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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  Pleasantly Surprised - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By mear - December 26 - 10:00 am

  Out-performs anything else at the same price. Great looks, excellent comfort.

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  It is the devil - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By kandb09 - December 25 - 1:43 pm

  I got this car 5 years ago with 60,000 miles it now has 123,000 and it was fine up until a year after I bought it. Then it became trouble. My side mirror just randomly fell off, the inside dash is falling apart for no apparent reason, my dome light fell out just the other night when I closed the door! Ive replaced the fuel pump, the oil pan, the radiator hose, 2 car window motors, a tail light, the stereo system twice, blinker fuse box, and now the head gasket is offically pooing out! I hate this car with a passion. I believe it is the devil! Also, I started by getting great gas mileage and now I can barely get 24mpg on the highway! And I get maybe 16 in town!

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  Got my moneys worth... - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By gportoulas - December 24 - 7:51 pm

  I purchased my 02 grand prix back in 2005 and it had 50k on it already. I made it to 164k miles with no major problems until now. The biggest thing I needed work on was a catalytic converter. I had minor leaking of antifreeze and I found out it was due to the plastic intake mannifold. I guess GM cheaped out when they used plastic and that part cracks easy. MY antifreeze leaks more now and the heating panel is shot. Like I said, I put an extra 114k miles on it over 6.5 years. It did me well.

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  best vehicle I ever owned - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By automatic - December 23 - 11:53 am

  very comfortable. very easy to manuever. the gas mileage is constant at 33 to 35mpg. Always looks great. Plenty of cargo space, easy to put the back seats down to maximize the room available for cargo. sound system is very good. Love the angle of the passenger dash placement of the air bag. is not set to hurt passenger, but too cover the windsheild, and minimize possibilty of severe trauma. My only complaint is I dont love the arm rest and places for drinks etc. you need to grope to locate. all in all, I plan to keep it as long as I possibly can. It would be hard to duplicate the good features.

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  Bad experience - 2002 Pontiac Aztek
  By not happy - December 23 - 7:26 am

  Bought used with about 60k miles, at 63k all the problems began with the check engine light. GM said it was the ECM, electronic control module. It resembles a long cable (wrapped in black plastic) that is underneath the car and plugs into a socket like thing on the undercarriage. Very exposed to the road elements! GM wanted $1100 for the part & another $900 to install. I paid, and the engine light still stayed on. GM tried to say it was not the ECM after I paid $2,000! I took it back to the Dealer prior to any of this, that was a hoot. That is another story. I could not get the car inspected, so traded it recently, took a beating and learned a lesson, run away from Pontiac Cars!

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  At Used Pricing Its a Fantastic Value - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Kosty - December 22 - 8:36 pm

  My purchase was a rental fleet vehicle with sunroof and leather heated seats XM Radio. Well below MSRP, great value. After driving, my impressions have only improved. Vehicle was impressive for the price. Ergonomics for driver and front seat passenger are great. Headroom with sunroof for passenger is only issue for tall passengers. Fold flat front seat and rear seats give almost incredible transport capacity. its almost like a small SUV for cargo. Driver info display , radio and climate controls as well as steering wheel controls are well thought out. Lumbar support, seat adjustments and heated seats make vehicle comfortable for long distance driving. Buy used for real value.

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  Good Choice - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By SteveSoriano - December 22 - 8:06 pm

  Under $30k with all the options, including the bigger engine. Try that in a Solara or a Eos, or a BMW....all of which were considerations for me. The Pontiac guys are so hungry they give these away at invoice, less rebates. I like the 100,000 mile warranty.. The car is zippy around town, quiet on the freeway, and there is plenty of room for two in the back seat. I have had better cars, but none for under $50k.

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  No leg room! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Amy - December 21 - 9:56 pm

  We have only one complaint about this car - the leg room in the backseat. If you put the front seats back as far as they will go, there is absolutely no leg room in the back. You also cannot put the rear seats down if the front seats are too far back. The 99 Grand Am we traded in for this car had so much more room. Otherwise, this is a great car. Drives great, looks great, we just cant have any backseat passengers.

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  2000 Pontiac Grand Prix - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Anthony DOliveira - December 21 - 1:00 pm

  A real fun car to drive,has alot of power,gets up and really goes. I get alot of comments about it all the time.Comfortable ride on the road,looks really cool at night driving the whole dash board lights up,looks like your inside a jet airplane.

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  Great Car - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By shane255 - December 21 - 10:00 am

  This car features the 3800 motor which has always been the best ever made. It should be good for a couple hundred thousand miles just like my second car I still drive.The only complaint is the front seats could be padded a little more to increase comfort,otherwise it is one fast machine..,...