (not just one, but all 4 windows!!), side mirror fell off, ignition switch, pass lock cylinder, body control module, some sort of connectors and computer body replacement, and Ive had it towed 2X!! I cant wait to sell this piece of scrap metal, but the resale value stinks!