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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  Best car I have owned - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By McLaren - December 19 - 11:53 pm

  My Pontiac Grand Prix was six years old when I bought it in 2004. It had been bought new by an elderly woman who only drove it to church on Sundays, and always kept it garaged. It had 17,000 miles on it. This car has been phenomenal. In the 4.5 years since I bought it, it has had no major repairs. Very reliable. Aside from reliability, the car is Very comfortable. It has all the options, leather, power, heated seats, excellent sound system. I have taken this car on several cross country trips, and the ride was considerably more comfortable than in my old Ford. Overall this car was an excellent buy. Comfy, reliable, fun to drive. I recommend.

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  Very Satisfied With my Pontiac - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Pontiac Rules Baby! - December 19 - 10:00 am

  When I bought my Sunfire GT in Feb. 02, I was very excited to own a newer car. Now in July, Im still just as excited to own this baby! I love this car. Its quick, manoevers great and loves the corners. Ive heard lots of people knock this car, and I used to do it too...until I bought one. Now I tell people how great this car actually is. NOw, for those of you who have complaints about the Sunfires, (especially the convertibles) all I have to say is, "serves you right". The Sufire and Cavalier convertibles are probably the ugliest cars around and I have no Idea what would posess anyone to buy one. I went with the sunroof and thats good enough for me.

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  97 Firebird - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By Sharker - December 19 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car...but with GM Quality. At 4,000 miles 500 Watt 10 Speaker Moonson Stereo begins to act up- Volume control is touchy, and CD stacker give off Error code-Fixed by pulling Fuses. Rear Window defogger dies at 37,000 miles but was touchy from the start-but I can live without it; Drivers Power Window dies at 48,000-fixed by replacing motor and regulator; Drive ability issues rise at 57,000 miles feels like transmission is slipping....aaauugghhhh...In Short, This is a great car as long as it is under a warranty.

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  Love this car! - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By reviewer - December 18 - 8:54 pm

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  Mean machine - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By keb - December 17 - 5:16 pm

  I love this car. Its fast, handles well, and a beautiful machine. Now, I just wanna make it even faster.

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  GOOD JOB GM - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GOOD GM PRODUCT - December 17 - 9:56 am

  I have owned this car for 2 1/2 years now and has been trouble free other than the intake gaskets. Great looks for an old car and the acceleration for a 6 cylinder is great. Fun to drive. For a inexpensive GM product I give it a very good overall rating.

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  Ram Air TA convertible 97 - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By Raggtoppz - December 15 - 11:36 am

  great looks, super power, good handling for convertible. the ram air is the only way to go. find a used one in good condition and avg miles. fun to drive, fun to clean, and worth the money (avg 12k to 14k). im 62 and 275 lbs. its pretty comfortable. it would be perfect for someone a little smaller.

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  It takes a beating - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mittens321 - December 15 - 10:43 am

  I bought my Grand Prix after totaling my mustang last spring, and I rushed into it. I bought it from a shady, crappy dealer who just wanted it off his lot because I was young and inexperienced in buying cars. Got the car with 131k on it (pretty low compared to the rest I looked at!) and drive it home... you can tell this car has had a rough life. Yet it still runs very, very reliably. Brakes were completely rusted over, ti rods were so bad my mechanic feared for my safety, yet this car never gives out on me. Now at 145k and the tranny starting to slip, it still is a very reliable car. Its just had a rough life, and for as badly as it was taken care of before it runs excellently.

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  Rock of Gibraltar - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Macj - December 12 - 12:53 pm

  I bought this car at 6k miles and now its at 64k, I absolutely love it, the engine is a monster and the a/c still causes a polar experience. The sound system is pathetic and a few speakers are torn. In terms of drive quality, this thing really gives me power when I want and offers a majestic cruise experience. Honda and Toyota would have set me back a few more thousand dollars, but I dont see where I lost out with this. One major issue I have is with the seating in the back, its extremely cramped and most ppl have complained of nausea because of the claustrophobic rear styling. Ill keep this one till it dies, my last American car got me 268k, miles to go before she sleeps!

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  Almost there! - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By AJ - December 12 - 7:23 am

  I purchased a red 2008 GXP last weekend. This car has a lot of potential with a few changes. Interior materials are ok but not up to the same standards as the MX-5. Trunk space with the top down is non-existent. The manual gearbox should be improved to minimize the effort required to move between gears. The best way to describe it is clunky. Despite these drawbacks, the car is a lot of fun to drive, gets a lot of attention from admirers and is fast.