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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  Dont ever buy a malibu - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By sgr_girl - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Malibu for 3 years. It started off as a good little car for me, but not too long after I started noticing problems. My A/C had broken, no air blew out on 1 and 2 and was real high on 3. I had to get the brakes done 3 times, replaced twice and fixed on the third. Not to mention theyre starting to squeak, again, luckily Im getting a new car next week. I wont ever buy a Malibu again.

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  Maintenance Nightmare Blazer - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By ANC - October 2 - 2:00 am

  Bought this Blazer used. Right away the main seal leaked and had to be replaced. The automatic transmission went bad and was replaced 1 year after purchase. Two years later the radiator corroded badly, the ball joints were replaced (sounds typical), the oil lines leaked and were replaced, the transfer case and 4WD was serviced for several defective internal parts, and the passenger seat lever snapped. In addition, all 4 rotors were rusted out at 40000 miles.

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  A Disappointment - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Kenboiler - October 1 - 8:36 am

  This is basic, cheap, full-sized transportation. You get what you pay for. It gets really poor gas mileage as compared to the promise. Lots of road noise. Cheap Goodyear Infinity OEM tires. No cupholders in the back. No trunk access with a key. Absolutely no pizazz. I havent had a major problem, which is whats important, but its no wonder that Toyota is beating GM. I had a Suzuki before this and it was too small. I corrected that problem, but everything else has been a step down.

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  Thank God I Leased it - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By momstruck1 - September 30 - 10:00 am

  I have had nothing but minor problems but all those minor problems add up. There is a bumping noise in the front end nobody can seem to fix and in two weeks after we got it the muffler system was replaced . there is a problem with the tail lights going out all the time and the wind noise is slightly annoying.The DVD player is in the center of your rear view mirror so you see nothing when it is down. A lot of little annoying thing s not worth the 30 plus thousand dollars and glad that i can get rid of it at the end of my lease.

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  Rating the 1990 Chevy Astro Minivan - 1990 Chevrolet Astro
  By Marjuvan - September 30 - 2:00 am

  At 98000 miles the hydraulic control system for the ABS malfunctioned with an estimated repairs of $2500. At 120000 miles the automatic transmission is slipping from 2nd to 3rd gear and the recommended replacement of a rebuilt transmission would cost $3500. Exterior paint has been gradually peeling off at less than 8 years old.

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  Same problems as the rest..... - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By foerst1 - September 30 - 2:00 am

  My blazer is turning 4 and its been a rough relationship...Ive pretty much replaced everything on this SUV...front ball bearings twice, front ball joints, broken passenger seat lever, replace passenger window motor, new shocks, It seams many people are having the same problems, what can be done??? Anything??? I can say this is my last domestic auto....terrible build quality.

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  DONT buy a Venture! - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By amaglotti - September 25 - 2:00 am

  I previously owned a 01 venture (and was happy with it) and traded it in for the next model up, only to find out GM totally stripped a lot of convenient features from the 03 ventures that were on my previous van,which was a cheaper model. I am totally dissatisfied with it and plan on trading it in on something else as soon as it is financially feasible. I also lost quite a bit of money on my trade-in because ventures dont hold their value. The only thing that seems to be consistent from 2 years ago is the air leaks under the dash, which has to have more foam put in at the dealership to keep the cold air out.

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  Ms. Fed Up - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Honda Luver 4 life - September 19 - 2:00 am

  I do not have a happy report about this model. back to the dealer a total of fifteen (15) times, Ive had my driver door serviced for loud noises, ignition switch & lock replaced,AC serviced twice, battery replaced for leaking acid, check ingine light stayed on for days,my theft deterent system had to be reprogrammed, the coil had to be replaced, going 70mph on the highway the car just shut off on me (and this happened twice), fuel pump had to be replaced, cd had to be replaced. I never know when Im gonna stall on the highway driving this vehicle.

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  I hate my 2003 Cavalier - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Allana - September 19 - 2:00 am

  Well where do I start! I have owned this car for 10 months now and I have had nothing but problems. 9 warrenty issues including a knocking noise in my front passenger side tire area which has been unsuccessfully fixed with 4 attempts now. The interior squeaks all the time, the breaks arent that good, the car rides like its falling apart. The only good thing about it is the a/c and Im sure that will go soon enough! Being a student, its all I could afford but if I had my time back I would have listened to everyone who told me that GM cars are no good and went without food to lease a better car! No more north american made cars for me ever!

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  Hunk-o-Junk - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By PatrickinOhio - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I probably cannot recommend strongly enough to stay away from this vehicle. It is a mechanical nightmare! A three year old vehicle has had 3 transmissions, drive shaft replaced, water pump replaced, alternator replaced, door lock mechanism replaced, front passenger seat tilt lever has bronken four times. This car sucks! It has a pathetic turn radius and the design is terrible with dead spots in vision.