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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  1999 grand am - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By rob foley - February 15 - 6:23 am

  i drive 50000kms/30000miles a year, front brakes need to be changed every year, pads and rotors, car is nice to look at fun to drive but gets very expensive to keep up with, head gaskets, engine service light that can come on for one of a thousand reasons, (i got to ignore it) would be a great car if just a little more quality parts were used. try to change the spark plugs yourself haha. remove engine and change. but after 6 years and 302 thousand kms (180,000miles) the car finally became to costly and unreliable, traded for a jetta

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  Fun, but....... - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Lotsamiles - February 13 - 8:20 am

  We purchased new, now have 94k+. Very fun to drive, good mileage for large car. Reliability has been lousy! Same problems with windows/motors. Had dealer print out repair history; it was 12 pages long. Injectors, tie rod, windows, steering column, and so forth. Afraid to pass on to our daughter! Steering column has to be taken apart and lubed...now at our cost...every 50k miles.

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  First one and I love it - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By DAMN SKIPPY - February 12 - 7:13 am

  My wife and I traded in her stratus for an 05 Grand Prix GT and couldnt be happier about the decision. I drive a Mustang 5.0 and I feel like the power from the V6 is quite comparable. The front seats are super comfy and I feel very "in control" with the HUD and the many other features on the console. Although, I wish that the back seats had more head room. It would make it easier to get our infants car seat in and out. All in all, I am satisfied with this car and hope to trade in for a new one in the future.

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  Fun to Drive - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Tyson - February 10 - 5:00 pm

  This car is fun to drive, handles well, and gets relatively good gas mileage. So far I have about 1600 miles on it. I wish it is not being discontinued with Pontiac. I wouldnt mind replacing my Grand Prix with another G8.

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  Just traded mine in!! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Doll - February 10 - 4:53 pm

  After 5 years of having constant problems with this car, I finally got rid of it. Dont get me wrong Looks great,fun to drive, hauls butt when you need it to get up & go. But I hope you have alot of $$ to keep up the constant little things that go wrong with this car. The radio was bad from the get go & I puchased the upgrade. They replaced twice still went bad I gave up. My power seat I paid extra for didnt work after the first year. Brakes constant & They rub really bad. Intake manifold $700.00 bucks atlike 50,000 miles,allternator,temperature gauge, one of my fuel injectors went bad & started mis firing $1200.00. I finally got rid of it. It only had 87,000 miles on it. Beware of This Car!

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  Disappointment - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By Steve - February 10 - 1:46 pm

  I cannot say enough about how unsatisfied I am with this car. It is a complete lemon. Air conditioner quit at 40,000. New tranny at 57,000, and new engine parts at 61,000. I still owe more than its worth and am looking to sell it for much less. I am very disappointed in this vehicle only because I love the space and its fun to drive. But now i own a $20,000.. $7,000 car, after paying 10,500 for it and putting almost the same back into it to fix it. Wish i had never purchased a Pontiac

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  Lost 60% of its value in two years OUCH - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By tniepoth - February 10 - 10:00 am

  It lost 60% of its value in the first two years. After only 30,000 miles, the A/C has gone out, the rear hatch hinge is defective, and the transmission whines terribly when its warmed up and goes uphill. Trying to get out from under this one. The only thing I like is the fact that the back seats come out giving a low, flat floor so that I can load my 3 big dogs with room to spare.

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  Only if you must - 2003 Pontiac Montana
  By Skip It - February 10 - 10:00 am

  I have owned 2 of these vehicles. I had a 1997 model that was nothing but trouble and decided to give GM a second try by purchasing a second van from them. Biggest mistake I have made in major purchases. Not even 10000 miles in and the intake valve needed replaced. The brakes are squeeling and the front end is making some weird rubbing noise that the dealer has had no luck locating. Oh, the glove box latch has been broken 3 times already. I wont be purchasing another GM vehicle for quite some time. Next van purchase will be a Honda or Toyota.

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  Junk electrical with these cars - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Earl - February 9 - 1:20 am

  Car has done very well in all areas except electrical which have been a nightmare. Can we talk? The drivers side window motor failed at less than 10k miles (in-warranty). Two of the other three failed out of warranty (one window failed after it had only been up and down ONCE). The blower motor failed at about 75k. The alternator and battery failed soon thereafter. The AC works great but makes squealing noises for years now. Have tried everything short of replacing compressor to fix it. Dealers want $400+ to fix the Pontiac- designed window motor problems.

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  Charlies review - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By charlie2011 - February 8 - 5:36 pm

  I love this car. It is stylish and fun to drive. The only complaint I have is that the power steering keeps going out on it when you least expect it. It has been a otherwise very lovable car.