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:

• 

  Do not buy American - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Windy City - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Just traded my car in for a 02 Toyota Camry because my Malibu had a blown gasket in the intake manifold ($600.00 to fix). Bought it with 19K miles, when traded the car had less than 30K miles. Also, it wasted a lot of gas (not good with gas prises so high), leaking coolant, car shakes went it is at a stop, rattling sound by the passanger side, every time I got my car washed had to replace the right brake light bulb (water kept getting inside the rear taillight)

• 

  Unreliable Silverado - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By BeaverFood - September 17 - 5:26 pm

  Ive had 5 battery failures. The dealer and apparently GM cannot locate the cause. Had to have it towed once. Also, cannot get enough heat in the cabin when driving in cold weather. The dealer looked at this issue twice and found no problem. No more General Motors vehicles for me! Two days ago, I traded this unreliable truck for a 2010 Tundra.

• 

  Money Pit - 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Larry Caron - September 16 - 2:00 am

  I love this vehicle for taking trips. It rides better than my car due to the large wheel base. The Tahoe gets about 13 in town and 18 on highway. The only problem is that I dont trust it for any trips any more. The tranny dropped at 80K. I am now at 103K and I have spent about 5,000.00 in repairs so far. I love the car other than the repairs. A 30,000.00 vehicle should not have to cost an additional 5,000.00 in repairs

• 

  2001 Chevolet Malibu - 2001 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Bdean - September 16 - 2:00 am

  Paint peels on front bumper, got two of these cars and both bumpers are peeling GM says it is not their fault. Tires cup on rear causing a lot of road noise. Would not buy another Chevolet of any model.Have had Chevolet in the past that I enjoyed for years,but not these 2001s.

• 

  Do Not by this Car - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Angry Consumer - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car because of its stylish apperance. However, in the two years that I have had it, I have replaced almost every major portion of it. It has been in the shop almost twenty five times in 18 mo. The suspension went out at 39,000 miles. I have had several electrical problems with every electrical component in it. The radio cuts out for no reason, the window motors have been replaced, the alternator, the battery, the speakers, the power locks fuses (12 times before the problem was found.) The car is beautiful and everything I need, but its in the shop and the driveway more than I drive it.

• 

  2500 HD wimpy truck - 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By JELAY114 - September 13 - 2:00 am

  This truck is strong off the dealer lot. After a few miles it was nothing but problems. bad transfer case, 3 BCMs, wiring harnesses, fuel economy, now I have just found diesel in the crankcase...

• 

  Not designed by a truck user - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By WYDave - September 12 - 10:30 pm

  This is a nice truck but there are some major design flaws. The heat/AC instrument panel is very difficult to use. It takes your eyes off the road too long. Why did they design the fog lights to only work with the lights on? Dont they know that when its foggy, or blowing snow that the lower the lights are, the better? Also, the low beam lights should be the lower set of lights for the same above reason. Why is the rear floor not flat under the seats? I owned a 2002 Silverado that had more storage room. The 2009 took away alot of storage in the dash and console area. Also the storage in the doors is smaller. I really do think that a "non" truck user designed this new truck.

• 

  A big mistake - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By TRFiona - September 9 - 2:00 am

  This car was a big mistake. Its been back to the dealer 9 times & is in need of another svc call. The check engine light was the reason for the trips to the shop & there were a variety of problems - 1 part was replaced twice because the replacement was defective. Now theres a brake problem, the engine makes odd noises & my Dad said the film thats always on the inside of my windshield is due to a heater core problem. This cars a lemon & the dealership keeps stringing me along. I regret the day I bought it & if I can ever get rid of it, Ill never own another Chevy again! Dont make the mistake of buying this car!

• 

  4 Under the Floor... - 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By 4byTranny - September 8 - 2:00 am

  After dealer-servicing every 3,600 miles for the first 53,000 I put $800 into tranny repairs. I had no extended warranty. At 57,000 I put in a new tranny for $2,600. At 98,000 I put in another tranny (this one under warranty)! Five hundred miles later this tranny went bad too. Holy smokes!! GM still tells me there is nothing wrong with their transmissions. Yeah...OK!

• 

  Mechanical Horror - 1998 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Rogeru - September 7 - 2:00 am

  Reliability is terrible. With 80600 miles, I have replaced an alternator & battery, a fuel pump, water pump, have had a rear differential leak, and replaced a leaking oil intake. Mechanic now tells me the fuel pump is noisy and may need replacement (again) after just 12000 miles. Computer readout says there is transmission slippage. Cant wait to dump this piece of *&@#$!^.