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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  Check Carefully Specfic Car you Buy - 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
  By gozone - July 28 - 11:49 am

  First I will say I am a Loyal GM buyer so this isnt american car bashing as was suggested by one person on another review. The specific car I purchased and others I have seen on the lot since have terrible build quality issues with the paint and body panel alignment. So far the dealer had the car for over a week and had to basically realign the body panels on the front half of the car and three doors. I didnt notice this on delivery and only came to find them when I had wind noise from a door, the front passenger/rear driver door having issues closing, the hood closing after checking oil. Inspect all body gaps and weather strips closely for gaps. There are other issues with paint.

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  Was great! - 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
  By cassin - July 28 - 10:32 am

  Have had the car for 3 years bought it with about 10k miles. Now has 49k miles on it, just got tires and they tell me the ball joints are bad and surprised the tire hasnt fallen off yet. The car has made a popping noise, the steering wheel isnt straight and the locks on the back doors do not work...well sometimes the driver side back lock will open but not lock back. Over all the amount of money for the car for the value isnt great, i have had other cheaper cars that havent had any problems like this.

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  2005 Box of Rocks - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By rchiefari - July 27 - 9:10 pm

  Front end makes all kinds of noise due to the poor quality components. Drivers side wheel bearing/hub has blown out 3 times in two years, air conditioner gave out --electrical - cant find the problem. You have to remove the front chrome grill and headlamp assembly to replace a headlight --are you kidding?? Cant see out the back window when backing up.

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  Best car you can buy for the $$ - 2011 Chevrolet Camaro
  By ms9 - July 27 - 12:31 am

  I have had my 2011 Camaro LS for 3 months now and it truly is an amazing car! General Motors has stepped up there game when it comes to quality and value so far I have not had one problem with this car mechanically. The 312hp 3.6L V6 runs very smooth and when you open up the throttle this baby moves fast! The 6 speed auto seems to be a good match for this car it has 2 modes drive and sport and when you really want to push it id recommend sport mode you can feel the differences. The exterior design speaks for it self awesome! I see people complaining about the interior and visibility you got to remember this was a concept car and im glad they didnt mess with the overall design too much!

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  Where do i begin.... - 2000 Chevrolet Blazer
  By loby - July 26 - 11:56 pm

  I bought my blazer in 2008, from the dealership, the gas gauge did not work. fixed. The first big investment was the intake gasket that went bad. It was replaced with a metal gasket, and shouldnt need replacing ever again. After that, it started acting very strangely...it would be going down the road, and start hesitating, or lose power suddenly. I went through and replaced plugs, wires, distributer cap and rotor, air filter, gas filter, battery, cat, and exhaust, the fuel pump sounds like its screaming, it gets terrible gas mileage, and the front dash squeaks. So far to fix the hesitation issue, ive dumbed a bottle of sea foam in the gas tank, which has helped for now.

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  Very good car! - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By red_rider - July 26 - 4:24 pm

  I bought an LT2 V6 Equinox. Ive had this car for a few months now and am still enjoying it. Just the right amount of hp and torque to go through the yellow lights and entering the highway. Averaging about 19.6 mpg each tank, which beats my old car at 15mpg.

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  Best truck ever - 2002 Chevrolet S-10
  By ronnies - July 26 - 2:00 pm

  I own a 2002 S10 LS extended cab 4wd, and have since purchasing it used in September 2004. At the time of purchase, it had 26k and now has 98k. I service it regularly and have never had any issues other than the tires,brakes, battery that you will have with any vehicle. I have had the check engine light come on twice, and both times the thermostat needing replacing to process the emissions better. I have given thought to purchasing a larger truck with more interior space, but the truck just wont give me a reason to do so. I have offers to buy it constantly, but its a member of the family. We also own a 2011 Equinox which we love also, but if its just wife and I, we take the S10

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  Regret buying - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By sweetswife - July 26 - 10:45 am

  After driving a Lexus RX350, I wanted a similiar size vehicle w/ better gas mileage and lower payments. I definitely got the lower payments, but was suckered on the gas mileage. Lexus got around 22 mpg & after driving the Equinox 10 months now, Im lucky to get 24mpg. I even bought the 4 cyl to improve gas mileage and this was also a huge mistake b/c it has absolutely no power. Visiblility is horrible in the rear and side. Interior controls for door locks arent even on the doors, which is very awkward. Cruise control switch is also poorly placed on the steering wheel and very easy to accidently switch off when driving. Im already looking to sell this vehicle and go back to an import

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  Lives up to its name,Thug,Beast of beauty - 1994 Chevrolet Blazer
  By lynn86 - July 26 - 9:46 am

  I love my truck! Bought it in winter of 2010. Some repairs done, I have minor rust around tips of body. Handles like the dickins. 191209 Kms as of now.I have a question though, anybody know why the speedometer occasionally jumps back and forth, other wise this truck is built likeck. a rock. Im starting on the rust today, Ill say it again *I love my truck! I dont like driving in cars, I feel too close to the ground.

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  GM left me hanging. - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By gmletmedown - July 25 - 8:33 pm

  I took my new bride on our honeymoon to Montana this past June (Im from Arizona). Before leaving, I had the oil changed and had the entire car checked out before I left. As soon as I hit 76,000 (1,000 miles past my extended warranty) the transmission began to slip. I was left stranded and GM refused to help me. I was forced to pay for a local transmission shop to repair the car, luckily for me they seem to have done a good job. I will never buy another GM car. They do not build reliable cars and I have always supported them up until this. Here is a list of other problems that Ive had to deal with: 1. Ive gone through TWO waterpumps. The first waterpump went out because