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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  First Car - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By jdaily01 - February 8 - 2:46 am

  Bought a 2002 pontiac grand prix se for my first car only 6months ago. When I got it, it had 122000miles on it, which though high isnt too high. Since buying this car, Ive had 3 windows crap out on me, only fixing the driver side one. It cost about $350 at a dealership to get the window fixed, luckily I found a local mechanic to do it for a lot cheaper. Though now the ignition wont recognize the car as being in park, therefore not releasing the key. Problems just keep adding up, I am able to bypass the the ignition to release the key but I cannot recommend this car. There are multiple reviews online showing that I am not alone, pontiac uses cheap parts making problems more probable.

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  Skip it - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By CS400 - February 7 - 4:36 am

  Overall I had a bunch of problems with this car. The car is very electrical and I had two major electrical problems in the two years that I owned this car. The first time an engine lock fuse shorted and my car wouldnt start. Luckily I was still covered by my warranty or else I would have had to pay over 400 not including towing. The second time I paid about 400 again to have the thing fixed. This car isnt so great on gas (but then again I did have a V6) Also I received a notice from the manufacturer that there was a malfunction with the hazard lights. I noticed this also with the signal lights every time I used the turning signal it would still click even after being put back

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  Great Vehicle - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By knightrider - February 7 - 12:53 am

  We bought this G6 new back in march 2005. Took it on a 1600 mile trip and got a whopping 34 mpg highway. Was very impressed due that the sticker said 20 city and 29 highway. Im getting 23 in city driving all with the a/c on. Have taken the car back to the dealership twice because the foot control pedals never worked since day one. The dealership replaced a control module and it worked for a month and now have another module on order. The rear windows down and the front up makes a real bad air fluttering noise inside the passenger compartment. The 3.5L is very strong and the transmission shifts smoothly. Glad we traded our 2005 gas hog Jeep Liberty in on it. Very Beautiful car.

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  love it! - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By brookany - February 6 - 5:16 pm

  Overall a great car... loves the cold weather, fun to drive, handles great, looks great. Sometime starts funny in hot weather. The ABS kicks in at weird, inappropriate times.

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  Tampamans 98 GT - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By david johnson - February 6 - 4:13 pm

  I just turned 145 K on the clock and keeps going. Replaced the alternator. Now it leaks oil, water and the air is out. However, it is 9 years on the road and high milage. I plan to replace it in a few months so just nursing along. I wish they made a 2 door Grand Prix would buy another. I hope to get a hardtop solstice if they will make it. Overall, been very pleased with the car.

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  My Beautiful Lava Red Vibe - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By OmahaBob - February 5 - 4:06 pm

  Current miles = 3471. Highest MPG so far using ethanol blend = 32.6. Avg MPG so far = 28.0. I Like: • Price with rebates was good. • Good forward visibility. Easy to enter & exit. • Body is solid, not tinny. • The auto trans is geared well to accommodate small engine; Smooth shifting. • Great utility. • MPG is good, but not great. • I love the handling and easy, quick steering. Comfortable to drive. • I like the anchored front floormats Dislike: • With sunglasses on, can’t see whats on clock/radio screen. With the car in “park” it’s difficult to adjust A/C controls. These are minor. • With the A/C on at 75-80 MPH, it automatically downshifts on some hills and hits 4400 RPM.

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  OK , But not great! - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By SeniorSooner - February 5 - 6:06 am

  Bought this vehicle new. Replaced water pump at 17000 mi, replaced ABS system at 38000 mi. Replaced tie rod ends, brakes at 52,000 mi. Replaced right rear window power motor about 55,000 mi. Radio has a mind of its own sometimes. Steering column continuously makes clunking noise when turning. GM says it needs to be serviced, but OK/safe to drive with the noise. Overall, Ive spent less than $2000 out of pocket in 6 years. Engine and transmission seems to be the best part of this vehicle.

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  Great Fun! - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By aesmith - February 4 - 10:00 am

  This car is alot of fun to drive. It is quite a bit roomier than it looks from the outside. The fact that the entir rear of the car turns into one large cargo area is probably the best feature. As far as performance goes, it would be hard to find a car that performs better in a small, tight, and fun to drive package.

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  Comfort and style - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Binnsky - February 4 - 10:00 am

  This is a wonderful car. Coming up on our two year anniversary with this car without a problem. Cant believe all weve needed to do is change the oil and rotate the tires. We usually trade every three years or so, but have no plans to sell this one - dont like the looks of the new model anyway.

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  Bad Choice - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By Unhappy owner - February 4 - 6:53 am

  I clearly made a bad choice by purchasing this vehicle (it happens). This has been in the shop more times than I care to count (tires, electrical, dvd player, both stabalizer bars, radio quit), the problems are endless and it only had 40,000 miles on it. Cant wait to see whats to come ! At least they dont make it anymore, and spare someone else the frustrations.