Overview & Reviews

Chevrolet sells an impressively wide range of vehicles, from subcompact hatchbacks to huge vans and SUVs. If you're looking for a reasonably priced vehicle, odds are that Chevy will have something to fit your needs.

Chevrolet got its start in 1911. After William C. Durant had been ousted from General Motors, he joined forces with Swiss-born racecar driver Louis Chevrolet to found the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. The company's first offering was the Classic Six. Introduced in 1912, this five-passenger touring sedan could top 65 mph, fast for the time. Chevrolet's storied bowtie logo -- reportedly inspired by the wallpaper of a Paris hotel room that Durant stayed at -- made its first appearance in 1914.

By 1918, Chevrolet's profitability allowed Durant to purchase enough shares in GM to regain control. Chevrolet became another division of GM, and was its largest volume division by the mid-1920s. By 1927, Chevrolet outsold rival Ford, with sales in excess of 1 million units.

In the mid-1930s Chevrolet introduced independent front suspension, which provided a smoother ride over the rough roads of the day. The 1940s saw continued success with affordable coupes, sedans and pickup trucks catering to American families, farmers and businessmen.

By the mid-1950s, Chevrolet, GM's entry-level division, had added a V8 engine, power steering and brakes, power windows and air-conditioning to its list of available features, allowing luxury for those on a tighter budget. Around this time the iconic Bel Air model -- available in coupe, sedan, convertible and wagon body styles -- proved very popular. The company introduced its alluring Corvette in 1953; the vehicle was the first mass-produced car with a fiberglass body.

The 1960s saw the unveiling of the popular, air-cooled Corvair compact, which held the distinction of being the first domestic production car with all-around independent suspension. That decade also witnessed the launch of the compact Nova, the midsize Chevelle and the sporty Camaro, the latter Chevrolet's answer to the wildly successful Ford Mustang. The Camaro proved an instant hit, comprising 10 percent of Chevrolet's total sales in 1967, its first year of production.

In the 1970s, Chevy responded to changing preferences by introducing small cars like the Vega and the Chevette, and by downsizing larger models such as the Caprice and Malibu. The company combated the market domination of foreign nameplates in the 1980s by rolling out the Cavalier. By the end of that decade, trucks and SUVs had started to become increasingly popular with the general consumer, and the brand's mid- and full-size models continue to this day to be some of the most popular on the road.

The '90s and the early 2000s saw the company raising the performance bar with its Corvette (notably the Z06 and, later, ZR1 variants) and reincarnated Impala SS. Chevrolet's Silverado pickup truck and Tahoe/Suburban SUVs continued to be hits as well. By 2010, the Camaro had returned to the lineup after a seven-year hiatus.

Modern times have seen Chevrolet make significant improvements in its small and midsize car models and introduce the Volt plug-in hybrid. The latter provides a nearly 40-mile range on electric power alone, and adds to the company's already well-rounded lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs. Though today's marketplace is very demanding, Chevrolet seems poised to remain a power player through its affordable and innovative vehicles.

User Reviews:

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  You can do so much better - 2001 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Ron - August 25 - 7:37 pm

  I so regret buying this car. Im stuck with it. I bought the vehicle in July 2001 for $22000. About 7 mos later I decided I really didnt like the vehicle and decided to trade it in. Imagine my surprise when I learned that the trade-in value was about $8000. It had depreciated $13000 in just 7 mos. I recently tried to trade it in again. The trade-in value is $5800. I owe more than the car is worth. There are many things I dont like about this vehicle. Visibility is terrible. Its hard to see out the rear view mirror. For a smaller SUV, its a major gas hog. Im getting about 18mpg. My insurance is high because the vehicle has low safety ratings. There are so many quality vehilcles around

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  2004 Colorado Z71 very disappointing - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By clevelandgirly - August 23 - 1:24 am

  I have had one problem after another with this truck. Started with feeling an air leak in the doors/windows on passenger side, then the heater fan would squeek, then the windows needed new regulators, then it wouldnt start and would buck when trying to turn over, then the a/c needed serviced when it had never been used before. I was told that a Service Bulletin was issued regarding these problems. Now its difficult to start at times and shakes when it wont turn over. A new truck with less than 13,000 miles on it shouldnt have this many problems, nor should it have been in the shop 6 times in 9 months. Shame on GM/Chevrolet. I am taking this one to arbitration. What a disappointment!

