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 to drive - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By user324 - September 20 - 10:00 am

  Had to revitalize my image, was getting on in years, my last three cars were Buick Century. Trade every two years. It works, great exterior looks. Very sporty for a four doors.

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  2006 Pontiac G6 Horrible Quality - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By mcompton1021 - September 19 - 6:03 pm

  Again, another 2006 pontiac quality problem. I have a 2006 Grand Prix with many issues and my wifes 2006 G6 is worse. This one was bought new by her father for graduation. It now has just over 30,000 miles and has had the driver side mirror heater go nuts and melt the casing, had the power steering rack completely replaced, the vanity mirror broke and was replaced, and numerous other parts were all replaced under warranty. I wanted so bad to be a advocate for american car manufacturers but I have given up at this point. Still less than 35000 miles and the car has been in the shop so many times. New problems keep appearing but now not under warranty so cannot afford to fix

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  Best Value/Most Features for Your Money - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By occoquan1 - September 18 - 1:56 pm

  What sold me on this vehicle was the ride. It has a decent interior, not too cramped, easy to find controls, and an interesting exterior style all its own. This SUV runs smoothly, and doesnt have a truck feel at all. Very quiet, yet responsive. The list of features on my vehicle, for the price I paid is amazing. Admittedly, I bought a used 2004, but it only had 3110 miles on it. It still smells new. This is a great vehicle and bargains can be had. This has been a much maligned vehicle and does not deserve the bad reputation it has garnered. Take a look, take a test drive, you will be pleasantly surprised. But hurry, rumor has it that the 2005 model year will be its last.

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  2000 Grand Prix SE - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Scott Jones - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car for $9500 in May with 71,000 miles on it. It now has 82,000 and still going perfectly. I have had very little problems with it. It handles very well, very reliable and fun to drive. The inside is spacy and comfortable. The resale value has dropped greatly, I dont know why because Pontiac did a very well job and its worth every bit I paid for it. The only problems is the gas gage indicator gauge quite working. I really wish Pontiac would bring back the 97-00 SE style back, I like it best of all prix styles.

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  Sweeeeeeeet - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By viperedge - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Always wanted it, finally got it. 2002 Conv, only V6, but still love her. Cant find a better looking car under 100000 if you ask me. Fun to drive, and with spring coming, looking forward to the top down and driving for days.

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  Got worse with more miles - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Scott - September 16 - 8:46 pm

  Car seems to have gotten worse with more miles. I now have almost 29,000 miles and Ive already had to replace the brakes, turn rotors, AC stopped blowing recently, numerous alignment and tire issues, needed to get the steering column lubed (now its starting to make noise again), had to have passenger side airbag sensor replaced once and serviced two other times. Unfortunately it feels like the reliability is not there. It feels like the more miles I get on the car the more things go out. Car handles well and cruises real nice at high speeds on interstate. I feel like Pontiac just threw this car together real quick. I will shop around more next time.

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  Trans Am - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By tafrenzy - September 16 - 6:46 am

  This car is amazing, my Dad bought it in 1995 and after 12years in the house its been mine for 3 years. Its seating position is low and tiring for long rides but a car like this is meant for racing and the seats with regards to that are perfect. I got 305hp stock motor. It isnt driven in winter. It just wont go straight. Too powerful with low end torque. It still has 47670km on it. Its still brand new, black on black. Its a beautiful summer car. I wouldnt sell in another 50years. Nothing is wrong with it. So far the only thing we changed since we had it are the tires and oils. Other than that the original smell is in it. Beautiful car to have.

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  Love my Bird - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By Truckin2001 - September 15 - 7:26 am

  I bought my Firebird used with 73,000 miles on it. I have had now for about 1 month and so far so good. I have had one head light motor go about. But think about it. The gear on the inside of the motor is plastic... stupid yes but that is what it is. You can go out and buy metal replacement gears for both motors for half the cost of buying a new motor from the dealership. So those of you who complain of light motors going out look at other cars out there with flip up lights... I am sure if you ask their owners they have had problems with theirs as well. Yes the Firebird is a sports car. Who buys a sports car for rear seat room and trunk space? If you want that go out and buy the Grand Prix.

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  best in its class - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By all_pr - September 15 - 7:15 am

  I never owned this vehicle but was assigned one of the 4 owned by the place i used to work.I got it with less than 50 miles basically brand new i used to drove 200 up to 500 miles daily and have to say this car was great in every way. First lets call things by their name this is a 4 cylinder economy base car you cant expect great acceleration or killer looks or comforts found in luxury cars.I put 108k miles in 14 months besides oil changes(cheap oil by the way every 7500 miles) and wiper blades it never gave any problem if that is not reliable i dont know what it is.Even the tires it came with lasted for about 13 months.Sometimes i question the ability of some people to review cars.

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  Love my Bonneville SSEi - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Wayne S - September 15 - 1:33 am

  Have had my 1997 Bonneville SSEi for 8 years. Have had six Corvettes and was a fighter pilot so tend to like fast cars. The supercharged six is simply amazing. Great mileage (30 MPG + on highway)plus more than enough power for everyday driving. At 7 seconds 0-60 MPH according to the magazines, it is actually faster than some of my mid- 70s Corvettes. The car seems faster since the power band is broad and instantaneous due to the supercharger. Engine has been flawless since owned. A nice daily driver, I like the real Heads-up Display and good instrumentation. The 8 Bose-speakered stereo is the best factory car stereo I have ever heard. Nothing has even come close. Great car.