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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  Fun Car!! - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By B4May - April 13 - 5:30 pm

  I have been driving this car for 6 years and I still love it as much as I did the day I got it. Rides a little rough, but its a sports car after all. Love the steering wheel radio controls - Im forever spoiled and will never drive a car without them. Also love the great orange dash lighting. T-tops are very fun, but I dont use them as often as I could because they are kind of a pain - manual removal and have to store them in the trunk, so it must be empty to do so. I have had problems with the spark plugs - mechanics complain because they are difficult to change. Back seat is small - but again, its a sports car, so you dont buy it for hauling people or cargo. Super fun to drive!!

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  First Impressions - 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
  By jonnyoz13 - April 11 - 7:33 pm

  Have owned this used Bonneville a little under 2 months. Some notes: Fuel Economy; around 27 average in mostly hwy driving, not bad. Comfort; very nice ride, front seats could use additional bolstering in the thigh area. Performance; very good, accelerates nicely when pushed. Accomodations; huge trunk, back seat roomy-head clearance ok even with sunroof, heat/ac with dual climate works nice (although fan runs at same speed for both sides, just temp difference. Annoyances; data computer seems off- gallons used short about 1 gallon out of 17 which shows misleading fuel economy-miles to empty-etc, oil life monitor at 67% after 3300 miles? Conclusion; great family cruiser, 9/10 stars

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  Great Car For The Money - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jagbaby06 - April 11 - 1:50 am

  This a very good car. First of all it has some very old school 1960s era styling cues such as astro vent balls as A/C vents and that classic Pontiac grille. The 2.2L Ecotech engine rated at 140hp at 5,600rpm and 150lbs-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm delivers decent power in the upper rpm range and good power in town. I put it up to 107mph while rushing my wife to the hospital and it never acted funny and still had half pedal. I have no idea where the governor is set at. The drivers window control came loose at 69,000 miles but nothing super glue couldnt fix. It has a problem throwing Service Engine Soon lights if the gas cap isnt turned at least 3 clicks. The 4 speed auto slush box wanders sometimes.

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  Transmission #3 - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By looked good - April 9 - 10:16 pm

  Bought this car because of the reputation of the engine and the gas mileage. It also looks fantastic. My only complaint is that I recently installed transmission #3. The original tranny was replaced at 55000, and now at 120000 I am replacing that one ($2600). The transmission shop said that these "Bonnies" have a weak tranny.

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  Rough Ridin but gorgeous - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mut - April 5 - 6:13 pm

  This car is beautiful - crimson red. When I bought, there was a shake in the driving. Hubby thought it might be rotors or brakes. Nope. Wouldnt have bought it if Id known it wasnt those. I love the car, but really hate the annoying shake. Feels like an engine miss, but it isnt that either. Would love to find out what it is. Cant figure out how to get the stereo to show names of songs and singers again as it did when I got the car.

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  Powerful and Inexpensive - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Ian - April 5 - 3:40 am

  Reasonable handling on sharp curves, easy to steer during steady speeds however more effort is needed for steering during low speeds via coming in and out of a parking space. The ECOTEC is very powerful and is extremely quiet during idle and midrange speeds, however hard acceleration causes the engine to howl but not annoying. The automatic transmission handles well it revs/shifts quickly, the transmission itself is easy to “quick shift” via making a swift “K-turn,” it makes little to no mistakes when “finding” it’s gear when going uphill, however going uphill is a battle within it self. Overall it is worth the price. GM/Pontiac has done a superb job on the “tuner like” engine.

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  Great, fun car! - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By Slash8915 - April 4 - 5:50 pm

  I bought my T/A in July of 07. I had to get a few things fixed and replaced, but thats because the previous owner didnt take care of it. I use only 93 octane gas from either Shell or Chevron, and only use Royal Purple oil. Since Ive gotten ahold of it, its run better than ever. I guess what Im trying to say is, just take care of it. Mine has Ram Air and some mods, and it dynod at 370hp. Even a stock T/A is fast! I get a ton of looks, and people trying to race me. I used to have an Integra, and I have to say... American muscle is the only way to go. If you get this car, you will not be disappointed.

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  Fast Good looking Fun but - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By George - April 3 - 7:50 pm

  I bought it new in sept 2001. It now has 65K miles on it. Power window motor repaired replaced 4 times. Turn signal stalk replaced. Blown intake manifold gasket replaced at 60K. Power seat broken 3 times and gave up having it fixed. Cost of repairs over 7 1/2 years is about 1500 which I guess isnt bad. Regular oil changes and 1 set of tires and brakes at 55K. I love the car but the darn 3.4s have a history of bad manifold gaskets. My 95 Grand Prix had same problem but no untillo 165K

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  Slipping Transmission - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By travelgrl - April 3 - 10:00 am

  At 68,000 miles the transmission starting slipping and had to be replaced. There are many reports that for two years the transmission needed to be flushed or you had to end up rebulid the transmission. Other than that its a good car.

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  cant beat this price - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By cruella - April 3 - 10:00 am

  This car was bought for a sixteen year old. For a first car, you cant beat the price and the extras. It has all the cool features like a sunroof, sporty look, CD player. What else could you want? Kids dont need a race car---they just want "the look", and she absolutely loves it!