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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  Fun Car - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Fun car - March 31 - 11:48 pm

  I have gotten great gas mileage out of this vehicle (up to 34mpg highway). It is a fun, sporty car with a little more kick to it than the average Cavalier. It is a great car for those that are single or have no kids (being a 2 door and a compact back seat would probably be a little bit of a hassle with carseats although the capability is there). This is a great, stylish, dependable car for those that want something fun to drive.

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  2005 Chevy Cavalier LS Sport - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Gale Camuso - March 31 - 11:41 pm

  I am very happy with my purchase. This is the 4th Cavalier I have purchased. It helped to have a large rebate on it. Its very sporty (I have been stopped and told its a nice looking car - very sporty) It came with the mp3 player and satellite system and I am very happy with that as well. Drives very smooth and quiet. I am sorry to hear this is the last year that Chevy is making Cavaliers. I will have to figure out what kind of car is will be buying in 4 years from now. The interior looks like the previous Cavalier RS 1998 I had.

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  1997 Malibu NY - 1997 Chevrolet Malibu
  By CM - March 31 - 10:59 pm

  MY 97 Malibu - Great Car for the price I paid. Large enough to be comfortable and small enough for easy driving in the city. Mechanicals OK - a bit sluggish and mpg seems to be poor. Styling is adequate, not flashy. Repairs are few. Water pump most expensive repair yet. Hope to keep this for a few more years. My son could use it for college.

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  Pile of garbage. - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Tom Lamothe - March 31 - 9:47 pm

  I have owned this vehicle for about 18 months. It was purchased off of my parent who bought the vehicle new. In the first 3 years of them owning the vehicle, they had to have several things repairs: Drivers seat, fuel pump/timing chain and some other minor issues. When I bought the car off of them, it was as if a self-destruct button was pushed. Immediately we found rust on the bottom of the rear doors (at 38,000 miles). This was repaired by the dealership under warranty. Shortly after I noticed that the vehicle was losing oil quite rapidly and seemed down on power. After (no lie) 12 visits to dealerships (one of which I refused to deal with any further as they wanted me to drop the vehicle off for the entire day for an oil consumption test), to monitor the oil level, they finally agreed to rebuild the engine (45,000 miles) as well as fix a transmission leak. Upon vehicle inspection, they also "discovered" that the AC condenser was leaking and needed to be replaced and that the rear brakes were "metal on metal" and needed to be replaced. All told there was over $7,000 worth of work done. $700 to replace the condensor. I refused brake replacement, another story, but it turned out that there was more than half of the braking material left and no need whatsover to replace the pads or rotors as we were quoted. one year later and we are back at it. At 58,000 miles, the rear differential is now leaking. The vehicle is still under the mileage for the powertrain warranty but past the time limit by 4 months. This repair was quoted at 600-700 dollars to replace an axle seal. This vehicle is now being traded in as I cannot deal with the sheer level of crap that is the 2011 Equinox. To summarize, 2011 Equinox with a 2.4 L engine only having 58,000 miles has had the following major issues: 1. Burning over 2 quarts of oil per 1000 miles. (Engine rebuilt) 2. Fuel pump and timing chain replaced. 3. Rust repair 4. Transmission leak repair 5. AC condensor leak 6. Seat issue recall repair 7. Rear differential leaking. The other minor issues I have had include random electrical gremlins that cause the auto headlights to come on randomly in direct sunlight, slipping serpentine belt that causes dimming of interior lights on occasion. On the surface this is a great vehicle. The interior is spacious and comfortable, the outside is relatively unobjectionable, It has several higher end features like Satellite radio, heated seats, etc. but the build quality is abysmal. I would not recommend this vehicle to my worst enemy.

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  This is a righteous car - 2005 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Austin - March 31 - 8:53 pm

  This has been so far the best car for the dollar that I have bought. The only complaints is the build quality is a little off. Lots of things on the inside rattle. The car almost killed me when something called a balancer came off of the engine. I lost power steering and my brakes. When into a ditch. That wasnt fun. But hey the airbag worked great. The engine thing was probably my fault because the weekend before I preaty much threw it off a cliff. Oh yeah did I mention it is an off roading beast? A bigger engine would be nice. But it has a great power to weight ratio

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  Truck or SUV? ( trukuv ) - 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By james - March 31 - 5:46 pm

  Fun to drive with exceptional comfort and smoothness. Decent fuel consumption for its size. A lot more versatile than a standard truck. Bed is way more spacious than given credit for.

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  So far so good - 2001 Chevrolet Lumina
  By kolocar - March 31 - 5:40 pm

  I have owned this vehicle for about 6 months, and have had no mechanical issues at all. No LTZ (F41) suspension means it handles with typical Chevy mediocrity fair amount of body roll & it plows readily around tight corners. Smooth and quiet on the highway though. Amazing MPG for its size - averaging mid-20s, never less than 22MPG. I estimate pure highway mileage at 70- 85MPH at around 32 MPG. 3.1V6 175hp plenty peppy, but not lightning quick. Drives like it has a 4bbl carb - huge, noticable surge in acceleration with pedal pushed past 1/2 way or more to floor - but its fuel injected. Gives it a nice nostalgic driving feel. Reasonably comfortable long distance driver.

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  1997 LT Owner - 1997 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Mark - March 31 - 1:55 pm

  Ive owned this Blazer since it waS new. About to turn over 100k miles. Just put on the 3rd set of tires. Not a lot of problems for a vehicle that old, but here is a list of problems Ive had: Excessive paint chips since it was new, entire car repainted by dealer. 4WD is currently intermittent due to a vacuum problem. Leaking coolant. Replaced fuel sender. Hazard/brakelight/turn signal switch bad, intermittent brake lights. Replaced 3 speakers. Body molding coming off. Hoses to oil filter leaking. Climate control diverter is messed up, delayed in switching from floor to defrost, etc. probably due to vacuum leak. Never a MAJOR problem though.....

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  My Lumina - 1993 Chevrolet Lumina
  By MotorHead - March 31 - 12:19 pm

  Since purchasing my Lumina I have had many mixed experiences. First of all, its a blast to drive and is put together quite well. But its like Murphys Law, "if it can go wrong, it will"...I bought the car for $2000 cash and have put in almost $3000 in parts, and 99% of that is done by myself. If youre not mechanically inclined, it may not be a wise choice. I hope this could help, and happy motoring.

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  Driving till the wheels fall off - 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Scottyd - March 31 - 12:14 pm

  I now have 206,000 miles on my Cavalier and it is still running like a champ! I still get roughly 33 mpg and I dont ever use any oil. The only major repairs were that I replaced the front brakes and rotors twice, and both front bearings twice, but it has never let me down. Great Car!