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, but terrible reliability. - 1999 Chevrolet Camaro
  By F-Body Luver - January 19 - 2:50 pm

  This is a fun car and it looks great, so if you like that for a cheap price this is all you need. But you better have a couple grand on hand for repair costs. AC compressor, fuel pump (TWICE), gaskets, transmission service, brakes, etc. have all failed early, by 60,000 miles. Be ready for headaches to offset the driving experience.

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  Head gasket problems - 1999 Chevrolet Venture
  By richard connelly - January 16 - 12:30 am

  In the past 2 years I have had to replace 2 gaskets that seperate the manifold from the engine block. Anti-freeze leaked into the engine case. Very poor design. And GM has had no recalls on this re-occuring problem. I have spoken with mechanics and other Venture owners who have had this problem. Very dissappointing. This will be my last GM purchase. It also has had electrical short problems with the rear tail lights. Also the headlights are dull.

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  Fun Car, but needs improvement - 2000 Chevrolet Camaro
  By carnut17 - January 14 - 3:58 pm

  I had this car for about a year, and what a blast. This car was scary fast. However, when it came to twisty roads, my old 89 Mustang handled better than this beast. The car is too heavy and has too much body roll to handle well. As a daily driver, I cant recommend this car. The t-tops started leaking at 10,000 miles, and leaked even after the dealer replaced them. The interior rattles started right away, and got progressively louder and more numerous. Everything in the interior like it will snap off. I sold it before the whole thing fell apart when the warranty ran out. Seems like GM still believes in "planned obsolescence."

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  2010 Chevy Silverado 5.3 crew z71 44x4 - 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By brentsmith36 - January 8 - 10:32 am

  I love the truck except for one thing..it has a clunking noise in the transmission/ rear end. I took it to the dealership and all they did was lubricate the rear end. The noise is still there! This is very frustrating so I can not recommend this vehicle. If I could get a refund--I would. The transmission mechanic said that it was something I would have to live with!

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  I really wanted a Toyota - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By MR.BILL - January 6 - 2:00 am

  Numerous difficulties; right quadrant of taillights has short that has them turn on and off intermitently, Spare tire release under the bed was broken from the manufacturer. I learned this from the tire store. His remark was "none of them work, I do not think yours will either" he was right! Battery terminal was broken on this brand new truck. Right side window does not work at all. Frozen in the up position. Lights on dash come on at strange times. Leak in cab on drivers door in the middle, this a chevy standard feature.

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  Thought Chevys Were Best? - 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Macee - January 6 - 1:49 am

  My car was a good car up until the past three months. It ran very well and the feul economy was pretty good. But then a squeaking sound started in the front end that the dealership could not figure out what was wrong. Turns out, it was the shocks. Then, I started to hear a grinding sound: rotors are grinding. And now the transmission is slipping at second gear. Now, my dad is a mechanic so it was well maintained. I love my car...it was my first new car. It was my graduation gift from my parents. And until now it was great...but now its falling apart!

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  Snowed by a Tahoe - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By tim terrific - January 5 - 11:07 pm

  I have owned imports for the last 20 years. I took a chance on a new Tahoe. The size is just right for me. Great horsepower from the engine and a very nice ride. BUT fuel ecconomy stinks. The interior is cheap cheap cheap. Ive got potholders that hold better than the carpet. Leather seats have lost luster, crack and are spongy. Tailgate says open when closed been back three times to dealer. Window trim pieces now squeak. Transmission slips and brakes groan and its not even a year old!!! Heated sears are nice. Onstar is a rip off. GM wants $295.00 a year to renew it. They can keep it. LT= last time Ill spend the dough. There are better values in the market place.

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  This truck is no good - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By marc - January 2 - 1:23 pm

  I have owned 9 new vehicles in my life with 4 of them purchased to use for a business. This truck is by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I have never had so many different things wrong with one vehicle. Today was the last straw. 40,000 miles and the water pump is out. This vehicle has had electrical problems and still does, radio issues 5 different factory radios,it is on its 3rd exhaust system, tailgate latch issues, seat covers defective, seat belts wearing out and fraying, suspension issues in the front that a frame shop had to repair steering shaft had to be replaced the threshold on the rocker panel was broken and had to replaced. I am running out of room to name everthing

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  Chevy LIES about quality improvements! - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Chevy JUNK!!!!!!!!!! - January 2 - 2:43 am

  It was fresh off the dealer floor on 7/3/09. Has been my secondary vehicle for a year now. I just hit 5,100 miles and all the lifters now need to be replaced. The service tech states that the oiling system oils too much so it blows by the lifters blows out tons of white smoke out of the exhaust constantly. To make matters even more disappointing is the lack of a quality and robust 6 speed transmission, it has no clue how to pick a gear to stay in it. While driving if you make it downshift it will downshift and bring the engine to "Redline" or 6,000 rpm and stay there even if you take your foot off the gas pedal for at least 5 seconds.

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  Miss the old 89. - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By larry j - December 30 - 5:56 am

  We owned an 89 Chevy pickup and loved it, even at 110k miles, it still ran great. A very tight machine. We made the mistake in assuming Chevy would continue the tradition when we bought the 01. Engine makes a knocking sound from day one that the dealership mechanic "couldnt hear". Makes the sound to this day. Performance is sluggish and youd figure if you have slow performance, at least the gas mileage would be good. Wrong. 12- 15mpg. I guess we got spoiled with the 89 p/u truck; wish we still had it.