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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  Pretty good first car! - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By hannie88_07 - May 13 - 7:56 am

  I was looking for a car in the range of 3000-4500 dollars for my first car and this one my dad said would be awesome! And it is!

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  Liking Montana - 2004 Pontiac Montana
  By clarkb - May 13 - 4:10 am

  I am pretty happy with this van. The DVD package is great. It drives reasonably well. It has good low-end torque, and moves away well from a stop light. It could use more passing power. Fuel Economy is a bit poor, but few minivans are much better. The SV6 has addressed much of this. After driving several vans, incl. the Odessy, Sienna, Freestar, and Town and Country, it is more responsive and refined than the other American entries. Unfortunately, it is worlds behind the Sienna and Odessy. With rebates, it was also $10K less, which more than compensates.

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  All Go-Bland Show - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By OldSarge - May 13 - 1:50 am

  I bought my 2005 GTO in March 06 . It had sat on the dealers lot since the previous July. I got it for invoice plus $3500 cash back, plus $600 more than my trade in was worth. I had the intake, entire exhaust, sway bars, and shocks swapped out for high performance replacements, plus had the ECM modified to take out the 140mph governor. What a car!!! It will melt its rear tires!! Great seats, excellent forward view. Of course, very fast. I had previously owned a beefed up 69 Road Runner (during the early 70s), and a supercharged 94 Camaro Z28 (during the 90s). This car beats them both, hands down. Im glad it didnt sell well. The dummies dont know what they missed.

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  I got good value for my $$ - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By AZ - May 12 - 9:36 am

  I got my 99 red Sunfire 2 door 2.2 auto for $11000 in 2001. I LOVED my little red coupe. It has really served me well. Ive had almost no mechanical problems for the first 4 years I owned it. I just did regular maintenance and oil changes, brakes replaced at about 70,000 km, etc.. My only major problems with it have been in the past year. I blew out my head gasket at 100,000 km. Paid nearly $1000 to get a new head gasket & water pump. Ive been told by many mechanics that the Sunfires are notorious for head gasket problems! So watch your anti freeze levels and dont let it over heat as that gasket has very low tolerance. I also got the wiring recall work done at a GM dealership for free

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  Biggest Bang for Your Buck - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By scott hall - May 12 - 3:20 am

  This is one of the fastest cars i have ever drove. It rides and handles like a dream. The is only for drivers that have been driving for a while not for a teenager. It has plenty of room front and back and the back seat is very comfy...so give the GTO a drive..and you will buy it...and make sure you drive the 6-speed :o)

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  Very Good SUV - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By JJSE - May 11 - 4:10 pm

  Have had the car for 3+ years. No reliability issues. Still driving on the original tires, brakes and wheel bearings. Just drove from Denver to St Louis with ave mileage of 24-25 mpg. Very good in snow. Peppy around town but not as much fun to drive as my Honda Accord. Love the interior room and cargo capacity. Can haul more than a Jeep Commander.

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  Performance bargain - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Firstinlastout - May 11 - 8:50 am

  Ive had my GTO for 10 months now. Super reliable, not a problem at all. I do a lot of driving with it and have taken it all the way up to the mountains of North Carolina from Miami and back. Not one issue except for a burned out brake light. The power is amazing. The suspension is taught and sporty but not as razor like as I would like. The trade-off though is a super comfortable ride. If GM could have put some bigger anti-sway bars and stiffened up the springs/shocks/struts just a tad bit...I would be in heaven. Overall, I am very impressed with the GTO inside and out. Sound system is a little weak and there are no dedicated doorlock buttons, but overall I love this car !

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  worst car by GM - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By import-4-ever - May 10 - 2:00 am

  I bought my grandam at the same time my mom bought her masda protoge and since then i can see difference in the two .My grandam has had a head gasket job ($1000),stuck shifter ($70),several electronic sensors averaging $600 dollars excluding labour charges, failed ABS system($400), overheating ($200),no heater (Something is wrong with the heater core)....the list is endless.My advise ..DO NOT GET A USED GRANDAM..andif you have a trouble free one get rid of it before 100K besause thet is where the trouble begins

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  Trans Am - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By Geo1 - May 10 - 2:00 am

  This is one of the best cars Ive driven for the money. Love to drive it!

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  Wouldnt Buy Another One - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cgaspard100 - May 10 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 1999 Grand Am GT Sedan brand-new from the dealer and had nothing but trouble from the start. First the entire break system went out, not once but multiple times within the first year. In the second year, the head gasket had to be replaced (and yes, I mainted my car religiously). The radiator had problems for the first couple of years and had to be replaced. The Alternator went out 4 times in year 3 of ownership. The wind noise in this vehicle is TERRIBLE. This car performs very poorly on wet roads. This is a beautiful car; I love its style and look. Its fun to drive. But if youre looking for dependability, look elsewhere.