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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  Great Truck.....I Hope - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado
  By rebecca - September 28 - 7:19 am

  I have had my truck for 8 months now. I have 21,000 miles on it. I have not had any problems until these past couple of days. When I turn right I hear a noise under my bed I took it to a dealership Today they said it was my spare tire wasnt tightened. Got it back still making the noise. Im taking it back tomorrow to hopefully fix the noise and also I have a recall on it that is going to take 3 hours to fix. Other than that I love my truck. Im a mom with 2 little girls 5 and 6 and they love my truck too. Not alot of room in the front but alot in the back. My truck got up to 29 mpg. Average is 25mpg. I got heated seats with my truck. They suck. They dont get hot. I really have no complaints except this noise its making now. I hope they get it fixed soon.

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  Repairs, more repairs, and more repairs - 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Parnelli - September 28 - 2:00 am

  We purchased this white 95 four door in August of 1999 when it had only 20,000 miles on it. We now have 74,000 miles on the car. Weve replaced the head gasket ($650), water pump ($100), wheel speed sensor ($150?), air conditioning compressor ($450) and it needs to be replaced AGAIN (The condensor is bad, TOO.) The bottoms of the inside of two of the four doors have not rusted through ONLY because of the sanding, scraping, priming, etc. that I do yearly. The car goes on sale in three days!!

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  always in the shop - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Chris - September 27 - 9:23 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to tow a travel trailer which it did very well in the beginning. I dont have a lot of room so Im going to list the parts that have been replaced on my truck at 50,000 miles.Front Locking Hubs,Pressure Relief valve,Rear end,Complete Engine with turbo,Turbo,Front axle, I paid $38000 for this truck and am now over $13000 deep in repairs the warranty would not cover the engine they said I drove through to deep of water and it sucked it into the intake from the bottom,bad investment on my part I guess these 4x4s arent supposed to leave the pavement.

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  What a lemon - 1998 Chevrolet Venture
  By dadall1 - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Ive had nothing but expensive problems with this van ever since the warranty ran out at 36K miles (coincidence?). The service engine light was on for well over a year while my garage tried to find the cause. I paid for everything from new spark plugs/cables to an oxygen sensor to an ignition control switch (just to name a few things) while they performed exploratory surgery on my van and now at just over 73K miles, they are telling me the transmission is kaput. No wonder Fords motto is "Quality is job 1" because its obviously NOT GMs.

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  Oil Consumer - 2000 Chevrolet Corvette
  By Oil Consumer - September 27 - 2:00 am

  About 1Qt. Per 1500 Miles and I know Im not the only one! GM Pay Attention!!

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  cluck=transmission - 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By JACOBS - September 27 - 2:00 am

  I 1st noticed a clunk around 39000, right after my warrenty expired. I got the transmission serviced as required. It came back. Loud this time. I replaced the U-joints. The clunk came back, along with check engine light. Took it in to the dealer, they fixed nothing. 2 miles and $250 later the clunk was back. I had under 60000 when I had the transmission replaced. I spoke with chevy directly on this matter, the number in the Warrenty book, They saw my point. They had me bring in my records as far as maintance, which I kept, b/c Im anal, and covered the cost of parts($1000) Over all the quality of this vehicle has been suspect.

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  95 Chevy Cavalier Coupe - 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By JWingert - September 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 95 Cavalier about September, 1998. Today, the car is running just like new. The syle is sleek and curvy. The enterior is filled with fun features like a sunroof, cd player, comfortable seats, nice sterio system, etc. The engine is very , VERY reliable. I etimated that I get about 29 MPG on it. I have never had to fix anything major yet, just the regular mantainence.

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  A Tracker to Keep! - 2003 Chevrolet Tracker
  By bhuk - September 26 - 2:00 am

  I just recently purchased a 2003 Tracker complete with all the options and I honestly think I got my moneys worth! I was previously thinking of getting a Rav4 but with all the options that I wanted, I knew I would have to spend a few thousands more. With the Tracker, you get the performance of a V6 plus the convenience of all the options (i.e. power locks & windows, ABS, Cruise Control & alloy wheels).

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  Tahoe LT - 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By whocares - September 26 - 2:00 am

  I have had pretty good luck with the vehicle overall. I put on 30,000 miles a year and have had a little problem with the transmission not wanting to catch. I took the vehicle back to the dealership before my warranty expired due to a back window not operating. Bullentin replaced both motors. Loud valve tapping noise in the morning. I also feel thatn the breaks dont work good. I can cause the wheels to squeal when trying to brake quickly. A little rattle in the moon roof and doors.

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  Solid Truck - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By RickOwens - September 25 - 4:40 pm

  My 2004 Silverado is a white extended cab LS with the 4.8L V8. I drive in town, highway, use it as a hunting truck, and drive it anywhere I can. It has over 83k now. My last Silverado was sold with 245k on it and my 74 Blazer has 224k so I will be keeping this one with the rock solid Vortec for a long time. All I did to this truck was the tires.