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:

• 

  Choose Wisley - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Iffy - July 4 - 4:50 pm

  This is a good but not great car. I bought it used a year ago and have had some problems. 2 of the windows went down, alternator left me stuck on the side of the road 100 miles from home and now the right front speed sensor is bad. Convert is plugged also. The car has good power and is fun to drive.

• 

  my baby - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By convertible nut - July 4 - 2:23 am

  Ive been driving my car daily for 2 years and am beginning to have problems with it; more problems than I expected for a relatively new car. This is my 5th convertible to drive - one Corvette, a Cabriolet, and 2 Miatas, and this is by far the least reliable car Ive ever owned in my life. Yes, it looks great. Yes, driving a roadster is fun. Yes, its a guy magnet. But Im even debating to keep my car.

• 

  Looks, Comfort and Fun to drive - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GT - July 4 - 12:06 am

  Handles like a dream. Very responsive - will "move" when needed. Great size - not hard to park but big enough for adults to be comfortable front and back. Sporty but classy. Perfect.

• 

  Teachers Pet - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By me - July 3 - 1:36 am

  So far Im happy with my purchase of this used Vibe. Since Ive been driving it, Ive noticed more of them on the highway. I love the 30-32 mpg while using the AC continually during the hot August summer in the Midwest. I love the room I have to haul lots of teaching stuff. It seems to handle well and the seats sit me up higher which is a great help to my back problems. And the seat covering make it easy to get in and out-unlike those velour seats.

• 

  2002 Pontiac Bonneville SE 4dr 3.8L 6cyl - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Leon - July 2 - 10:10 am

  Bought new 9/2001. bad move. poorly built, just a bad car. Fun to drive when its running. With Goodyear Assurance tires (soft ride), rides like a Cadillac. nice mileage for a big car, decent handling, fairly peppy. But - replaced lower intake manifold gasket twice ($700+ job), 1st time at 35,000 miles, 2nd at 95,000 miles. All 4 electric window units replaced, bad leaking problem, rain leaked into / under 3 of the doors and pooled on the carpeting. 8 trips to dealer. Moon roof was only used 15 times, then the linkage cracked and fell apart. $1200 to fix - I opted to seal it shut with gasket compound. Window washer motor replaced. A lot of rattles. My wife refuses to drive it.

• 

  Love this car - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Pam - July 1 - 7:56 am

  I bought this car brand new with 2 miles on it, it now has 115,000. I had a fuel pump go at 105,000 but other than that it hasnt had any problems. It is wonderful to drive and I absolutely love the way that it handles. I have been looking to get a new car, but I just cant bring myself to trade it in. There is nothing else that I like as much. I would definitely recommend.

• 

  New G6 - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Rick Wilk - June 30 - 2:06 pm

  I am thrilled with the combination of comfort inside and sporty styling outside. The car is loaded and under $30K. The interior feels roomy and very comfortable front and back. The head room in the back is not as generous, but a small price to pay to get the cool panoramic roof. You could get picky with it could have this or that, but I think you would have to jump-up to $40k to get it. They got it right.

• 

  Grand Am - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Jeff24135 - June 30 - 8:33 am

  Great car for anyone. Lotsof interior room especially in the back considering its a two door car.

• 

  Runs good decent mileage looks - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By jazbo01 - June 30 - 3:06 am

  My wife bought this car with 20K on it a yr old. It has 75k on it now the car shakes VIOLENTLY when you brake from highway speeds always has. In the snow.. what happened to the ETS off button from the grand ams..you cant get any momentum in deep snow. it rides like a rock you cant spin the tires in deep snow and braking on ice.. abs is wayyyy to sensitive. now the heat went out on her.. i took a look and found very low coolant levels. I am a certified auto tech and I drive a toyota 4x4, my wife will have a yota before spring. Every GM I have owned i have not been happy. for a truck I have dodge-no issues for everyday toyota 4runner-incredible, no wonder GM is in trouble..but runs good go gm

• 

  I might get another! - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By packisgreat - June 29 - 10:03 pm

  Ive had 2002 GT Cpe since 2005 and at 125K its going strong. Only larger repair has been a wheel bearing. It gets up to 30MPG-which was a 2200 mile trip at about 83 MPH in Mn and ND when it was at abt 110K. Uses no oil. Only irritating thing is the water leaking into tail lights. Im looking to get a 2001 for my son.