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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  they seem nice until you own one. - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By AJGierer - June 25 - 10:00 am

  i enjoyed this car until stuff starting breaking for no reason. like the strut broke and broke the spring and ripped up the tire, at 50000 miles. then at about 51000 the power steering pump and pressure hose behind it broke. not only that but that parts for GM cost an arm and a leg and the labor for this poorly desigened cars is a killer too. as i said i liked this car until i had to do repairs on things that should not of broke or the expensive labor costs.

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  Designed to fail catastrophically - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By Saaphiel - June 25 - 4:03 am

  For the longest time, the van seemed to be doing all right. Certainly it was comfy to drive, mileage was great, but then things started breaking. A/C, door seals, ABS light, headlights full of water after rain causing me to buy new halogen bulbs every month, various electrical gremlins. The final nail in the coffin was the gaskets failing. Plenty of oil and plenty of coolant, suddenly mixed together then cooling and coagulating in the engine to a peanut butter like consistency. Its being hauled to the auto wreckers this week. Rather than throw the equivalent of a down payment on a new car at this miserable van to fix it, I bought a Toyota 4 Runner instead.

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  Had some problems but in love with it! - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Kavity253 - June 21 - 2:00 am

  My parents bought it at 95,000 miles and i was 15 and eager to drive it. It went from seattle to san diego and back overloaded and equipped with a Quad 4 engine, but it did a good job! Now its at 156,000 miles and it died and is waiting for a new engine. Im 18 now and the car was given to me, i will fix it up and remember those happy times we had with the family in that car.

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  Great Car - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Matt6956 - June 21 - 2:00 am

  This is not only my current choice of vechicle to own, but it one of my favorites in general. I have had this car for about a year, and it has been fantastic. I have had no major problems at all, just the regular maintence issues. All recals performed and the car runs great!

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  Very Pleased - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By nitebird - June 21 - 2:00 am

  Perfect.....Not too big, not too small, stylish, not expensive upkeep

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  Very good car for the money - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Just me - June 21 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car used with 28,000 miles on it. In the 2+ years since I have had it, I only had to change the oil and put on brakes around 60,000 miles. it has very good pickup for a 4 cylinder and Ive gotten better mileage than advertised (30-34 mpg).

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  This is the most fun car Ive ever had! - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By jody - June 19 - 10:40 pm

  I have had my Vibe for about 9 months now. My gas mileage is great and I havent had to do anything but change the oil. It handles very well and everything works very smoothly. I feel like it is very quick for a 4 cylinder. I also like the higher seating position. I can fit a lot of cargo in the back with the seats folded down. I love the look of the dash and interior. The exterior styling is great also. I have gotten compliments on my car at the drive up at the bank, car wash, etc. All in all, this is a very cool versatile vehicle.

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  Grrrreat Goat! - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Blueberry - June 19 - 6:06 pm

  Bland styling? No way! I get compliments all the time on how this car looks. Even I thought it looked somewhat bland before purchasing. It looks better and better as the weeks go by. But the performance is what I wanted and I got that in spades. What else you can you buy that comfortably seats four, has a fabulous interior, runs like a scalded cat & costs only $27,000? Nothing. The six speed is smooth and with the amazing torque I usually just go 1st/3rd/5th around town. The exhaust note is very cool, exactly right. On the highway its quiet and tracks very well. Im not a boy racer anymore at 53 but I love a hot car thats comfortable. GTO is a grand touring car with lots of bite.

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  Fun to drive...But quality issues - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By CARL V - June 19 - 12:10 pm

  Currently at 20k miles-loved the car for the first 15k, but going downhill. Electrical issues, transmission is giving off spinning noise in neutral, u- joint not sounding healthy, front end vibrations, coolant warning light coming on, automatic lighting (int/ext) has failed. Grateful to have leased instaed of bought.

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  I Love This Car! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By JamiLuvsHerG6 - June 19 - 8:43 am

  I love my G6! When I had went looking for cars I was looking for something sporty, but without the gas mileage of a sports car. I got exactly that with the G6 GTP. It has a lot of pickup and go. The sunroof is awesome for nice weather and the sound system is out of this world. The mileage is OK. I would like a little more, but the other benefits outweigh that by far.