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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  Loved my car, now having major problems - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By P. Kobasic - July 14 - 6:36 pm

  I have had my car for 4 years and loved it when I first bought it, but now I am having problems. I just had to spend $500 to get the brakes fixed and I only have 44,000 miles on the car! The cylinders were cracked and brake fluid was leaking and the brake pads and shoes had to be replaced. Now, my window doesnt work and it will be another $400 to replace the motor. After reading others comments, the windows are a problem with this car. Beware that your brakes may be a problem too, even if your mileage is less than 50,000. I will never buy a Pontiac again and hope I can hold off having anymore major problems with this car for another year or so.

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  99 3.4L v6 2 door GT - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Jay - July 14 - 11:50 am

  My wife bought the car before we met. In the last 3 years the car needed new brakes and rotors, intake gasket(which cost $863), and it had an ignition/ electrical problem. The security light would come on and the car would not start. We would have to leave the key in the on position for 10 minutes before the computer would allow the car to be started. It cost just over $200 to fix with no guarantee. Brakes are starting to go out again. Overall its an ok car.

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  love my grand am - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By paulette - July 11 - 6:30 pm

  I bought it 2 years ago and I love it and dont what to part with it I am keeping it and passing it on to my kids

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  Not a happy customer - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Chris - July 11 - 2:50 am

  I bought this car used and I think it had around 45,000 on it. One month later I had to have the transmission replaced. Needless to say, I wasnt too happy, but I did end up getting a GM warranty when I purchased it. Now, about 11 months later, it sounds like its acting up once again. Get an extended warranty, unless you dont plan on keeping it for very long. And like with all warranty work, the dealers like to take their sweet time getting your car repaired...

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  Happy with my Pontiac - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By tad0729 - July 10 - 5:46 pm

  I have had my Pontiac for almost two years now and have had no issues with the car. It runs well, has power, and is fun to drive. My average gas mileage is about 22 miles per gallon which is decent considering that fact that this is a 3.5 liter 6 cylinder engine. With almost 95K miles on my car, stills runs perfectly.

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  Would buy one again - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By MAJ - July 10 - 10:00 am

  I havent seen any other car out I would like better than my Grand Prix. Very Responsive Engine- fun to drive. I plan to keep this car for a long long time. I feel it is built to last also which was important to me since I dont chance cars often

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  Low Fuel Eonomy in town. - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By krazzyh27 - July 8 - 10:00 am

  I just bought this car used from a rental dealership. I love the car except that I am getting terrible gas mileage in town! Only 13-15mpg. (I have an occasional lead foot.) On the highway, this car is superior, getting between 25-35mpg. I do 90% town driving though, so this is a little frustrating for me. I owned two older Ford Taurus before and this car handles much better but it is getting about the same game mileage as the dinosaurs I traded in on it. My husband and I are 58" and 59" and we have decent room in the front seat and my daughter is 510" and has just enough in the back seat. Not much room for extras. Car seats 4 comfortable, a 5th smaller person "touching arms".

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  Not all I had hoped. - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By UPS man - July 4 - 2:00 am

  The peppy part and the milage are on the mark but its really just another small car to me. Its noisy and has a constant vibration. There are too many blind spots. I drive a large delivery truck and can manuever it better in traffic. The passenger side seat in narrower than the drivers side and squeezes you. Problems including a CD player skipping and the air conditioning quiting. It has an AC outlet but only the smallest of plugs will fit because of the cover cap. We needed a new key and it took the dealer 25 minutes to program the auto lock system with it.

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  Great sporty daily driver - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Tom A - July 2 - 8:13 pm

  This has been an exceptional car. I bought it new in 2000 after owning a 1984 V8 Camaro. The performance of the GrandAm GT1 with RamAir was nearly the same as the Camaro, but with much better fuel economy. It has great low-end torque, and accelerates fast. I like to drive hard, and this car handles it nicely, although I upgraded the wheels to aftermarket R1-Racing ZR18s because the stock wheels felt a little flimsy on hard turns. Besides the exterior beauty and sporty performance, I love the interior cabin. The Monsoon sound system is sweet. Passengers routinely comment on the quality of the sound. The dash is nicely laid out and lit in Pontiac red. The leather seats are awesome.

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  Just fun to drive - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By d klink - June 29 - 7:43 am

  I have the Comp G model and just love it. Its fun to drive, comfortable to ride in for long lenghts of time and has power when needed. This is my second GTP and the 05 is greatly improved over my previous 02 model. Five travel in comfort will plenty of truck space for luggage.