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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  My Grand Am - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cathypens - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I love driving my Grand Am GT......its just a fun car to drive. Pontiac knew what they were talking about when they said they build excitment! I knew this car was for me when I got in to test drive it. This car was all about my personality. So far in the years that Ive had the car, its been reliable for me. Ive done my best to keep it in the best working order that I can, making sure it gets regular visits to the dealership. If you havent driven a pontiac, you need to find out what its like to drive one!

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  my experience with my 2001 GT - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Dale58 - March 19 - 2:00 am

  This car has really great pickup and handles well considering previous Grand Ams I have owned previously. Have had few issues on reliability with it and regular maintenance is about all I have been out of pocket on this particular car.

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  Luv this car! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By cajunmavin - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Company car - would not have looked at this otherwise. Quite surprised with the Grand Prix. Great handling, comfortable and lots of power. Has the feel of an expensive foriegn car. I have driven the c class and 3 series - tight. Grand Prix has plenty of room. Worth taking a look at.

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  Nice Car but - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By yahoo waa - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Nice car but I have had nothing but problems with is shaking at 65 mph. Now the brakes pulsate as a result. Dealership unable to fix 5 times. Would not buy another one.

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  Great Car! - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Ninja - March 18 - 10:00 am

  I have had Hondas,Toyotas,and Mazdas before this but I love this car and dont regret the purchase of it!.

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  Awesome Car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By darchey - March 17 - 1:40 pm

  I love the exterior, it is so pretty. I have a silver G6 Gt and it has chrome wheels and tinted windows making this car look so stylish on the road. I really love the look

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  2000 Bonneville SE - Great car! - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By 2000 SE - March 17 - 4:06 am

  I bought this car new in Dec 1999 when the new styling was introduced. I love this car. Lots of features, power and luxury thats hard to beat for the price. Very roomy interior, fun to drive. Great styling. Very reliable. Have had a few minor things repaired. I recently purchased a new 2004 GXP and love this car even more. My wife is now driving the 2000 SE.

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  Mean LS1 - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By Wildstar43 - March 16 - 1:56 pm

  I have had two cars previous to the Trans Am. Both were Camaros and I have been pleased with the over all reliability and performance of the car. Not to mention getting the parts to modify the f-bodies are easy to find.

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  My opinions after 9 months of ownership - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Trudy Case - March 16 - 5:30 am

  Style-AWD wagon Overall a very nice car that fits our needs perfectly. The cargo area is very useful for hauling 50# bags of horse feed, camping and fishing gear,groceries,etc.AWD really comes in handy in the winter. we live in the mountains of PA.and the roads are not very level or straight around here. During our 1st snow storm this past winter, I just had to take it out to see how well it run in the snow. No problem! Roads were snow covered, but never spun a wheel going uphill or from a stop. Handled very well on curves and going downhill. It just wouldnt slide with the anti-lock brakes. Very good gas mileage. Many useful interior features. Dont like buzzy engine noise.

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  Hey Its A Pontiac What Can I Say? - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By evnsptc - March 16 - 1:00 am

  I ordered my Grand Prix GT brand new to my specifications (Purple Haze Metallic, Tan Heated Leather, HUD, Monsoon 6-Disc, Moonroof, Dual Climate, etc). First of I have 4 Pontiac (00 GP GT Sedan, 01 GP GTP Special Edition Coupe, 04 Bonneville GXP and my 07 GP GT) I love them all and this one is my second favorite (followed by my Bonny) It is very comfortable, fast, reliable and just overall great looking. I take great care of my cars and they get professionally detailed every other month and I detail them every other month (wash, polish, wax, clay bar, leather treatment, interior protectant and wheel cleaner. All of my cars have less than 65K miles too! My 07 has 32K and still is great!