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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  AWESOME - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By clayton900 - August 12 - 2:00 am

  this is the best car i have ever had in my entire life

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  GT - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By insaneSct - August 12 - 2:00 am

  Its a great car; fun to drive.

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  Lot of car for a great price - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Dunlap - August 12 - 2:00 am

  This is the best Grand Prix to date. The most notable improvements are the quality of the interior components and ergonomics. The leather is now a much better grade. The trunk has a low lift over and with 60/40 split folding rear seat, the car is more versatile than ever. Same great engine to blow any wannabee off the line.

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  Good on the outside, bad in the middle. - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Steven - August 12 - 12:20 am

  I bought this car as a used car with 45,000 miles on it. The first couple months I had this car I had no problems with it. Then I was rear-ended at about 30mph and it did over $5,500 in damage, and wasnt totaled. Since then we have had nothing but problems out of this vehicle, and Ive had to buy another vehicle because its been in the shop so many times. The build quality, and reliability is absolutely horrible in this car. I cant believe American made Pontiac would produce such a horrendous car. The exterior is very beautiful, and the car does turn heads a lot. But, the downside is that everyone knows about Grand Ams reliability, and I wish I wouldve know that when I bought it.

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  2008 G6 Very Good - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By S N B - August 11 - 11:13 pm

  Its quick with great pickup and is fun to drive. I like a lot of space in the drivers side area and it has it. The view behind you is very limited because of the high trunk, I still have not mastered backing in to a spot yet.

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  I love my G6 - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By dalejr8faninohio - August 11 - 7:06 pm

  My G6 is my favorite car thus far that I have ever owned. My G6 is fun to drive and I look for excuses to jump in and take off. I origionally went in to look at the Grand Prix and was very impressed with it, however, I drove the G6 and found it was a car I had to have. I got a great deal on it and have thoroughly enjoyed it ever since.

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  Incredible Car! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Manimal - August 11 - 1:30 pm

  This car is a sleeper Mustang killer! Couldnt be happier with the 05 GTO! Every time I pass a Mustang (which is pretty much all the time) I cant help but smile. Mostly because my car simply powers by, but also because you dont see GTOs at every corner. I dont want to mod my car to separate it from the others (just search for Mustang mods and see how many returns you get). Sometimes subtle understated makes more of a statement. Loving my GTO!

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  Fun, Sporty, Solid Value though... - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By kevmark - August 11 - 10:00 am

  I was very impressed with this car. Have searched for a few months..so no quick decision here. I like almost everything about it except for the cup holders up front, they actually overlap each other so only two cans can fit, no large cups, or at least not for the two of you!! Pretty stupid design, what was up with that engineering quirk? Also, the middle of the radio/CD display is dark so some characters and numbers are unreadable. Im hoping this is simply a bulb burned out behind the display.

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  Commuter Car - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Mark - August 11 - 9:56 am

  Bought this car from my sister with 140,000 on it, it currently has 155,000 on it and runs great. I drive to school 30 miles every day and 40 miles to work on the weekends. Going 60-65mph on highways and taking it easy in town i am getting 28-31mph consistently. I can go from 300-350 miles on a tank of gas..i have NEVER been able to get more than 12.5g of gas in the car even with the gas light on, great on gas if babied and not bad looking for the year/price

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  1997 Firebird - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By John - August 10 - 4:13 pm

  My dad bought me this car for my 16th birthday and I love it. It has had some minor problems with the driver window motor and the power steering hose broke. But other than that I have had only standard maintenance on it. With the 3.8 liter v6 it has enough power to keep up with some V8s and has enough power to smoke the tires. I have fun driving it but in rain and snow it is not the best vehicle on the road. My firebird is silver with T-Tops and in the summer is fun to drive overall I believe that for a 16 yr old like me this is the perfect car. and my next car will be a firebird.