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:

• 

  Bought Used - 1997 Chevrolet S-10
  By StevL - July 4 - 2:00 am

  Bought this truck used for my 16 year old son. The V6 has good response and is a positive. Transmission had to have work after 5,000 miles. Side mirrors rattle terribly. Cab fairly noisey. Had to replace wiper motor after 3,000 miles. Two O2 sensors after 6,000 miles. At about 7,000 mile (now) the a/c compressor is leaking. This truck had one owner and looked very good for its age. I had it checked out by a Chevy dealership before purchase. Everything was checked to be in "Excellent" condition. Truck had 112,000 miles when purchased.

• 

  Quality Issues - 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By 08ltxafret - July 2 - 10:56 pm

  08 LTZ, 48K miles dash is cracked, door lock actuators working intermitently, interior chrome handles chipping, exterior door handle paint pealing off, interior paint chipping from steering wheel and a/c instrument panel. Under warrenty both d/p window channels replaced due to window squeaking (4 trips to dealer), rear tail light assembly replaced due to moisture (2 trips), carpet under brake/gas pedal comming loose (5 trips), p door lock actuator bad (2 trips). Exterior paint is scracthed with the most minor rub.

• 

  BIG disappointment - 1998 Chevrolet Suburban
  By theboysmom - July 1 - 2:00 am

  Ive been a fan of CHEVY since my first car (68 Chevelle). But this Suburban has shaken my faith in the most reliable engine, the 350, ever built. First problem with the transmission at 10k miles, gear replacement. Then 4-wheel drive issues, when in 4-wheel HIGH or LOW the car feels like it is braking when turning the steering wheel the dealership cant find the problem & said do not use the 4-wheel drive feature (makes sense?). More problems w/ trans. @ 45k miles - lost REVERSE. Since then - an exhaust manifold leak & a head gasket replaced (this SUV only has 53k miles on it). Now A/C problems. AGAIN I say - BIG disappointment!

• 

  Others that are better - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By tbates - June 24 - 2:00 am

  *Headlights are terrible, if you are going to be driving at night, drive somthing else. *If you want a vehicle that is a snap-together vehicle your looking at the right one. Most everything inside is snapped together making it easy for it to unsnap and wear out. *If you like unusal noises coming from your vehicle, this ones a regular musical instrument.

• 

  Extended warranty saved. - 1998 Chevrolet Lumina
  By J Rice - June 22 - 2:00 am

  Nice looking and fun to drive - but glad I bought the extended warranty. Bought used 3 years ago with 30,000 miles, have since put $6,000 worth of work thru the warranty - fuel injectors, water pump, oil pan gasket, ABS sensors, alternator, replaced engine-bearing failure, sunroof motor,door lock switch, brake rotors - you name it. And all this in a car that has been well maintained and has only 75,000 miles currently. Planning to dump it before the warranty expires.

• 

  TRACKER - 2001 Chevrolet Tracker
  By shouk - June 20 - 2:00 am

  When i had first bought this vehicle i had thought wow this is a pretty nice vehicle and enjoyed it. Then after owning it for approx. a year i started having many problems. The check engine light kept coming on, ALL the A/C and Heating elements needed replaced AND my driver side window stopped going up after owning this vehicle for 1 and1/2 years!

• 

  "LEMON" - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By Hoosier - June 18 - 6:10 pm

  Purchased used, 23K miles...had factory warranty remaining. Complete brake job (w/rotors)...steering clunking noise..."gremlins" in the car. Drove 124 miles saw temperature reading at Cold. Replaced thermostat, sender, rad. cap. Left front turn signal pigtail replaced, still having problems and right signal. Replaced remote start...still having problems. Replaced starter, still having problems trying to start. I have seen and spoke to others about car having similar or premature failures or not. I believe its main computer board failure...like brain failure. Some times it works and others!! These are not consumer problems...they are manufacturing problems (LEMONS). Fuel mileage ???

• 

  Biggest lemon ever built - 1997 Chevrolet S-10
  By Stomper - June 12 - 2:00 am

  Since day one never ran right with miss in engine and stalling spent most of first two years in service bays. Trans. died at 75000mi. Compressor died at 20000mi. Movement in rear axle since 50000mi. Chevy says that is ok no problem!!!. All S-10 have that problem, learn to live with it!!!!

• 

  Perhaps the worst car ever made - 1997 Chevrolet Malibu
  By StevenSouthwell - June 11 - 2:00 am

  This was the worst car I have ever owned. I purchased it brand new off the lot in 97. It was completely unreliable. I had too many problems to mention them all here. The biggest problems were electrical and the front end. Chevy did not stand behind this product and did nothing to fix the problems. They did get really good at saying "that is not covered under warranty." I spent close to $6,000 on repairs in two years of ownership. (This was a brand new car.) This is actually lower than some people I have talked to who also purchased one.

• 

  Form over Function - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Art - June 10 - 11:26 am

  Bad interior design. No internal storage, no place for window scraper, fist aide kit or emergency road kit. Hi/Lo beam actuation unsafe push turn signal away from you to actuate, now out of reach from steering wheel. Takes too long to heat up. Gas fill is bad design, back pressure shuts off pump. Gas cap design bad, could come off in accident. Excessive road and wind noise. Not enough driver space. Seat belt difficult to buckle/unbuckle. Beverage holder in bottom of door?Transmission seems to slip. Auto door lock/unlock disable, annoying. Too many icons, use english language, 4 icons representing lighting, could not find airconditiong, confusing. Radio controls too complicated.