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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  2001 Z24 - Its still just a Cavelier - 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By eng21 - February 17 - 2:00 am

  This car is fun to drive...when Im not bothered by all of the rattles and other noises inside the cabin. I can hear about 3 different noises at once sometimes. Im very dissatisfied with the build quality of this car. It looks decent, performes decently, but sounds like its falling apart already, and its only about 2 years old. Transmission was replaced at 17,000k due to rattling noise in lower gear. I still hear a different noise when shifting at lower RPM (i.e. < 2700 RPM). I should have bought the Civic. Hind sight is 20/20

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  Hurrah for Astro and Safari! - 1998 Chevrolet Astro
  By mattagrella - February 17 - 2:00 am

  I love these vans.

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  Near Flawless - 1996 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Thebeast431 - February 17 - 2:00 am

  I read the other reviews about buy a Mustang, Viper, etc. Who want 70hp less for more money in the Mustang, and want to pay 7 time more for a Viper? My Z28 has been great to me. I have had it for 2 years and 25k miles. Replaced waterpump and power steering pump, and thats all. My other problems were related to instlling of my headers, ie. burnt plug wires. Fun to drive, eventhough its an auto, leather interior is very comfortable. I dont know what the other reviewers were talking about bad interior and uncomfortable, they must of had cloth. T-tops do not leak and aftermarket exhaust is a must.

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  OK Car: Need better Warranty/Services - 1999 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Bitter Customer - February 17 - 2:00 am

  Bought new in May 1999. Horn didnt work after 2 months. Dealer take 3 days to replaced whole system, broke tilt handle during repair, so have to replace that. Steering wheel been screaking eversince. Car have no major problem for almost a year after that. Then all the problems began. Brakes screak. A/C broke and give out mildew odor. Dealer Fixed A/C and install a fan that blow automatically every 10 minutes or so when idle. Both tie rod were loose and need replacing. Both rear brakes cylinder were leaking badly. Belt buckle broke.. Plastic screws from seat fall apart. All n All, its an OK car. Would NOT buy another one though.

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  The Avalanche Experience - 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By KG Rollins - February 17 - 2:00 am

  One Awesome Vehicle. A definite "Buy and Hold".

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  Good truck - 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Kurt H - February 16 - 8:46 pm

  Ive now owned my Z71 for a little over a year and in general, Im quite pleased. The engine runs beautifully and sounds as good as it did on day one. The interior and exterior look great with minimal maintenance. We only have one child, and this truck serves as the family vehicle,which it does pretty well. Frankly, with a baby seat in the middle of the back seat, safety for my infant is not a worry and it fits nicely.

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  Nice economy car - 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By vr1000 - February 16 - 7:00 pm

  I wanted to buy a small economy car that would be reliable and good for commuting and that was inexpensive. I paid $14,200 including sales tax for my Cobalt. You cant touch a Corolla or a Civic for that price. The Cobalt is reasonably peppy, turns well, brakes well and feels very solidly built. The clutch feel and shifter are excellent. The only beefs I have are the cup holders are right in front of the heating and A/C controls and the trunk lid is high so its a little hard to see when backing up.

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  Great Reliable Truck - 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By James - February 16 - 12:13 am

  A 1999 Chevy Silverado was my first vehicle i bought one with 220000 on it and the truck looked like crap, rust, mis match doors etc.. but regardless of the miles and complete lack of care it received from previous owners this truck has not needed a thing & runs like a dream even now at 320,000 with the original motor and transmission. Love this truck and it will love you back

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  Best car EVER! - 2014 Chevrolet Cruze
  By Turbo Diesel Fan! - February 15 - 11:12 pm

  I purchased my 2014 Cruise Diesel through a Chevy dealer that had acquired it from GM as a Manufacturer vehicle. The previous owner claimed it had transmission problems & GM replaced it, tested it and gave me a 12 month, 12k mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. The car had 87k miles when I bought it and Ive now driven 11k delightful miles. My driving is mostly rural highways at 55 mph and I average 42-46 mpg! My overall average for 11k miles is an impressive 43.5. My best 50 mile average is 51.7! Amazing! I check the actual mileage at every fill-up and the cars computer is very accurate. Having driven an SUV for the past 3 years I can give some pros and cons. First, the ride quality and comfort is what I expected of a compact car- a bit more road feel, but above what I expected in the handling department. After several hours of driving the seats are a bit unforgiving, but overall comfortable. The noticeable lag on throttle response, due to turbo spin-up, is acceptable once you know to anticipate that. The extra 20 lbs of torque boost when the turbo does spins up is quite impressive! I did not expect the acceleration to make me grin like I still do! The ONLY negative is the outside temperature reads about 24 degrees low on the display. Under warranty. I had my local dealership look into it and I made 3 different trips as they replaced every component from the sensor to the gauge cluster - to no avail.

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  GM Junk - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By Upset at my 1st Chev - February 15 - 9:50 pm

  I had never owned a Chevy SUV before and was excited to get a Trailblazer EXT. Great style, good features at a reasonable price. No quality. The 1st 3 months I had 9 problems with 2 trips in for an upshift problem that they claimed they could not find. GM suggested I find a dealer that had a tool to install that would monitor the problem, but I had to reseach and find the dealer that had it and go there. They had no interest or concern of the many problems or required trips to the dealer. If you are thinking of buying one, hopefully you do not get one of the many lemons they have out there.