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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  every pennies worth - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Bryan Mirzaian - August 24 - 8:36 pm

  My dad bought me this car 10 years ago for little more than $6k with 67k on the odo. 10 years later,I still (hard) drive it daily with over 200k miles. @ 178k pulled a 16.07 sec 1/2 mile having less than $180 in performance parts,& that was with almost a half sec crap start! I use full syn oil, changed timely,& replace the usual parts when they fail. Parts failure is inevitable with any car, its the nature of the beast! But have never had to crack the motor open & thats the more pertinent point. Cost of ownership has been very low.My quad4 motor began smoking V6 GA`s with a $25 cone filter, so not sure why one would choose the heavier V6 that has more moving parts to potentially fail.

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  Reliable Car for me - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By luvmycar - August 24 - 8:20 pm

  I bought my Pontiac Sunfire used w/29k miles. It now has 77,000 and I have not had any major issues at all. I still get great gas mileage and over 30 mpg on the highways. Its fun to drive and noise is not a factor. The engine is strong and peppy for a 4 cylinder.

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  Pros and cons - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Filip - August 24 - 1:36 pm

  I saw this car on the lot and really liked the looks of it. it was used but only had about 8000 miles on it so it really seemed new to me.I took it out for a test drive and liked the car.The dealor wouldnt negotiate his price.Like I said , it was a nice looking car and peppy enough for me.I can zip in and out of traffic easily.I wasnt sure how the upholstery would hold up. It didnt. After 1500 miles it started to tear on the front seat There is lots of plastic on the car.I have replaced 3 wheelcovers because of cracks. there was a recall for the directional lights. I replaced them 3 times in 6 months, After a rain, If I opened the trunk, water would drip down my back. Door lock problems.

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  happy to have it - 1999 Pontiac Bonneville
  By sales rep - August 23 - 10:00 am

  I travel a lot by car and have used this car heavily! It has never needed any work other than normal maintenance. The ride is very good, I average 28-29 mpg. Good kick when you need it, handles great. Plenty of room to haul kids and nice big trunk. Everyone who sees what I drive comments "I used to have a Bonneville, never shouldve sold it..." I dont think I can part with mine either.

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  Montana - spacious and economical - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Jeff - August 23 - 9:56 am

  Ownership of the Montana has been a pleasure. The video system helped keep our two kids busy when we drove to Yellowstone and back to Pennsylvania and later to southern Florida and back, along with trips to Massachusetts and back in between. The system takes both vhs video tapes and video game inputs. On these long trips I found the gas milage was better than expected as the most recent trip to Florida gave me at least 27 to close to 30 mpg on the highway. The digital information system helps when put on instantaneous mpg, one learns what helps and what hurts as far as gas milage goes. The vehicle has given us no major engine problems, is good on tire wear and the exterior is still good.

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  Best GM car ever - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Bryan - August 21 - 8:40 am

  ive owned a lot of cars from GM, this has to be the best one yet, i owned a 05 pontiac bonneville GXP that was alright, at best, this cars handleing is great, the steering is perfect, suspension is perfect in cornering and just relaxing on the highway, brakes are great, great design inside and out, feels well built, the power from the V8 is endless, would like a little more of a louder exhaust note, and the window switches should be on the doors, but those small things dont really wreck a absolutly great car

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  What a blast to drive - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By John - August 21 - 2:40 am

  Bought our new Vibe GT about 3 weeks ago. So far, my wife and I like it better every time we drive it. Solid built, corners great. We are both in our 50s and just love the 6-speed stick and high reving 4 cylinder engine. Taking a trip next weekend. Cant wait.

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  Warranty issues - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By madashell - August 20 - 10:33 am

  Bought my car brand new - $19,000 + - paid cash. First year - awesome except radio replacement due to the buttons chipping - 2nd year, serpentine belt, u-joints. 3rd year - getting radio replaced AGAIN due to chipping. Seats are fading - was told it was due to the mileage - umm, 30k only. Have GM now involved - but they just want to give me a certificate for $4k off a new GM car. You are kidding right? Im buying Ford and cannot wait until this radio is put in so I can get a decent private sale or trade in. What a joke - and what a thing for a dealer to say seats fade at 30k! No more GM for me!

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  midwife crisis - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Matty - August 20 - 1:43 am

  Purchased used 04 GT2 to replace mycompany car. Blows away Taurus and Intrepids at this price. Previous Pontiac owner and impressed with improvements. I love to drive it and have had many compliments.

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  my car - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Rose Leon - August 19 - 10:00 am

  this car has been great ,people stop me to say how pretty my car is