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:

• 

  Good little truck - 1995 Chevrolet S-10
  By Big D - October 24 - 10:20 pm

  I love my truck. Very reliable and cheap transportation for me for the last 12 years. I have had a few problems, but most were covered under warranty during the first 36,000 miles. Since then, I replaced the alternator, battery, U bolts, and that is it. The truck burns no oil, runs like a dream, and is very quick. It rides a little rough. It is easy to park and easy to see out of this vehicle. Oh yeah, one more thing, the radio volume knob fell off one day. Funny thing was I was driving down the road, passed a guy with the exact same truck, looked through his window and noticed that his volume button fell off too!

• 

  Reliable engine, leaky - 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
  By drea - October 24 - 2:42 pm

  I bought this car from my mother who bought it new. It has almost exactly 193,000 miles on it and I just got the death sentence for it. It has been leaking coolant, which is common with the Luminas, for probably the last 60,000 miles. The coolent has finally leaked into the engine parts causing random misfiring. It has tranny problems. This car had terrible brakes. I constantly was replacing brakes and rotors. It had suspension problems. In addition, it had annoying electrical problems. The drivers window stopped working, headlight electrical problems, cruise broke, no left turn. This was all electrical, not fixed by replacing bulbs. It was never fun to drive. Bad turning radius

• 

  Lemon! - 2006 Chevrolet Suburban
  By lr - October 24 - 12:07 pm

  After looking at several large SUVs for our growing family, we decided on the Suburban . So far it has been in the shop 5 times for squeaky brakes and power steering noise. Now something is wrong with the battery. Ive had to have the vehicle jumped twice so far. The dealership says nothing is wrong with the battery and brakes. Did something for the power steering, but still making noise! For the price we paid, I am completely disappointed in the vehicle and service. We are looking at lemon lawing the truck!!

• 

  GM shouldnt sacrifice quality for price - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By burnettri - October 24 - 4:56 am

  Wished I test drove it a lot longer. Well the exterior is nice. Interior is a big issue. Front is very cramped. Dash illumination is poor. Power lock/window and other buttons dont light. Cant use emergency brake when cup holder extended. Bottom cup holder is too low to keep your coffee in. Temp knob very hard to turn. Going over bumps are ok but other times feel like the wheels are falling off. Starting the engine cold idles at 1300 rpm for about 4 minutes. Rear hatch no longer goes up on its own. Blind spots are scary when backing up. Small fuel tank for an SUV.

• 

  BAD to the BONE and WICKED FAST - 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By tires4u - October 24 - 12:13 am

  The BATMOBILE.. as our car is Black w/tinted windows. This car will SCARE you. With the manual shift feature you can lay down a 20 foot path of rubber..just like the old days. SS stands for SUPER SPORT again and this car is all that. We love the design and functionality of the car. The rear sunroofs and dvd player make it like our own private jet for fast travel. The torque range is SMOOTH all the way past 100mph. You have to be CAREFUL or the tires will break loose when shifting thru the gears. All I can say is we are one of the lucky few to get to drive this car everyday. After 50,000 miles NO SQUEAKS or RATTLES as QUIET as the day it was NEW, LUVIT SS stands for SWEET and SEXY !!FAST

• 

  Great Value - 2002 Chevrolet Venture
  By CKeever - October 23 - 8:24 pm

  I have really enjoyed my Venture Warner Brothers van versus my friends other brands of minivans. For the year, it was the first van to have the DVD loader up front, so I can control my kids DVDs while I drive. I love that I can carry a total of 8 people in the van comfortably. Most of the other vans on the market carry only 7. I also love the parking sensors. We have only had 2 problems with the van, so for the mileage, that is really not bad at all. We have never had a problem with the DVD player, or other parts, but did need some a minor repair of an oil pan leak. Overall, weve taken our van from sea level to the peaks of Colorado and have really loved the vehicle.

• 

  Current 2 Vette Owner - 2007 Chevrolet Corvette
  By C5 & C6 Owner - October 23 - 8:05 pm

  Quieter and tighter than our 03 anniversary convertible. Excellent fuel mileage. I like driving the 03 better than the 07. The 07 was a replacement for my wifes 03 Mini Cooper. She really liked the 03, so bought her an 07 which she really loves. The navigaton system is worth every penny as is XM radio. We like the upgraded two-tone leather. All we can say is we own two and would buy another in a minute. We bought the 07 because our 03 has been totally problem free. We are very satisfied owners.

• 

  First Impressions - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Bob - October 23 - 9:50 am

  This is a great car. In the past I have been very sceptical about american vehicles. I have been a loyal Toyota Camry owner for many years. This car won me over. The fuel economy on the sticker states 17 city 26 hwy. I got 36 hwy at 65 mph with the a/c on for 70 miles. I got 27 hwy at 80 mph.

• 

  Good Little Truck - 1998 Chevrolet S-10
  By Truck Driver - October 22 - 3:51 pm

  I bought this new w/ 2.2L 4 cyl engine. Engine has enough power to get you around and pull a 1-ton trailer fully loaded. I get 21mpg driving 20 min to work, each way, in mixed county/city driving. 3rd door rattle and both seat levers were fixed under warranty. No ignition wiring issues so far, 8+ years and 91K miles. Oil pan leaked couple of drops when left parked for 5 days -that is how I found out. Chevy split cost of repair eventhough it was out of warranty. Windshield wipers, sometimes, take longer than normal to change speed after stalk position has been changed, annoying. Since problems were fixed to my satisfaction I bought another Chevy (03 Avalanche) and been very happy with that.

• 

  Some quirks, but overall very reliable - 1996 Chevrolet Corsica
  By BobTheWonderDog - October 22 - 7:38 am

  I purchased this car from a co-worker in December 2000. It had 100,000 highway miles on it because he commuted to central NY from northern PA for the job. Even so, the car has performed excellently for me overall. I have had to make costly repairs, but have since learned that it was due more to mechanics greed than actual necessity. Engine still purrs at 170,000. On mine and other models Ive seen, Ive noticed the gas cap cover tends to rust off, and the doors stick in cold temperatures. Also, my "Check Engine" light has been on for 3 years, but I suspect this is from emissions (gascap again) and not mechanical. If you can find a model with reasonable mileage at 10 years, its worth a look