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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  Nice looking, poorly built - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Matt Grabau - November 23 - 8:43 pm

  Pontiac does not stand behind their vehicles. While the car looks great, its a nightmare to own. I promise myself that I will never buy from GM again (new or used). This car has endless electrical problems. My next car will be Japanese! There seems to be too many known problems with this car (in general) but not recognized by Pontiac / General Motors.

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  1995 grand am gt - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Adan Schroder - November 23 - 2:00 am

  great car great performace confort and relabilty aswsome car!!!

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  Unique Aztek Owners. - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By bossman - November 23 - 2:00 am

  Having owned the Aztek for the last year and a half we have experienced a couple of computer problems which required the replacement of the component as well as a minor door problem. We have had as many approving glances as disapproving. We tow a 1500 lb. tent trailer and find that the vehicle handles well for long distance towing, long distance travel without the trailer is comfortable as well. We love driving the vehicle and would buy another.

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  Ok car for the price. - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By weasel - November 23 - 2:00 am

  The major complaint I have is all the repairs Ive had to do to it. Luckily theyve all been under warranty, (which is about to expire). Ive had the fuel delivery system replaced, the front tires replaced, the battery replaced, and the computer reprogrammed. It does drive nice, and the repairs havent been too major. It does give a pulsating vibration during idol if you use regular octane gas; the higher octanes generally help remove this. I do wish they offered a manual in the GT; it would have been a nice option. Ive also gone through a set of brakes on the front end.

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  My black Grandam - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By robmart - November 23 - 2:00 am

  It is a fun car to drive, light steering...easy handling of radio devices while your fingers rest on a divider and your elbow on the arm rest. love the sunroof..and the overall look and feel of the car. The spedometer looks great in the sport-car-like design...easy to monitor your speed --I still use a radar detector.

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  Where are my breaks? - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Fleur - November 23 - 2:00 am

  used to love it, until i swerved to dodge a bob cat, lost my breaks and steering.....I mean totally, i hit the breaks several times and nothing. The steering you ask....um none. I hit a median and flipped 2 and a half times. I walked away with little to no injury, but i will probably never buy another grand am. I totally agree with the artical crashkid wrote. I know where you are coming from. It happend to me to. Not as safe as i thought it was.

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  Dennys 05 GTO - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By dburger66 - November 22 - 7:20 pm

  I have had the car for a little under 2 months now and have had no major problems. There is on fit/finish issue with the interior and the controls for the A/C seem really cheap for a car costing almost $35,000. The only other complaint would be ingress/egress to the rear seats, once your back there it is really comfortable, the hard part is getting into the back to begin with. Also, the power seats work great but they move REALLY slow. Also a compass/temp display in the rearview mirror would be nice, I had an 03 Vue that had one and it cost $10,000. less than my GTO.

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  A real head turner - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Jim - November 22 - 2:06 pm

  I bought this car in January and have enjoyed it more every time I drive it. It handles very well and has sufficient power. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN store some things in the trunk...small soft things. My only slight complaint is that there is no hole big enough to hold a cell phone or ipod near the center console. Overall and excellent car though.

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  Pontiac Montana, money maker for repair shop - 2001 Pontiac Montana
  By jmusolf - November 22 - 1:03 pm

  Head gaskets gone 3 times. Window regulator replaced 2 times, kept taking it to dealer. And it only has 83K miles on it. Now Im going to trade this in and get an import.

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  I like my car! - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Melanie - November 21 - 7:56 pm

  I have to say that I have enjoyed this vehicle and was pleased with its reliability. Do buy the extended warranty, though, as things can go amiss. Muffler still new however Ive had to replace the big muffler brackets a couple of times. Bit of a gas guzzler. This past year leaves me with a problem with the drivers side door lock - any cold or condensation makes it virtually impossible to unlock. Apparently this is an ongoing issue with the Sunfire. After replacing the tumbler, then the hinges and lubing the door clasp, I am hoping this winter will be better and I wont have to climb in over the stick shift through the passenger side. I trust my car and its been very good to me.