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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  Great Car 3rd Grand Prix - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Caselynn - September 19 - 1:26 pm

  This is the third grand prix I have owned, and I must say I have NO complaints! I have had only small problems, the switch on the fan only works at 3+, and the light on the radio doesnt light up. I get 30 mpg on highway, and 26 in town. I have a lifter tapping which is annoying but not serious. It always runs and drives and I am at 160,000 miles so far. I had a 94 SE which made it to 250,000, and I drove my 98 GT to 180,000 with only a minor oil leak when I sold it. I love this car and I am impressed, I have owned many others but keep coming back to Pontiac.

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  Leaking Manifold on both 99 & 94 - 1999 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Indy500guy - September 19 - 10:00 am

  I have had 2 Bonnevilles. A 94 & 99. I like the overall performance, and exterior, but I have put 3 manifolds on each car. The 3rd one of each being "out of warranty". I sure wish GM would spend the $2-3.00 to fix the problem, rather than just hide behind the "we cant warranty them forever" line. Breaks - like all of the 6 GM cars I have owned, are undersized, and warp very easy. I will admit that I have become a better break mechanic because of owning a GM. Unfortunetly for GM, they have lost my respect, and I would find it difficult to ever buy a GM product again, and thats a shame.

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  BANG FOR THE BUCK - 2004 Pontiac Bonneville
  By scottie_sl - September 19 - 10:00 am

  In 1993 I went from grand Prixs to the Bonneville--after 11 years and 95,000 miles I could not have picked a better car---excellent service with normal maintenance. After looking at many different makes of cars we Recently made a new purchase and and guess what-- -another Bonneville. Really pleased-- ride/comfort/performace/ecomony/gas mileage at a price $5000.00 less than comparable make/models

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  Total Satisfaction - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Tracy - September 19 - 8:13 am

  Although I have only owned this vehicle for a month, It is well worth the money. This car is fun to drive, stylish, and gets really good gas mileage. Right now I am getting 38 miles a gallon. Although this vehicle has a 4 cyl. engine, it drives like a 6 cyl. I enjoy this vehicle very much.

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  Nothing else like it - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Bryan - September 18 - 3:33 pm

  For the price I paid just under $30,000 there is no other car like it. Better interior and seats than a Dodge Charger and Mustang GTO. Faster than both those cars and may be as fast or faster then my 2000 corvette. But still holds two 6.0 foot adults in the back seat unlike the 2005 mustang. Great car for traveling long distances.

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  The best car I have ever had! - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By miketkrw - September 17 - 10:00 am

  I love my Grand Prix. It is comfortable and roomy, rides nice, and yet handles more like a sports car than a sedan. I have been impressed with the quality of the fit and finish. I laugh at people who pay 10 to 15k more for a lexus. Ill take my GP any day.

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  get another car - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By handle-n_mine - September 17 - 10:00 am

  This year grand am had problems with the head gasket. Didnt find out until 162000 miles lucky i guess. No repair facility will touch the dohc quad 4 engine. All in all if yours is still running GET RID OF IT.

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  Same Engine Problem -Intake body - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By CAF - September 17 - 10:00 am

  Same experience as others ... cracked intake body allowing antifreeze to enter engine. A big mess ...about $2.2K in damage/repairs. Car never did seem to run well for a long period of time since we purchased it ... always replacing fuel injectors and plugs ... maybe thats why the original owner did a dump-n-run on it after 5K miles!?

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  40th Anniversary GP - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By vga0952 - September 17 - 10:00 am

  I traded in a 1997 Grand Prix that had some basic faults which I feared might still exist with the 2002 model but it appears Pontiac got all the bugs out for its 40th year of production. I went with $2695 40th Anniversary Special Edition Package Option. In that 2002 is the last production year for a two door along with the Special Edition package my hope is that my coupes resale value will be better than the standard GT model. Being performance minded, I do wish I had gone with GTP with supercharger although that would bump the sticker price to $30,000 which is too much. To date, with 8000 miles, my customer satisfaction level is nearly 100%.

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  G5 review - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By shannon wasson - September 17 - 9:26 am

  Overall impressed so far. Handles a little different from the car I traded in. Gas mileage excellent. Overall value for money A+