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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  This is great car to get around L.A. - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By 790riford - January 5 - 2:00 am

  My vibe is 2 years old now,I have had no problems at all. I see all $30K +SUVs eat gas a $2.20 a gallon Im getting 30+ miles per gallon. Easy way give your Vibe some passing power add a K&N air filter.

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  Fun to drive for price - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By ragu - January 5 - 2:00 am

  1st new vehicle I purchased and overall was a great car for me. Will be selling with 116K miles driven, sorry to see go. First weekend I had the trunk seal failed and rain water filled the trunk (defective seal). Also had problem with driver side mirror adjuster breaking (twice) early on. Lastly, transmission had a pinhole in it, luckily under warranty and was replaced for free. Great value for the price. Even though I had those problems, I was happy with the car.

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  2004 Bonneville - 2004 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Dimity - January 5 - 2:00 am

  Great car, bought it after testdriving many others and this one beat everything even close to it in price and size.

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  Excellent - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Lowery2000 - January 5 - 2:00 am

  this car is excellent.

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  My GT1 Grand Am - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By JDD - January 5 - 2:00 am

  This is a great running AMERICAN car. As usual, most people overlook cars like this due to the perception that Foreign made is "better made". I feel this car is going to be very dependable, and for the time I have had the car, its fun to drive, ok on gas, easy to park. Looks good even sitting still--far better looking that the current "rice" look seen far to ofen: civics , corollas, etc., with spoilers over a foot tall on the trunks of their rusted 4-bangers with a cannon size exhaust outlet and enough racing stickers to almost prevent the drivers seeing out of the windows...

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  Wish I Could Sell Already ! - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By tinalitt - January 5 - 2:00 am

  The dash raddles,at 13000 miles a new master cylinder was put on,the door strykers have been readjusted several times to keep the doors secure.The material on the seat is wearing through . Other than that the car is ok.

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  GTO = FUN ! - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By taosphil - January 4 - 4:46 pm

  Great FUN Car! I Love It, everytime I drive it I get a big smile on my face. Very well built, really close to a BMW in quality and performance at one half the price. Makes a wonderful Modern Muscle Car, that why I want a 2006 - 50 more ponies means that smile will be just that much bigger!

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  Feeling it out - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By anesbit - January 3 - 11:23 am

  I got my 2005 g6 last night. Even in this short amount of time I have noticed several things. I am no stranger to gm I had an Aztek before this car and the Aztek was a GREAT car. As far as this g6 goes Ill have to agree with many of you on several things. First being the rattle..When you go over a speed bump it sounds like my tires are going to spin off. It creaks and moans like an old house when driving. Yes, the sunroof is awesome but i just hope it wont leak and that was one of my firsts questions , I was advised that I had nothing to worry about when in fact Im still almost certain Ill have water inside my car.

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  Awesome Car for the money! - 2008 Pontiac G5
  By Ashley - January 3 - 10:23 am

  In the time I have now owned my 2008 Pontiac G5, I have absolutely found nothing I have not liked about he vehicle. It was a steal at the price, with the five year warranty, plus it has all the extras that I wouldnt have been able to afford if I had bought the competitor vehicles such as the chevy cobalt. The car handles great, gets competative gas mileage, no better or worse than any other small car, and it is so quiet while running, and has great brakes in comoparison to other cars I have driven. It was definitely a great buy for my as a college student, but it wouldnt be something I would reccommend to a really tall person, as it would be too tiny, or someone with kids.

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  Alternators3 - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By NicholsS - January 3 - 10:00 am

  The alternator has been replaced three times( the first two by GM, and the third one by me). Each time the alternator was replaced, I had another electricial problem some place else(The radio , the amp and the light replay switch). GM needs to fix the alternator problem(it may be the location of the unit or the quality of the unit itself). make sure you go to a shop thath will replace the unit as long as you owns the cars.