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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  Formula - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By firehawk - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Great engine in this car and ride and handling is just right for me, but the build quality from GM continues to be poor.

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  GM sold me a lemon!!!! - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Mindy - May 22 - 2:00 am

  My vehicle was a lemon and GM would not stand behind vehicle. Currently in lawsuit with GM to get my money back. GM did not treat me like a real customer. A customer who before making the first payment car was in shop. Then in shop about every 2-3 weeks for same problem. GM customer service was terrible. If you have a GM product I will pray for you!!!!!

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  montana - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By Sam - May 15 - 10:26 pm

  bought it used, transmission tanked at 103,000, no warning, rebuilt it, two more transmission rebuilds, broken rear wiper, broken power window, all in 40000 kms of owning. Nice to drive, but not reliable mechanically, left me stranded several times, and the window drives us nuts, $700 later, and it still sticks, have to realign manually for it to finish going up. Gas tank level suddenly off, ran out of gas twice before we figured out that problem, not fixed.

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  Is it a LEMON?? - 2004 Pontiac Montana
  By nic - May 12 - 8:53 am

  This van had 19,000 KM on it when purchases. I have replaced the brakes twice in 2 and 1/2 years, and no, I do not ride the brakes. There has been one problem after another. Right now it is surging or slipping, yet nothing wrong with transmission. Last bill, for transmission, spark plugs, brakes and engine problem $2000. Not happy with this vehicle, and very disappointed as it is the first Pontiac I have had problems with. What is with the Brakes. How can they need replacing so soon? Why did they need replaceing at so soon after purchase? Why does the transmission slip yet nothing wrong with it? I am very disappointed in this vehicle

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  Fun to look at... THATS ABOUT IT! - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By MattE - May 2 - 10:00 am

  What a piece of junk! I bought this car as something to just goof around in because my everyday ride is a Ford F-150. WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY! This car is in the shop every other week...It is not reliable at all! I admit that it is nice to look at, but its just not worth anything.

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  Bad Transmission - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By unhappy with GM - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Overall a fun car to drive. Could use a V8. Transmission had to be totally replaced at 72000. GM will not acknoledge there is a transmission problem with this car. I know 3 of my friends had the same problem from 40k to 70k. GM did not respond at all when I went through their channels. Too bad for them because they have lost a good customer.

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  Never Again - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By BJam - April 18 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car thinking that it would last as long as our 94 Grand Prix. My cars are well maintained and checked regularly. This one didnt even make it to 100,000 miles. No warning from any of the sensors, no telling that anything was wrong until I looked at the temp guage and saw 250 degrees. After immediately pulling over, it was too late. The engine was cooked. Now Im looking at a $3500 investment on a car that is valued $6500.

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  Pile of junk - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Jack Hoffman - April 12 - 3:16 pm

  This is by far the worst car Ive ever owned. Bought with 16,000 miles on it, I had problems from day one. Sun visors fell off, 3 CD players, rack & pinion, 2 wheel bearings, several rotors, tie rod end, steering coupler. Now at 56,000 miles, the struts are gone and a loud clunk in the front end again. Check engine light on again. I will never buy another GM product again nor will I recommend it to anyone. Thank goodness it leaves next year. Before I buy another car, I will make sure to check this website out.

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  One year Follow up review..... - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By J.Briscoe - April 6 - 9:46 am

  This is a follow up to our SV6 purchase in July 2005. The car does not always start - dealer found no problem with this - still happening. Tires are worn after a year - seems you are to look inside the door and not read the tires for the correct pressure. The radio switches channels without catching all of the stations on its own. Brakes are worn and noisy. The air had to be recharged - was not keeping the inside cooled down.

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  Passenger Side Crash - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By crashkid - March 30 - 10:00 am

  I bought a 2-dr GRAm GT (Black). While driving on the hwy a woman started coming in my lane. When I swirved to miss her I lost total control of my vehicle (Steering and Brakes !) hitting the contrete barrier on the hwy, crossed 4 lanes of traffic before I was hit in the psgr side door by a F-150 truck at 70mph. No one was with me, that person would have been dead. My "drivers cage" held up The psgr door was pushed over to the console. I do not visually remember hitting the wall or by the truck but I do remember the feeling of the brakes pulsing (ABS) and not being able to stop, and cranking the steering wheel with no control.