Pontiac...good or bad? Any informative opinions?

Question

Japanese hubby is crazy about American cars and especially obsessed with the Pontiac Firebird and its bird logo.

Any good or bad tips about the brand in general?

Please stick to opinions based on cars. Thanks. :)

Answer 1

They are awful, and the Pontiac Firebird/Chevy Camaro (same thing) were among the most unreliable, trouble prone cars ever made.
Don't take my word for it. Check out Consumer Reoprts annual car buying guide at any library. See all those little black circles all over the GM, Ford & Chrysler cars?? That's bad.
See all the solid red circles all over the Toyota, HOnda, Acura & Nissan cars? That's good.

Answer 2

I owned an 87 Bonnieville and it was great! I also had 94 Firebird Formula. Since I was the third owner I was fixing the previous two owners mistakes. If I was the original owner, I would still have it and still drive it everyday to work. I would rather buy a Pontiac or Chevy over anything else. Also my mom had a 1978 Pontiac Catalina Safari Wagon that had over 250,000 miles on it before it gave out. Do some research on the car itself not just in general. Must people do not take care of their cars and then say that the car sucks.

Answer 3

I got a bird car it's an 1988 Pontiac Fiero and it great. It gets about 40mpg and runs good for having 168k miles. All stock. with normal tune ups and oil changes they are really good cars. Don't get an Firebird that was made in the 80s the probably been ran to the ground. The 90s to new are good the only problem is with the v6 the 2.5l and the 2.8l both suck. Got to get the 5.0l v8 it's a strong motor. Good luck.

Answer 4

I don't know where some of these people are getting their info from. I owned a 1995 Trans Am from 2001-2003 and I never had a problem with it!!! It had an Lt-1 5.7L 350 8 banger in it. Tell your husband to go with a Trans Am or a Firehawk. The Firebirds are only 6 bangers. You can also buy a WS-6 Trans Am, but the only difference between that and a regular TA, besides the price, is the suspension and only about 15 more HP. With what little mods I did to my TA, 2 chamber Flow Master, cutout, K&N air filter system, aftermarket gears and spark plugs, she was pushing close to 350HP. I highly reccommend buying one! The only reason I got rid of her was because I got pregnant with my second child and my husband and I thought a four door car would be more practical.

Answer 5

pontiac is a good brand my family has own a grand am that had over 165k miles on it before it was sold and the only thing that was replaced was a water pump

i own a 2000 trans am ws6 and i havent had to replace was a master clutch cylinder when i bought it used and a window switch and theres nothing in the foreseablke future the car runs strong just take it to a dealer if its a newer model even if its off warenty and they are trained to handle and maintain these cars as long as u run high octane and syenthetic oil in it a firebird/trans am will last you a long time with out any troubles

btw for the people saying that they are horrible unreliable its the same engine as in the 97-2005 corvette no diffrence LS1 and corvettes are sound cars that require little maintence

Answer 6

Depends on what year Pontiac your husband likes. Any pre-1980
Pontiacs are fine.If he is intersted in Firebirds,his best bet would be to check out any 1967-1979 models.All are good investments,and regardless of what you may have heard they are excellent for commuting to and from work or where ever he would like to go.As with any vehicle lasting a long time,it depends on how
you drive it,as well as maintain it! American cars after 1985 were not known for quality as much as quantity,except those rare limited edition cars such as the Buick GNX, Impala SS,30TH Anniversary Trans-AM,I think you get the idea.

Answer 7

Firebirds are good enough cars. Try going for the newest series of car, or say '96 and newer, one that isn't too beat up. They are realiable, fast, and even economical if driven nicely on the highway. They tend to be a little cramped, but if your hubby is the size of the average Japanese man, he should have no issue with not enough room. Of course, I'd recommend that he finds one at a lot and test drives it, or even a few in case the first one is beat up to see if he really likes the feel of them or not. Today they are getting to be a real performace bargain.

Answer 8

There is a reason they don't make the Firebird in the US anymore.
Pontiac is not a good brand in my opinion....owned 2 and will never own another.

Answer 9

My favorite car that I had was a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am Gt. It was the best and most reliable car I've ever owned. I leased it new and kept it for 3 years and never had a problem with it.

Answer 10

The firebird or trans am is a chevy camaro with a different body shape. My uncle owned one, and he loved it. Fairly reliable, and (when he didn't drive it like a NASCAR) got halfway decent gas mileage, as it's a fairly light car. My mom had an 89 Grand Am, and it was virtually bulletproof.