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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  3rd and LAST S-10 - 2000 Chevrolet S-10
  By Carlos - March 31 - 7:22 am

  First 2 S-10s I owned were 4-cylinder 2-wheel drive. Good bang for the buck little truck, but dont expect more than 100,000 miles out of them. The last one is a 4.3 4x4. Fun truck, good power and handling, great 4-wheel drive, But wheel cylinders and ball joints are junk and need to be replaced frequently, very expensive. I have replaced all the wheel cylinders at least once at $500 each. I replace at least two ball joints every year. Other front suspension problems as well. The 100,000 mile coolant needs to be changed at 60,000 miles or your heater core will get clogged and heat will stop working. Gas gauge stopped working in last two S10s, too expensive to fix.

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  Hunk of Junk - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Robyn - March 27 - 10:26 pm

  I have had this vehicle for 2.5 yrs now, and Ive had to have brand new rotors and break pads; along with brand new tires, visor, and stereo. I would not recommend this vehicle to anyone. There is also a problem where the starter cranks after the key is released, and Chevrolet, in their service bulletin (#03-06-03-001D) states this is "normal." There are a ton of blind spots with this vehicle also. You couldnt pay me enough money to ever get a Chevrolet again.

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  Problems - 2003 Chevrolet Tracker
  By Bad Chevy - March 27 - 2:20 pm

  When I bought this Tracker, I was looking for reliability. I am not happy! I have now gone through 3 Cat. Conv., springs on the rear rotors. I am still having problems with them and gaskets galore. I have a 1994 Tracker a long time ago and it was awesome. I cant wait to get rid of this one!

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  High cost and frequent maintenance - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By knd911 - March 25 - 5:48 pm

  I bought this vehicle to help me get through the winter times and I quickly found out my little Elantra handled the winter better than this truck. Every scheduled maintenance costs at least $500 and these are supposed minor parts parts like turning signal, battery cable, gas gauge. The fuel economy is not the best as expected.

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  Dont buy a Malibu - 2005 Chevrolet Malibu
  By dont buy a malibu - March 22 - 11:30 pm

  This car has poor fuel mileage, I dont care what the specs say, and I am taking into consideration that these are usually exaggerated. I traded a 2003 Mercury Sable with 40k something miles on it, thinking i would get a bit better gas mileage with a newer vehicle, six cylinder but should be better in mileage as smaller vehicle and less weight and other factors. Darn things is eating me alive, i have decided to sell the thing and am driving my other vehicle in the mean time, a 2001 Ford Taurus (73000 miles) a larger car that is getting better mileage than this thing.

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  Problem changing between 4 and 8 cylinders - 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By jjj32 - March 22 - 2:03 pm

  I just purchased the Silverado 2014, less than 1500 miles. It squeaks each time it changes from 4 to 8 cylinders. Dealer said that nothing could be done. They could repeat the problem but said that GM had no resolution. This is most annoying to say the least. Ill track each time I take it in for repair; if they continue to say it cant be fixed Ill file under the state lemon law. Too bad, really was looking forward to my new truck.

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  Nice car but... - 2005 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Dee - March 19 - 7:12 pm

  This car had 8100 miles on it when we bought it in Dec. At first we had no problems but now it makes an awful noise on right side when hitting rough road or potholes. Definitely something wrong somewhere. Also a rattle in right front door (that just started). Otherwise, its nice looking & fun to drive. Handles well on the freeway or in the city. Im not sure at this point if I would recommend this car, & doubt if we will keep it over 3 years, if that long. We had a 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix that rode better with no rattles, but it was getting too many mechanical problems. For the price we paid, this Malibu probably isnt a bad car.

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  Bitter-Sweet - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By deeman7777 - March 16 - 6:10 am

  This car is very nice from the exterior! GM did a great job designing this SUV. I am sorely dissapointed however with the car them longer I own it. So far its been in the shop 4 times. Faults from warped front discs (brakes) to a bad rear diff. to an electrical problem to a bad sensor in the engine. I have come to HATE the interior. Granted this is the LS version and only a measly $20,000, but how about a map light...or any light near the RV mirror!!! WTF was GM thinking. The ONLY interior light (beside the light in the trunk) is on the ceiling between the front and back seat. You are out of luck if you need to read a map in the dark. Also no hanger hooks for dry cleaning. Wake up GM!

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  No Trunk Access If Battery Dies - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Alfred Refice - March 14 - 6:36 pm

  After I purchased the Impala, I found that the only way to open the trunk was the remote on the key-fob or a button on the dash - both of which are useless if the main car battery dies. The owners manual says if the battery dies the owner could access the trunk if a fold down rear seat is available. The base model LS does not have a fold-down rear seat, therefore, if the battery dies then all items in the trunk (such as jumper cables) are inaccessible.

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  BEWARE OF PISTON SLAP - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By jack, ashton - March 13 - 10:00 am

  good overall but, defective engines, the 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, and more have defective pistons. go to website, gm piston slap. on start up sound like diesel engine, the pistons are banging up against cylinder walls. gm service bulletin 01-06-01-028. gm knows the problem, they WILL NOT FIX, says banging pistons is normal. lease do not buy. research the problem before buying. REMEMBER, GM WILL NOT FIX YOUR DEFECTIVE ENGINE.