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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  Geat Choice - 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By K.C. Clark - October 12 - 10:00 am

  I had been looking for a car and or an SUV to eplace my Ford Explorer. (By the way - My for NEVER had a problem and I had it 4 yeas.) Anyway, The Tahoe Z71 (with the entire bell and whistle package) is not a sports car. Too fast around a corner and the high side walls of the tires flex and a 4 wheel drift is started. But, very responsive. But, its not made for that. Power, its there when you need it. Comfort, its definately there. Smoth ride and a very suprising tight turning radius for the size. Overall, I am very happy with the puchase. I got white with tan leather. Other car/SUVs I was looking at: BMW X5, Land Rover, Lexius 330

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  Fun to Drive - 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By parispat - October 12 - 10:00 am

  Love this vehicle. It drives like a car and is very versatile. I drive the Tahoe mainly to work, but during family vacations, it has been wonderful. The acceleration is very good. Handling is excellent for my type of driving ( mild).

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  Great drive to work car - 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Benji - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Only had one mechanical problem w/ the tranny soleniod. Regular maintenance and this car is a very cheap form of transportation. Sporty looking for a 11 year old car. Saves mucho bucks over driving pickup truck to work.

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  5.0 V8 Good mpg and lots of hp - 1992 Chevrolet Camaro
  By The Chad - October 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought this one from my best friend, his dad rebuilt it from the ground up about two years ago. This is the best car a guy could ask for. Great looks and fun to drive, I will never sell this car!!!

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  Perfect for College - 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Polo121518 - October 12 - 2:00 am

  This car is perfect for college, great gas miliage, makes a drive a breez, and for not having a lot of money it looks sleek, has peep , I wouldnt recomend the stadard version goes with this one , it just looks sweet

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  Quality transportation - 1995 Chevrolet Blazer
  By sperryrand - October 12 - 2:00 am

  I havent had too many problems with my Blazer in the over two years I have had it. Purchased it from a dealer with 60,000 miles on the odometer, and now with 110,000 miles, I dont hesitate to take it anywhere. The fuel injector assembly failed shortly after purchase (a common failure on all the Vortec CPI/CMFI engines). Steering components on front tend to wear out somewhere before 100,000 miles and can be pricey to fix. I havent had transmission problems with mine. Get transmission service records if youre looking at one. Be especially leery of one equipped with a trailer hitch the 4L60E transmission doesnt seem to like heavy loads for extended periods.

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  dont waste your money - 1998 Chevrolet Malibu
  By malibu - October 12 - 2:00 am

  We bought our Malibu with about 18000 miles on it. Weve had nothing but problems. Common problems I see with ours and others on the road are electical problems (taillights adn brake lights always out). Weve had the same A/C switch problem. One part gets fixed and something else goes wrong. Very noisy ride. Engine leaks from everywhere with only 50000 miles. Uncomfortable, hard seats. Not much interior room.

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  Good all around transportation - 2001 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Todd - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Good power with the 3.1 V6, nice radio, gas mileage pretty good for the power. Fits four people real comfortably. Bought the car used with 34,000 miles and it drives and runs as good as a new one. Appears to be a good buy for the money.

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  Fun to drive, fun to own - 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By bb - October 11 - 10:16 pm

  I usually drive a 93 T-bird to work, but after a while a cant wait to get the Monte out. Very good in all aspects of performance and very nice styling. It turns heads. I havent liked a vehicle I owned this much since my 88 T-bird. This LTZ is fun to drive and a pleasure to own. It seems like a lot of car for the money.

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  Endurator - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By Val - October 11 - 2:42 pm

  I bought my Uplander minivan 11 years ago with 12K miles on it. It currently has 344,000 miles. The maintenance cost was ridiculously low over the years. Rebuilt transmission first time at 333,000 miles because of a bearing noise. When transmission was opened technicians at Aamco were amazed by the little wear many internal parts showed after such mileage. The engine, as mentioned, has now 344,000 miles and it has developed a noise on its top end in the last 500 miles. No smoke no nothing, pulls very strong and has good fuel mileage but just that noise on its head. May be it is time to put some money and get it ready for more. The car is worth very little, and I have other newer vehicles but I am curious to see what this little Chevy has to show. I have had very little issues over the years but it seemed to get more and more reliable over time. I do long distance travel, almost on a weekly basis (600 miles a shot), and feel very safe on it. Maintenance and a good initial quality are key.