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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  Wish I wouldve reviewed before buying lemon - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Sickofpayinmechanic - November 14 - 3:00 am

  Bought in May 05. June it left us stranded 6 hours from home on a Sunday! Back to dealership, couldnt diagnose till they drove it around for a week and got stranded themselves only to find a loose wiring harness in the fuel line. By December had a $700 tranny rebuilt, 3 sets of rotors, brakes every couple months, but only on one side? Front bearings. Oh yea then the gasket went for a price tag of $1000 (and still smells of antifreeze when warm). Rear door leaks through the interior light while raining! Cruise control just stopped working. Power windows are a joke! I know 5 different familys with these and I have the fewest probems with 152,000 miles and still shimmyin down the road!!

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  Love my GT - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By PrplgrandamGT - November 11 - 10:00 am

  I have a purple Grand Am GT right now and have owned it for a year. Except for having to replace the driverside window (which I guess is pretty common in Grand Ams), I have had a great experience with it. In fact, I love it so much that Im checking into buying a 2003 Grand Am GT.

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  loved it - 2008 Pontiac Torrent
  By lvetzal - November 11 - 2:10 am

  This by far was my favorite car I have owned. I too was recently in a serious collision on a busy highway and walked away without a scratch only because of the vehicle I was driving. It had tons of room handled like a dream and gas wasnt so bad either! The only problem I had was the front wheel bearings went in my first 6 months of owning. But were replaced by my warranty no problem. I would highly recommend this vehicle.

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  Awesome!! - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By Matt - November 10 - 5:06 am

  Its a responsible family mans sports car. Powerful, great handling, room for 5 comfortably.

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  This car has changed my views of GM - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By partsman99 - November 9 - 1:56 am

  I bought this car with 71K miles on it in 2009. The clock currently shows 137K, and I am fairly impressed with it. Starts every time I put the key in, no matter how hot or cold it is. The good: plenty of power with the standard 3.8, decent sound system, good fuel economy with the size of the car, the overall look of the car is pleasing to the eye. The bad: needed intake manifold and gaskets right at 100K, a solenoid in the trans is going bad, low roof line so my head is almost rubbing the ceiling (Im 61"), very picky about which alternator is in it. My overall opinion is this is a good car, and that takes a lot for me to say being a die-hard Mopar fan. Its old, and people still like it.

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  Bad car for petite/short people - 2008 Pontiac G5
  By Rachel - November 8 - 9:06 pm

  This is the car from hell if youre really short. Doors are tall & long & easily bang other doors when opened. Outside rear end/trunk of car sits up high and view is also hindered by rear seat head rests and spoiler. Interior: Poor storage - has 1 shallow console "bin" and no center cup holders. Steering wheel tilts up & to ctr. level but not down. Seats are rock hard & have no cushion or give to them. Speedometer has this silly high arch in dashboard above it that makes it hard to see if youre short. If you raise seat up high to better reach steering wheel, legs are then jacked up at ackward numbing angle making it hard to reach down to pedals.

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  Hope you dont get the one I had - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Dan - November 8 - 8:03 pm

  I bought this car new from the dealership and it returned frequently. I love the styling and the car is fun to drive when its new, however I drove more miles with a shimmy, shake, or rattle more than not. At 4K the starter burned up and the car smelled like fire for 4 months. Tie rods wore out 3 times, struts broke, finally a rattle in the front end that couldnt be found. GM finally bought the car back and I move into a 2008 Malibu.

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  Great car! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By stefanie42 - November 8 - 5:12 pm

  I inherited my 99 Grand Am from my grandmother when I was 16 (in 2005). It had 117,000 miles on it and had no problems at all. Shortly after getting it, the window on the driver side refused to roll up. The volume control for the radio was faulty. Those were the only things that ever happened to it. I never got them fixed, and was fine. Went to college for a year without it. Sat for 2 years w/o driving. Replaced coolant system, fuel pump, and battery and it was back to running great! The side mirrors fell off (easy fix-it-yourself). Have to junk yard it because I got rear-ended. Im sad to see it go. Considering getting another. Excellent car. I definitely recommend it!

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  Great car at 9 years old - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By SMG_MP7A1 - November 8 - 3:30 pm

  This is an absolutely fantastic car. My GTP is 9 almost 10 years old and runs like new with 132,000 miles. I had a full run of tests done on this car when my a/c went out and it had only three problems 1.a/c pump went dead 2. small oil leak due to old gasket on oil pan 3. Not exactly a problem yet but i was told to keep an eye on the CV boot. Fun to drive, starts just like a GM should, 0-60 somewhere in the mid 6s. pretty comfortable on long drives except the leather makes your back sweaty. got the a/c pump replaced and i am going to put a new oil pan gasket on myself during next oil change. This car I think could benefit from a 5 speed instead of a 4.

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  Sharp Car! - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Bethany H. - November 8 - 1:43 pm

  I just bought my new 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT coupe yesterday and I am in love! ;-) This is not the first Grand Prix Ive had though and every time, they have been very reliable, a blast to drive, the factory sound system alone is great, and of course, what a beautiful car! To anyone who is looking into getting a Grand Prix, I would definitely suggest it.