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  My lemon - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Mickey Mathews - August 20 - 9:53 am

  I bought this car only a few months ago and it has been in the shop at least 10 times it sometimes will only go 25 miles an hour. It runs rough and the list goes on.

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  Chevrolet Malibu has been a disaster - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Al - August 18 - 1:07 am

  Our 2002 Chevrolet Malibu has had many problems. It is slow to accelerate and noisy. The brakes went out on it twice. The air conditioner stops cooling at random and the dealer showed me a bulletin that said that was OK, so they could not fix it. Its always been hard to start, but no warranty repair was made. Now it just went out of warranty and the car wont. It cranks, but no start. This is the worst car Ive ever owned.

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  Dissapointment - 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By stup62 - August 17 - 7:23 am

  Have owned this car since July, 2005. Am very disappointed with Chevy. So much so, I am switching brands. I have had Chevys all my life, but never owned a piece of junk like this car. Have had the battery replaced, the power steering pump and belt replaced the steering shaft replaced, (now needs it again), the drivers side seatbelt replaced. Replaced the junk goodyear tires at 24,000 miles, were wore down to the tread bars. Not happy with this car. Wouldnt recommend Chevy to anybody.

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  Save the trouble...dont buy Chevy - 2002 Chevrolet Venture
  By schfr99 - August 6 - 11:38 pm

  Bought this 2002 AWD LT model used about two years ago. What a joke! My wife wanted the safety features it had, AWD, ABS,OnStar, and side airbags. But after 2 years and 30,000 miles, I find it to be very cheaply made. Problems with ABS sensors, AC, and transmission were just the beginning. This van has become the creakiest, noisiest vehicle we ever owned. The windshield whistles in high wind, the power doors creak , and you just hope they dont fly open. Was told by dealer to WD40 the door seals...still noisy! My only thankful thought is I only paid $18,000 for the thing being 1 1/2 years old rather than the $33,500 original pricetag. My wife is now driving my AWD Explorer! No more GM products!

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  Never buying another Chevy! - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By DIsgruntled - August 6 - 4:07 pm

  I have had all of the same experiences as everyone has described here. Only difference is that in the past 2 years, we have put $10,000 worth of work into it. Word of warning to those of you who work on the car yourselves. Dont take the sun visors off because they are impossible to get back on without breaking them! We move a lot due to the fact that we are a military family, and our car has had to be fixed in 4 different states over the three year span that we have owned it! I am also not happy with what Chevy calls "routine maintenance" i.e.:EGR valves and fuel injectors.

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  Bad truck, junk at best, lemon - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By HerbINMN - August 4 - 6:23 pm

  We sold our 2001 Z71 after just 8000 miles. After having it in the shop every two weeks for 8 months, we decided to unload it. We took a $10,000 loss on it, but the F150 we then reluctantly bought turned out to be our best vehicle ever. Gas mileage was also poor at 12/14 and it didnt have much power for a V8.

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  Spare Tire Falls Off! - 1999 Chevrolet Venture
  By SPARE TIRE FALLS OFF - August 4 - 2:33 pm

  A few months ago, while pulling into my driveway, my spare tire fell off of its holder on the bottom of my van. The cable that holds it on rotted away. I also talked to someone else that said that they actually had one come off of a Venture they were driving behind on the highway, barley avoiding a serious accident! GM told me that they would not take care of me on this because the van is out of warranty and this is normal wear and tear for this vehicle. WOW! The transmission had to be replaced before the 50,000 mile mark. The fuel injectors stick on it. Many mechanics I have talked to say this is a very common problem in this vehicle. I will never buy another GM product!

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  Buy the Extended Warranty - 2003 Chevrolet Express
  By Bill - August 3 - 12:04 am

  I bought this vehicle to haul our six kids around, and had many problems due to poor GM quality (just get it through the bumper-to-bumper wty). For over $30,000 you dont get much for your money except a big 6.0L V8 engine: no rear cupholders, no rear headrests, rear bench seats uncomfortable for adults, poor fit and finish, and plastic parts break easily. Even with rear A/C it struggles to keep cool on 90 degree days. OEM tires needed replacing at less than 30K miles. Been recalled three times. Problems before 36K miles: radio failed, plastic window latch broke, door switch broke, door latch broke. Front bearings separated at 37K miles. A/C leak at 38K, rotors warped at 40K, window switch fail at 42K