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:

• 

  Overall Good Car - 1995 Chevrolet Lumina
  By usedmeacar - March 11 - 12:25 pm

  My wife and I bought this car off a "lemon lot" in the NW. It had I wanna say 130,000 on it when we bought for lil over 2k. The only thing we have had to replace was the ECM and that was a year after we bought it. Overall the car has never left me stranded and always starts(unless she dosnt shut off the dome light) I then sold it to my sister at 189,000 miles and then bought it back at 192,000. And with OEM struts, they are totally shot and the car feels like its going to leave the road, and now rides like a lumber truck.

• 

  Disappointed - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Steve - March 11 - 11:13 am

  I bought this car in a hurry because my last vehicle was totaled in an accident, and I needed something to get back and forth to work. Ive always heard how "great" Cavaliers were so I took a chance on a GM car. Never again! Everytime I turn around the "service" or "check engine" light is on. The car has only 40,000 miles on it and Ive spent thousands on things that I dont think shouldve gone out already. Oh well, I guess its back to buying an import.

• 

  Very Unhappy - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Beth - March 9 - 6:45 pm

  This is my 2nd Tahoe, my first being an 01. After 2,000 miles had to have the tires replaced, and since then have had it to the dealership for wheels, suspension, or something along those lines 4 times, and still cant find what is causing the problem. I am very disappointed with this vehicle! My other Tahoe was 6 years old when we sold it and the biggest problem with it was a washer fluid motor. This Tahoe seems to be a cheaper build, with the window seals, interior, etc. Bring back the old craftmanship with the new concepts!

• 

  lemon - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By ksav - March 6 - 10:00 am

  Radio Not Working At Delivery, Leaking Oil At 2000 Miles, Differential Seal Leaking, Repaired By Dealer, Leaking Again Next Day, Dealer Replaced Differential, 2500 miles, Heavy Banging From Front End, Stabilizer Coming Loose, Radio Went Dead Again, Air conditioning Giving Out Chemical Odor, All Repaired By Dealer, Doesnt Meet Chevrolet Criteria For Replacement with a new truck? This Is A Classic LEMON!!!

• 

  Certainly not the Venture - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By busymom - March 5 - 8:18 am

  This is the 3rd van type that we have owned as a large family - first one was a Dodge Caravan, then a Chevy Venture and now the Uplander. Really liked the Chevy Venture! Was absolutely my favourite vehicle. Reliable workhorse, comfortable, roomy, great value. Traded to this "new" model - first year for Uplander. Cramped inside - not nearly enough leg room and we are not tall people. Original tires were terrible in snow - had to replace them before the first winter was over. Great performance after the replacement. Not a lot of mechanical issues - very happy with that. Brakes squeal incessantly - told nothing could be done. Rotors and pads have been replaced on all wheels.

• 

  Good truck but not a Toyota - 2000 Chevrolet S-10
  By FAIRLY GOOD TRUCK - March 4 - 11:14 pm

  Originally bought the truck with 60K. It has been used to carry construction tools including a generator and compressors for the next 40K. The truck is a turtle when empty and a slug fully loaded! Power is pathetic, but gas mileage is good. I have not had no major problems other than the typical fuel pump go out (90k)$300 pop and the inconveniance of having to remove the bed to do so. Shock of course and an anoying oil leak from the rear main seal. Clutch has never been replaced and still strong (I only use it on firt gear). Oh yes the door bushings are junk! replaced at $15 and oil montly, the door spring is a pain to replace. No other major problems. I guess I have been lucky!

• 

  Never Again - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By NDMN - February 29 - 2:51 pm

  I have owned this car since new. The first time it was in the shop was 10 days after I bought it due to a "flapping" sound on the highway. It took 3 additional trips to determine that there were screws missing in the wheel well. The build quality on this car is terrible, it has been in the shop 30+ times for all manner of problems. Now I am looking to get a new car (Toyota) I find that my $30k SUV is worth almost nothing. GM has forever lost a customer with this vehicle.

• 

  More motor! - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
  By JERRY - February 27 - 10:26 pm

  Truck is comfortable, roomy and above average to drive. Power and mileage are awful! The 6.0L is terrible. My last truck had a 5.3. I thought the 6.0 would be better. Wrong. Chevy should junk this motor. All around 11 mpg. Towing 24 boat, 8 mpg. Either a diesel or a Titan is next.

• 

  Good, cheap commuter car - 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Greg - February 27 - 7:34 pm

  I bought this car for the fuel economy and a manual transmission. Im a college student who commutes to class every day, so the good gas mileage helps (~25-30 MPG city depending on traffic).

• 

  Gravel and Head Spinning - 2014 Chevrolet Equinox
  By LGC - February 24 - 2:28 am

  SOLD - NO LONGER HAVE - REMOVE MY NAME! Specifically asked sales person/manager about the ability of this vehicle to go UP my gravel driveway (sales person was familiar with drive). No problem was the answer. Wrong!!!! I have owned this vehicle for 7 weeks and ave spun out more than 6 times. I have googled many sites trying to find out about how or issues for driving UP but only found info for driving DOWN. Not only driving up the drive but also reversing up slight incline (out of cover). The hill is NOT very steep - and is not straight up, has several flat areas, and several turns. I cannot begin to describe how disappointed I am with this vehicle. I spent over a month researching vehicles and went for over a dozen test drives of different vehicles. I feel like I wasted my time and energy. I will attempt to talk with the manager about trading this for a vehicle that will actually DO what I need it to do. I am returning to dealer because manager and his staff are very good to work with and I have been doing business with them for over 4 years with another vehicle, with wonderful results. My head is spinning trying to figure out how to operate the Infotainment system. And yes, I read the manual specific to the system. All I want to do is listen to my Ipod through the speakers; hooking up to the USB port in center console.