To go out about 5min. early and turn the car on and heater so that the car can be warm when you leave.
ggd
NO! This has no effect on the timing belt.
It's not a bad idea to warm it up for a minute on a cold day, but other than that, you are just wasting fuel. The car will warm up quicker when you are driving it.
Global warming:)
Yes, in fact it will almost always warm up quicker while driving.
It's Pontiac that's your problem.
warming up
The most likely cause of a long warm up time would be that the thermostat has jammed in the open position
Could be several reasons, first one I would check would be a stuck open thermostat.
the sun
I would say if you have ice or frost on the windshield it would be best to let the car warm up for 10 minutes or so to help you clear the windshield.