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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  Great Van -few problems - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By mare - December 25 - 3:06 am

  I love my van. Had trouble with intake gasket at 75,000 replace for under $500. Routine maintenance and fuel pump. Rides well and comfortable. I drive my van to work and on long trips with extended family. We have put carrier on top and loaded it full. It is still running strong. Could not ask for a better minivan.

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  Bless my SOL - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By 1 Bad nanr - December 23 - 3:26 pm

  I have looked at this car for some time and finally bought one. It is my mid life crisis car. The 2.0l turbo is a kick in the pants. There have been many posting on the interior and use of to much plastic which does cheapen the apperance. The manual trasmission seems very smooth within the first 3,000 miles on the car. I have owned a few sports cars over the years, but this by far, is the funnest car to dive that I have owned.

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  Awesome Care! - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Breck - December 23 - 1:13 pm

  This car is great. I havent owned an American car in more that 15 years. I love the sound of the engine when you start it up. None of my Japanese cars ever sounded like that! It has great pickup and pretty good fuel economy. Its fun to drive. The inside is comfortable and the service I get from the dealership is awesome...free oil changes as long as I own it. I got the car loaded with everything and still got a great price with the employee pricing. I could never have gotten a Japanese car with all the features for the price I paid.

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  1998 Bonneville SE - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Canicuss - December 23 - 10:00 am

  I ran into a man who traded his 98 Bonneville for a newer Bonneville and was sorry he had. We both agree its a reliable car, stylish and fun to drive. Ive only invested in routine maintenance and havent had any problems mechanically and the body is sound.

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  Fun on a part time basis only - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By Omer - December 23 - 10:00 am

  Hey, 18 months with my Trans am and I love alot of things with it. The ls1 has tons of torque all 6 gears, Its a fast car, turns heads, and attract attenion, but the reliablity brings this car down. The problems with the car are numberus, first of all engine reliability, the push rods bend so easily, other than that-- no engine problems. The rear axel is very sentitive. Lost my rear end at 60mph twice @ 46,000 and 47,000 miles. They upgraded the clutch in 2001 for a reason (2001s have vette z06 spec clutch). Fast? Yes. Fun? Yes. Satisifed? Yes. Holds Value? (relative to market) Yes. Reliablity? No!

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  GREAT NEW DESIGN -THATS A BLAST TO DRIVE - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By djrlw - December 23 - 10:00 am

  Lives up to drive excitement. Excellent proformance & handling with many great features. I test drove many other cars in this price range and found this to be the best buy and most fun. I even drove cars almost $5000 more and found the proformance and handling superior with the 2004 Grand Prix GT2

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  Loved my Lincoln Town Car but this car rocks! - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By LimoBarbie - December 22 - 1:20 pm

  I love our new Solstice--wish it wasnt winter in Illinois but we wouldnt have gotten this kind of deal in the summer! Got the car for less than sticker and traded on of my Lincoln Town Cars for it. It handles and corners on freakin rails and makes this 49 year old feel young again and the car has a huge "Hey Baby" factor! Hubby got it for me for my 49th birthday and I love it to pieces, I still have my stretch limo and my other TC for when I need a bigger car, but I love buzzing around in this one. Will be taking it to FL in January for the fun of it--soft luggage fits in the trunk with the top up but nothing with the top down. Its ungodly fast--the cops are hating me!

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  Fun to drive and turns many heads - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Jamie - December 22 - 12:56 am

  I recently bought a 2008 Pontiac G6 GXP Coupe and it is an amazing car. The street edition kit makes the car look wonderful and everyone notices it. The car is very fun to drive and handles very well on the road. Bumps are barely noticeable. The interior feels great too. If I want the car to accelerate quickly, it launches. The power is great. My only concern with the car is that it seems like it wants to idle rough a little bit at times. Im not worried the car will leave me stranded, but a brand new car shouldnt do that.

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  love my prix <3 - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By elizabeth - December 21 - 10:00 am

  the one & only problem ive ever had with my car is that it needed a new battery cause the alarm was draining it (alarm went off all the time) otherwise i LOVE it. its sporty but not too little either (not too much into the little cars) runs like new & i always get compliments on it ;)

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  Pontiac: two words you lose - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GTtoGTO - December 21 - 10:00 am

  when i first bought my GP it had 106K on it and now currently has 184K the performance even with the N/A 3.8 is very adequate and can only be better from the aftermarket. Ive had a few issues over the last 4 years with it needed a new sway bar, steering rack, shocks, head gasket, intake gaskets. Ive had many vehicles with far less miles on them and far more problems. Even after it all the car was worth fixing the amount of fun the car offers far out weights the cost(did the repairs myself cost about $1200). I live in central new york and the car has no rust Amazing! it has hooked me on Pontiacs forever hopefully the car will last that long because Pontiac no longer exists if you can buy 1