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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  Love my G6 - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By dobbins8394 - June 2 - 2:06 pm

  I was sorry to hear all the bad reviews! I bought my 2007 G6 brand new and I havent had any problems out of it! It drives great and I get great gas mileage! I love the interior and the exterior. The lighting inside is great. The car has a total of 52000 miles and is still going strong! I have even been rear ended and the car was repaired and I havent had any problems still! This was a wonderful investment!

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  Bad engine - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By ern - June 2 - 2:00 am

  Lots of problems. Mostly with the Quad 4 engine. Bought at 79,000 miles. since then Ive had to replace teh head gasket ($900), Heater core ($400), oil pressure sensor, ($80), ignition housing ($200), and the head gasket is out agian!!. Dont run it over 85,000 miles.

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  Engine blown at 30k - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By Dwilson - June 2 - 2:00 am

  Our beloved montana which has been a great car just blew the engine at 30k. It is older than 3 years so the warranty does not cover it.

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  I like it - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By reese2322 - June 2 - 2:00 am

  I like the growl 0of the engine when I step on the excellerator. I love the design.

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  2004 Pontiac Grand Prix~~~~ - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By TomOBass - June 2 - 2:00 am

  Good looking, safe, comfortable car. Has nice features. Good pick up, and fuel efficient for a midsize car. Its sporty yet comfortable for a small family.

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  Bang for the Buck - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By gcatena - June 1 - 10:00 am

  This car is the most fun car I have ever driven the power of the V-8 is superb. Im surprised with some of these reviews saying they had major problems. The only problem I have had in three years is the clutch sticking and that just turned out to be a bushing that was out of alignment. Maybe I was lucky, but my Formula has been prefroming like a champ since purchase and I ride it hard. Could use a little sprucing up with the interior, but what do you expect for under $30K.

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  Love the car, but hate the interior!! - 2007 Pontiac Vibe
  By Theresa - May 31 - 3:40 am

  I love the vibe, but I always get shocked by the interior everytime I exit the car. And it is very rough! The gas mileage is excellent! I have no idea why but we just had to replace the computer because our check engine light was coming on and they said when it shows the code it was showing, GM said to replace the computer, so were hoping thats not an on going problem. The brakes do squeak, but not all the time. Over all the vibe is a fun car to own!

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  No wonder they stopped making pontiacs - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Brian - May 29 - 9:26 am

  I brought my car to the dealership to get 4 things done. Oil change, replace windshield, fix my back seat b/c it wasnt going down, and fix my break lights. My break lights were reversed. They would always be on and when I hit the breaks they would go off. Really safe. They had my car for over a week and didnt give me a rental. When I got it back 2/4 things were done. They forgot to replace the windshield and never fixed the back seat. A couple months later, the break lights reversed again. Im a school teacher and if 25% of my students were passing Id be fired.

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  Last of a great car - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By grand prix no more? - May 28 - 9:30 pm

  I am on my third gran prix and wish they would keep making them. This is a good car is you drive 20k miles a year. You can drive it for 8 years, get 160k and move on. You can not beat it for the price. Everyone raves about the foreign cars in this class but those cars cost $8k more and those owners put money into the car. I will miss this one when it is done.

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  aztek - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By sydney gerber - May 28 - 10:00 am

  rides nice and has good pick up the seats are to hard but i would not by the car again from the same dealer