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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  GM Junk-Chev Blazer 98 - 1998 Chevrolet Blazer
  By k bryant - February 2 - 2:00 am

  Heres a list of things that have failed a vehicle that was well maintained. NOT at all happy with GM and have always been a GM buyer. Not likely to be this time around. -3 bad injectors -axle boots failed before 50K miles -cat and O2 sensor failed at 80K miles -transmission failed at just over 100K miles, $2,600 to rebuild, was serviced at 60K even though dealer said it didnt need it until 100K! -TPS sensor failed at 120K. -fuel pump failed-125K. -water pump-130K. -A/C compressor failed-130K. -heater core failed-138K. -both oil lines for remote oil filter have failed with leaks -And, to top it all off the head gasket finally decided it was time to go.

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  Dont buy this car. - 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By tezdel81 - February 1 - 2:00 am

  My mother always said, "you get what you pay for." That is exactly right with this car. The best thing it has going for it is gas mileage. Otherwise, its built to last only a few years. No trade in value, you will end up owing way more than its worth in the long run. Stay away is my opinion.

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  Very Poorly Built Vehicle - 1999 Chevrolet Suburban
  By LPapet - January 31 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle quality leaves much to be desired... so much so that I would caution any potential Chevy/GM/Suburban buyers against purchasing. Vehicle has only 50K miles and already has left my wife stranded on 3 separate occasions (were on 3rd alternator and have had to replace various electronic components (all at considerable cost). Bottom line, Chevy advertises its trucks as built like a rock... well, if they were building rocks theyd be O.K... unfortunately, automobiles are complicated machines that should be provided a higher level of engineering and quality that Chevy has provided to its products.

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  Dont Wast Your Money - 1996 Chevrolet Blazer
  By hixsonr - January 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought this truck used three years ago...first the trasmission went ($2000) then about a year later every front suspension part broke one at a time...once all the parts were repaced the factory weld failed in two places by the front left tire..the cooling system...turns out chevey put out a tech memo that they messed up the cooling system, but didnt recall it only fixed selected models...mine wasnt one of them...slowely all of the parts of the cooling system started to go. first it was the intake gasket, the heater core, the thermastate.etc...thousands of dollars in repare...dont wast your money oh and the tires their never on sale

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  Lemon - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By bubba - January 15 - 3:33 am

  Have had my 2007 silverado for about 1 month now and have had nothing but problems the a/c has went out on it the tire pressure monitoring system has had to be fixed already and the is some type of popping noise in the rearend when you start up a hill and the truck switches in to second gear. This truck is the biggest piece of junk I have ever owned and will never own another.

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  Not so great - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By mellyc - January 15 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 2003 cav brand new and ive had nothing but problems with it. Its definately a piece of junk. I will come to a stop and my car stalls.. Ive taken it in to be fixed many times and nobody can find the problem. Its definately a lemon, i would not suggest buying a cavailer.... Definately not worth the money..

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  dont buy a chevey truck - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By mattcmore82 - January 11 - 10:50 am

  I bought a 2005 chevey silverado crew cab with 52k on it and have had one problem after another. All problems were descibed as very common to fix buy the chevey dealer. I have a very noisy rattling from under the sterrling colum also rattling from the a/c vents and lots of interior lights going out all the time. The dealer told me to fix all these common problems it would be about 1000$. These problems are small but every expensive to fix. I have also had problems with the factory cd player/radio making a buzzing noise threw all speakers and the cd player doesnt even work.

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  commuter car - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By philnjean - January 11 - 2:00 am

  Poor brakes. Ive only got 19K on this thing and the front rotors have already been replaced. When the antilock engages it makes a terrible noise and it feels like its just rolling with no brakes. Dealer says its normal. I cant believe brakes that sound like that are normal. Average fuel economy. Interior looks cheap, but car was cheap. Awful resale. Only one year old and its lost half its value

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  This truck is the worst! - 1997 Chevrolet S-10
  By ozonewht - January 9 - 2:00 am

  I drive the 4cyl. version. I bought this truck brand new. I have had nothing but problems. The CD player has been replaced twice, the radiator replaced, windshield wipers were defective, the seatbelts were defective, Im on my 3rd AC compressor, the alarm was defective,the door handle fell out of the door-had to replaced, battery has had to be replaced 4 times- truck wouldnt start when I had to go to work, the gas gauge broke after 3 years, rearview mirror fell off. 3rd door rattles. Seats wore out after 2 years.I bought a extended warranty up 75000 miles, but things really needed to be replaced after 80000 miles.

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  Steaming grey pile of garbage - 1996 Chevrolet Astro
  By gohm - January 7 - 2:00 am

  From day one, the van has ben nickle and diming us to death. We could not claim lemon because they were all different problems. We have only 54K on it, and we have replaced alternator, wiper motor and need a new A/C compressor, drivers door window motor, transmission and everything on the motor that has oil in it has a leak. I would not tell my worst enemy to buy one of these peices of junk.