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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  Keep Away - 2000 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Frantz - September 25 - 10:00 am

  Full rotor replacement at my expense at 14,000 miles qith dealer offering to pay half then backing out.Only paid half by going to Tuffy instead of dealer and Tuffy warranteed product.Replaced valves at about 24,000, then whole engine at 26,000, constant electrical problems and ZERO help from GM or from dealer.These cars are a natural citrus product, good for lemonade!

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  not happy but stuck - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By bryan - September 21 - 10:45 pm

  Tranny went out at 30K miles. Gm put band-aids on & would not replace it. I am very disgusted w/GM service. Never again. Trailblazer is worse than most on retaining value. I am in the tank on this one & still bought it 8K under list price.For an LT the stereo sucks.Rear leg room not much. Better to spend the money on a used Tahoe.Mileage is no different. Handles terrible and wind noise is the worse I have ever seen.Not reccomended by me to buy one.

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  Tiny space - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By frogger - September 21 - 6:36 pm

  When we purchased the vehicle we only had one child and with baby #2,there is very little truck space even with the seat at my husbands back. We were very unhappy with the durability of the interior (water left a mark) after the stain treatment. I was told when took it back to shop "what do you think would happen with kids? We are already trading it in.

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  Glad it was FREE !!!!!! - 1995 Chevrolet Lumina
  By Dusty - September 21 - 11:17 am

  My Mother-in-law gave this car to my wife with 29,000 miles on it. She had already replaced the alternator twice by then. At 30,000 it had to be replaced again. Im getting really nervous because its only a couple of hundred miles below 40,000 now. We just paid over $500 to have new brake pads and shoes replaced as well as 2 new rotors and 1 new drum. So far there have been no motor or transmission problems. But Im sure theyre not far away. I wouldnt have another one of these, even if it was free again. The trunk looses quite a bit of space due to those arms that swing down in the way. All in all its just a BAD car.

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  Poor - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By female mother owner - September 20 - 10:00 am

  The vehicle rolls backwards while stopped on an incline.The transmission slip between 3rd and 4th gear.The trim level was not available in the LTZ on the extended trailblazer. The front end is very sloppy when needing to swirve. When the window/s are open the vehicle is very noisy. The headliner seems to be very flimsy especially when pulling on the hand rails.The front seats are a bit uncomfortable with the leather package. The second row seat is slanted making it uncorfortable for some passengers. The front console is poorly designed, causing the shifter to ram into your coffee cups.The overhead is not large enough for two pairs of sunglasses.

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  dispointed - 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By racerx62040 - September 19 - 12:13 pm

  i bought a 2012 chevy Z-71 ex cab pick up 2 years ago now. this is the first vehicle i have even been able to buy new. when i drove it off the lot it had 3 miles on it and i was very happy. one of the big selling points was the sticker said it got 21 MPG hwy. the sales man said it got 21MPG. i feel they lied to me. this truck has a 5.3 engine. the truck i had before was a 1995 GMC ext. cab 2x4 long bed with a 350 throattle body injection engine. when that 350 hit 180,000 miles the engine had problems. so i totaly rebuilt that engine and everything was new. that truck even after the rebuild got 15 MPG. so i bought this new one thinking it would be better. but it only get 16 MPG at the best

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  Dont buy this car used! - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By mguzman - September 16 - 12:28 am

  I bought this car used and the interior fell apart within weeks of bringing it home. As many others have stated, the intake manifold issue was the last straw. If you only had to pay $800 you were lucky, I paid 1500 and still have issues with overheating, leaking etc. Ive replaced the transmission. The seats weigh a ton and are hard to get out and are hard to get back in. We still own it, but only because we would never get back the money we put into it. If anyone tries to sell you this car and the intake manifold has not been replaced, dont buy it!

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  Shaky Up front - 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Buzdean - September 11 - 7:24 am

  Overall I have had very little problems. The only area I have had problems is the steering and front suspension. I have replaced wheel bearings (1) & steering shaft (3). Also, I have had to align the vehicle several times (4). The ride is good for me and I like the dry cargo area a lot.

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  The Aveo - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Kari - September 10 - 8:30 am

  I got this car in Aug. I have had no problems what so ever. There was one recall but it was taken care of very quickly. For the amount that the car cost it is worth it.

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  Gee, I could have had a V-8 - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By RCHopper - September 9 - 9:56 pm

  Satelite radio, OnStar, sunroof rear wiper 4WD, trailer hitch. Comfortable ride. What more could one want? AN ENGINE, THATS WHAT! I was willing to trade down from a Tahoe and save on gas and emmisions, etc. I have a sluggish car that gets less mpg (12-15) than my I got with my V-8 Tahoe. Very dissappointed in this L6.