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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  Blazer - 1995 Chevrolet Blazer
  By chevy blazer - November 17 - 9:42 am

  I bought my Blazer for $1800 and put 10,000 miles on it. So far $850 for tranny rebuild. Fuel pump put on before I got it. 4wd works when it wants to. Shake the wires on transfer case sometimes works. EGR no good but you can buy a piece of screen wire from dealer for $16-20 that will reduce carbon build up. Gas mileage in city between 10 or 12 miles to gallon. Gets 17 or 18 mpg on highway. Brakes are no good. On slick surfaces they pulsate and make an awful racket. I guess it is a very poor ABS system. Not to mention I got truck for $1800 because tail lights would not work. Looks nice with $150 exhaust I had to put on because muffer rusted apart. Trim is starting to come off now.

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  Worst car Ive ever bought - 2005 Chevrolet Impala
  By apptt - November 15 - 10:58 am

  I have never owned a car with more problems. Ive had to bring it in 3 times in the past year with repairs. Ive had to pay almost $1000 this last time. I bought this car as a "Ceritfied Used Car" from a reputable dealer.

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  Chevy Blazer - 2003 Chevrolet Blazer
  By docock - November 15 - 10:43 am

  All in all it is an OK SUV. I wouldnt purchase another one. The inside of the vechicle is not big enough to haul or carry enough people if you have to use car seats. It is not a family SUV. The gas mileage is terrible. I have to fill up the tank once a week just for grocery shopping and taking the kids to school.

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  Suspension Problems TSB noted - 2004 Chevrolet Aveo
  By JLW - November 14 - 7:04 pm

  Love the car however, in month 2 or 3 creaking and popping started from suspension, and got worse as the months progressed. Finally took it in a year later and they said the bushings on the stabilizer arms were no good. I thought to myself how could bushings go bad in 2-3 months on a brand new car? Took it in, and they replaced them and it made a noticable difference. However creaking and popping is still there and Im trying to isolate where. I think its now in the back. Not happy at all with the suspension on this brand new car. Its due to the heavy swing of the car, its height and poor/or improperly selected/or placed suspension components. Going back again for the remaining creaks, stay tuned.

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  Its an OK truck - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By vnllgrll - November 9 - 9:48 pm

  Its not a bad truc,k but its not a great truck. I have had to put around $2000 into it in the almost 2 years that I have had it. All I can say it thank God for the extended service plan.

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  Think twice - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By lil mah - November 2 - 4:16 am

  At first the car was cool, however the problems began within 2 months. Its too small. The interior plastic paint chips. Factory (Perelli) tires are awfull in the winter. Rear light panel shorted out completely after two times in the shop to replace all back lights. The front end pulls to the left. Had the right passenger side axle and cv joint and boot replaced and it still still pulls to the left. The rental cars are better than my car. The wind blows you across the freeway. Theres no leg room for your passengers, you feel like clowns. Tends to guzzle gas for a small car. It needs bigger rear windows (too much of a blind side) The suspension stinks. A poorly made car.

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  Very blah car - 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By gambit - November 1 - 10:00 am

  With a Cavalier, you get small size, Chevy styling, GM quality, and Buick handling. In other words, the worst of all worlds. To be honest, the Cav is not an awful car, just not a very good car in a sea of good competition. The stylings bland; if blending in is your goal, it may be for you. It was a mistake for Chevy to use a bowtie- bar in the styling; it doesnt fit well and looks awkward. The interior creaks and feels cheap. The engine is good, but the suspension is too loose. When turned, the car sways the other way. According to the figures, the Cav is GMs biggest seller. But those figures probably include rental and fleet sales.

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  Roomy, but Cheap! - 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
  By lilmomx2 - October 30 - 3:16 am

  I have had owned this car for 13 months. It has been in the shop 2 times and I am about to bring it back in. About 2 months after we purchased this vehicle the surpentine belt came off for no apparent reason. It was not broken or stretched out and we had to have the car towed to the dealership. About 3 months ago it started rattling really loud. I took it back to the dealer. They kept it for 2 days and told me that a screw had come loose in the motor. It also rattles real loud in the back of the car, but since it is not constant I cant bring it to the dealer. I have no way of knowing when it will do it. Also, now my ignition switch is going out. My car only has $25K miles on it. The whole car is plastic.

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  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

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  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!!