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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  Defects - 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By SSgt. Pore - March 7 - 10:37 am

  I purchase my Tahoe for work and family transportation. I love it but the maintenance issue is complicating. The muffler has an internal heats that the rivets have become loose inside and makes the muffler continuously rattles and the dashboard speedometer needle frequently stick causing unidentifiable speeds when driving.

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  A Die Had Van!! - 1998 Chevrolet Venture
  By judgeman6691 - March 7 - 9:42 am

  I love my venture! After 11 years and 125,000 miles she is still going strong. The only thing I ever had to replace is the water pump which I did February 2009 and my right window motor. This truly is a good vehicle. It offers a quiet, smooth and comfortable ride, perfect for family outings. The ext wheel base version is larger than most vans and even today fits my mother, my grandbaby, my 17 year old, my 21 year old and my 23 year old all comfortably on our many trips across the vast state of Texas. I love my venture! Chevrolet is truly "like a rock"

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  HOOD - 2004 Chevrolet Blazer
  By BOB - March 6 - 9:48 pm

  I bought my 2004 Blazer used and I love it, the beefy tires and the fold down seats are great, I got a manual trans and I love it shifts smooth and the 190 hp isnt to bad either.

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  Headache after Headache - 1999 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Rick - March 6 - 2:23 pm

  Liked the truck initially, but problems plagued me all the time. The power window switch went bad, so they had to replace the entire "modularized" motor and all ($150). Then the 2WD HI/LOW/4WD "modularized" button panel on the dash went out ($200). Then the anti-lock brake actuator/controller (another $1200). Seven separate times now the drive shaft splines have had to be deburred, and the rear seals of the transfer case have had to be replaced. Took it in for tune-up last week to find out that the fuel pump is leaking fuel back into the pump (hard starting)--module needs to be replaced ($400). Also the gear shift lever is really loose--that "module" also needs replacing ($700).

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  WORK Truck Is What This Truck Is - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD
  By HBDMax - March 6 - 2:30 am

  First, you are buying a truck like this to Work, not to Daily Driver. But, you can outfit these trucks very nicely with the LTZ package. Interior leather,finish and layout is very well done, not exceptional - its not a Denali. Exterior new body style has intriguing design elements, ride is exceptionally smooth for this class of truck. The real appeal is the Duramax diesel with the Allison 1000 trans; this truck has literally more power than you can ever use in this class of truck. GCWR is restricted over 20K, this engine and trans combo can exceed that. Economy is what you expect from this type of truck - 18 hwy unloaded, 12 hwy loaded w/18K. This truck exceeds its intended purpose.

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  So many problems - 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By James - March 5 - 10:20 pm

  I got the car new in June of 2006 from a dealer my father works at. I love this car. It is my second Monte Carlo, but I have to be honest this new one has had a lot of problems. The car throws out black smoke out of the exhaust (the dealers cant figure out why even after 4 visits) The driver seat stopped working and the A/C unit only works half of the time. A replacement unit has been on order for a month. This is my 4th new Chevy and I have never had one with the list of problems this one has had. I would recommend the car if it all the problems were fixed, but until then, wait for the 2007 so hopefully the problems will be solved

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  Good car until later in life - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Sam - March 5 - 10:19 am

  Bought this brand new in Dec 2001. Overall it was an excellent car. Our family fit well in it and the car was largely free of problems until recently. About a month ago we found out it had the dreaded intake manifold leak possibly due to the orange Dexcool coolant. It was expensive to fix, and there was no guarantee against it happening again, let alone other engine damage. We traded on a Honda. If hadnt developed the Dexcool problem, wed still have it today.

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  Fine with me - 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By GLDruss - March 5 - 2:00 am

  My 2003 Monte Carlo LS in Superior Blue Metallic is a people-stopper with its beautiful exterior lines. The interior could have used more style, but its comfortable enough. So far, I love the car. Some review called it a "flashback," but not in a positive way. I like it because it is a flash back to when cars had style and personality instead of all looking alike.

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  Decent purchase - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Jeffner - March 4 - 9:16 pm

  I received my trailblazer in 2006 with 12000 miles on it. We live in Florida and have traveled to TN drove in the mountains for a week, the truck handles lots of terrain. I now have 60,000 miles on it and other than a few hiccups I am very happy. I love the comfort with two children, getting in and out is a breeze. Lots of room, and smooth ride. Overall I liked it so much we just purchased our second trailblazer.

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  so far so good - 2008 Chevrolet Impala
  By mark - March 4 - 6:55 pm

  We are very pleased with our car. A little disappointed with sticker mileage compared to actual. All manufacturers seem to get away with that one? However very reliable car, runs smooth, LOTS of power. Wanted the LTZ because of more HP. Salesman said I would be happy with LT, and saved a lot of money. He was right. The traction control is a must in the snow here in Canada. Never had a problem. 2nd winter with it and reg. all season tires! By the way we found that if you order a car with the features you want it can save you money on the sticker price. Can save another thousand if you order it, as the dealers automatically tack on a thousand to cover cost of the car sitting on the lot.