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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  Ouch, its the tranny - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Skeeter - May 14 - 7:03 am

  I just took my GP GT into the dealership after hearing a bit of extra noise under the hood. They called me back saying that it appears that a bearing is going and pieces are floating around the transmission. Cost to repair it, $3400. Not too happy about GM build quality after this. The other issues Ive had are "warped", distorted windshield, a spot in the paint that had been redone poorly at the factory, and a leaky rear window that had water sloshing underneath the rear seats onto the floor.

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  Not a bad car... - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By patey99 - May 4 - 10:00 am

  The car has served me well for the last 3 years. Any major problems were covered under warranty. Aside from being on the loud side and typical GM build quality, its not a bad buy for your money.

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  Cmon! Interior coming apart after 3 months - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By R&L - April 16 - 4:03 am

  We purchased this vehicle four months ago. First rims had bubbles in them, then the lever to release seat came apart and now after 4 months the window console panel is popping up. Very cheaply made and whats the deal with the stupid storage racks! couldnt come up with something better? I could go on and on about things that we found wrong with this Jewel from GM. Way to go boys! Wont get another purchase from me again!

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  This car is a Nightmare!!!! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By bkane-smith - April 8 - 10:03 pm

  Well what a disappointment this has been! If I hadnt have bought it used it would have been lemon lawed 3 times! GM didnt offer any sort of help. All I can say is that I am so happy I bought the extended warranty. I will know bless you with my list of problems: 1. When I replaced the brakes 3 out of 4 had problems.2. 2 new rack and pinions 3. 3 new fuel pumps due to an extended start problem that they cant figure out 4. There is a leak somewhere in the frame that get into the computer and causes A LOT of computer problems. Also, the car didnt hold its value so now I am about $5000 upside down! What a nightmare! Dont buy it or youll regret it. JUNK!!!

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  Decent for 13 year old car - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By md - April 2 - 9:26 pm

  I bought this car for $600 last January. I took it to a mechanic before buying it so that I would know there were not any major issues and what to be prepared for in the future. The transmission, motor (although it does need a new motor mount)and other major components seem to be doing well. In the past year I have had to replace the tie rods, CV joints ($500) heater core (300) and serpentine belt. I do not feel that this is to much work to put into an other wise reliable car for the cheap price I paid. I now have 188,000 miles and expect it to continue going strong. I think people who have had back experiences with this or any car did not do their homework or mechanic check before buying

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  No wonder everyone is buying foreign. - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Paladin96 - March 29 - 9:13 am

  We bought this car brand new, It ran fine until the warranty expired and then the fun began. Wheel bearing, Transmission rebuild, 3 complete sets of brakes in 100,000 miles, intake manifold gasket replace, multifunction switch, and now my abs/trac off light keeps coming on. These are mostly highway miles and were not rough with the car. I would expect a car company who is trying to compete with the likes of Honda and Toyota to sell a decent vehicle. I have never had a car with so many issues. This is the first GM car I have ever owned and I guarantee, it will be the last.

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  review update.. - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By kita - March 25 - 10:00 am

  If you rate this car higher than 7.0 youre either lying, work for gm or probably both. I really wish I waited for more incentives. After 12K miles Im still hating NO auto-dim mirror. Loud engine is loosing its gusto by the month. Monsoon speakers are terrible. Turn on the rear view defroster and my stereo turns into static. Time for ANOTHER trip to the dealership. My 00 GT was roomier and more comfortable to drive. AND nicer styling! My head constantly rubs the ceiling in the 04. I could use the seat to go another couple inches back. Rear seats are a joke. Open sunroof is loud. POOR QUALITY! NOT WORTH THE MONEY!! Would NOT buy this car again.

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  Nothing but PROBLEMS - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By MissLaura - March 22 - 11:20 am

  I bought this car in November of 2008. One month later it was in the shop for a leak in the sunroof. I opened my car door only to find the floorboards in the front SOAKED with about an inch of water. Took the dealership two times and about two weeks with leaving my car there to find out it was the sunroof leaking. Also the lights on the dash and cd player flashed on and off and the cd player would stop working about every other week. About two months after I bought it, I started it one day and my wheel was completely locked up. I had to re start my car in order for it to be okay again but no check engine light came on. Now a year later I am having power steering and vibrating issues

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  My 2nd sunfire - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By HowardPM - March 10 - 2:00 am

  I actually had a 2000 sunfire before this 2003 one, I really like the changes, the new engine is great, I got every package available. The Onstar is cool, it was pretty fun when I called to register it they told me I was the first person ever to call with a sunfire. I also love the XM radio. Only problems Ive had so far are a rattling in the car that the pontiac place cant figure out what it is. A slight defect on the left turn single lens and its now been 2 months since they ordered a peice to fix it. Also there was a rip in the back seat, Ive been waiting 2 months for them to fix also. This is really a dealership issue not a pontiac one though.

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  Cheap but bad quality - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Allan - March 5 - 4:53 pm

  Bought this car in 2003. Already I got water in the trunk, funny noises comming from the engine and the sealing on the doors/windows are not tight anymore. This car is made to last 5 years and then thrown away.