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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  2006 Pontiacs have issues - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By mcompton - September 14 - 5:46 pm

  I bought this pontiac used in 2007. I know I do not know what the history of the car was before this other than carfax being clean, it has had many issues. Now has 50,000 miles on it and just had to replace power steering rack b/c of leak, I have a valve that has broken and has to e replaced to turn off check engine light (was told this is really common in these cars by dealer due to design flaw and freezing water breaking a valve in low temperatures), and my drivers side window motor has broken. I was also told by dealer in replacing my power steering rack that my tire rod in the front is shot and will need to be replaced soon. Only 50,000 miles!

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  Nice but has its flaws - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Norm Ried - September 13 - 10:16 pm

  Overall decent buy. I bought the car wit about 153,000 miles mostly highway miles. I now hav 160 and so far had a dirty EGR valve, bad O2 sensor, and a faulty crank shaft position sensor. The position sensor cost $160 to fix. The O2 sensor was a great opportunity to upgrade to a performance sensor $80. The car attaches itself to you. Great looking, and great open throttle sound bouth inside and out. Keeps up with many newer tuner cars!

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  not terrible, but not great either - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ash_ley - September 13 - 5:33 pm

  drives great, but weird clunking noise coming from the right dash. dont know what it could be.. dealer claims to not hear it. exterior of car is amazing, love the color and style. fits my personality perfectly.

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  Pontiac G6 - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Alisha - September 12 - 6:26 pm

  Its fun and pretty....rides quite and smooth...feel great when it turns...really nice to drive. But...Im now at 84000 miles, and over the past 20000 ive constantly had to get the brakes replaced and rotars turned...its ridiculous how quick they go out and it starts shaking. Im also having tons of electrical stuff now....CD player stopped working, inside light quit working, trunk light, right window wont go down, cigarette lighter went out, now the sun roof is wanting to get stuck open, sometimes it has the same starting issues others have described, auto entry doesnt work, and Ive been taking it into the show every few months to get something new fixed. After 65000, get rid of it!

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  Loved the piece of crap - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By grand_dan_97 - September 12 - 6:20 pm

  I am the proud owner of 1997 Pontiac Grand-Am V-6. Its green, and has eaten a lot of green too. I have only owned the car for the last year, and i gotta say its a fun car minus the how badly it deals with harsh winters(body-wise). the engine and trans run fine. The ride is a bit rough, and there is considerable body roll when cornering, mine had ans still has no power steering due to a leak in one very awkwardly placed pressure line. The body is very nice, and has held up nicely mostly because its plastic. the frame is in a very bad way, but still holding even after being rear-ended by a 97 olds 88 a few months ago. Its a tank in the snow, and runs great, w/197k miles on it.

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  Great engine, good looks, poor quality! - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By ndclark - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Spectacular engine performance, reliability, good gas milage, and a superb transmission then the Pontiac Grand Prix GT is just what I would suggest. Very sporty look and the dual exhaust adds a rich sound. Poor quality, Basically, its cheap. The seats are horrible, the windows leak (bad seals)and there are several other issues. I bought the car last Jan. with 54,000 miles(now79,000) Ive had to replace the CD player(numerous problems), window switch, wiper cam, window washer motor, climate control resistor-dash controls, and alternator. The cruise control no longer works, the climate control still squeals.

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  Fun in the sun! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Randy - September 9 - 6:20 pm

  The Solstice draws stares and starts conversations everywhere I drive. The motor is loud on acceleration with the top up, but with the top down you just hear a nice rumble. The cockpit is small with low access. Comfort is very good. People over six feet tall will have trouble stretching their legs. I find myself looking for reasons to take the Solstice for a spin. The onboard computer rated 20MPG over 4200 mostly city miles. I just took an 800 mile trip through the mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. The Solstice handled the twisty mountain roads with ease. The Solstice averaged 30 MPG on this mostly highway trip with the top down the whole way.

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  OK for the Price - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By Steve Harper - September 9 - 4:33 pm

  We test drove a number of other small sedans/hatchbacks before deciding to purchase a Vibe. The ride quality and offered features seemed to be a cut above the rest of the pack. However, so far we are not too impressed with the build quality (center wheel caps fell off, sunroof leaks, rear view mirror vibrates, paint easily scratched; instrument panel rattles/squeaks in cold weather). Also, the gas mileage is only OK (averaging 24 mpg in mixed driving). Traction in the snow seems to be reasonably good.

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  We need some aftermarket parts! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By griffsta - September 9 - 3:36 am

  5 months with the car. Owned a Mazda 6 G before this one and the reliability and preformance are so much better in the Pontiac. Awesome car but where are all the upgrades? Give me some intakes and exausts for this thing. I wanna hook it up and show it off.

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  Awesome SUV - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By Carlos - September 9 - 3:13 am

  Like many of you, I was doing some research last year trying to buy a comfortable, spacious and low price SUV. In conclusion the Torrent beat all the other suv I researched (Patriot,compass, Escape, Mercury). You get more of what you pay for. I bought the Bugg shield, window visor and mud guard. Wish it make it look cooler. Gas Mileage is decent compared to other cars or SUVs, cant complain.