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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  1998 Corvette - 1998 Chevrolet Corvette
  By bakerboy - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Very good performance especially in acceleration! Improved design makes the car easier to get in and get out. Have had some electrical problems (windshield wipers) and the paint is not a hard finish (scratches easily). Overal... great car!

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  Pro Suburban - 2001 Chevrolet Suburban
  By rhwalton - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Our Suburban has been a outstanding travel vehicle for us. We drive 22,000 miles per year. Fule economy averages 15.5 city and 17.4 to 18 highway. Not bad considering we are driving in mountains and generaly loaded.

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  Tahoe 02LT - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Jarule - August 26 - 2:00 am

  I love my 02Tahoe LT. Its a great SUV. Warning. this vehicle has a great ride. One mus be careful in long trips because it will put you to sleep.

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  Sports-sedan - 2007 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
  By Manfred-J- Hinz - August 25 - 6:43 pm

  I replaced a 2004 Maxx with this 2007 Maxx SS. I was, and am, totally satisfied with the car. Finally a great eye-appealing sport sedan from GM and Chevy decides not to build this model for the 2008 Line-up. To limit production of this model to 3 years is questionable.

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  Classy Truck - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Bill - August 25 - 11:20 am

  This is my second Silverado. My previous truck was an 07 LT 4WD extended cab. only real problem I had with that was the tire pressure sensors. Never worked right. Traded it in on my 09 LTZ 4WD and I couldnt be happier. This truck is at home on a night on the town or plowing through the mud on mountain roads of North Carolina. Had 65K miles when I got it and am at 110K now and still flawless. No mechanical issues whatsoever. Good power, great ground clearance and the ride is smooth, quiet and comfortable. My only complaint is the cost of routine maintenance. $400 to change spark plugs? Seriously? From now on routine maintenance will be done by my local mechanic and NOT at the dealership. I read about some of the problems others are having and I am not having any of those issues. Maybe I am just lucky. Hopefully this will be the last truck I will ever buy.

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  Still going... - 1995 Chevrolet Corsica
  By ... - August 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Corsica (V6, auto) new in Jan. 95, and Ive put nearly 150,000 miles on it. Its not flashy, but it gets me around and has only had one major repair (cracked intake manifold at around 140,000 miles). It still gets 29mpg highway with the A/C on.

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  Basic Transport - 2000 Chevrolet Metro
  By Mark A. - August 25 - 2:00 am

  For what this car is about, getting from point A to point B it does it, and with little gas. At 62" it is not the car for me but for my wife it works fine. Credit card dollars helped reduce the cost of this car to < $6000 new. So, that helped.

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  Buy 1 - 1995 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By LB625 - August 25 - 2:00 am

  Except for a poor design overdrive transmission the Tahoe is excellent. Owned it for 7 months and the sun gear broke and for $1400 we were back on the road. Throttle body gasket leaked but the felpro replacement gasket which is at least twice the size goes in easily. This is the unit to buy!! Comfort, power, ride are all the best I have owned, so far.

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  Happy With Mine - 1995 Chevrolet Blazer
  By ziplin - August 25 - 2:00 am

  Had this Blazer for a few weeks (got it used as a cream-puff) put a thousand miles on it so far and it is out performing my expectations. will report further as I have more time in it to do a better evaluation. Thanks for all the previous input.

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  More problems... - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By dwmorris - August 24 - 10:00 am

  Rolled into dealership with 4000 miles today. This time, fan clutch will not disengage and the truck sounds like a jet taking off when accellerating. The service writer told me that this will happen when it is really hot out and all was working as designed. I would have bought that line if the truck had not already made it through the hottest summer ever in Phoenix, AZ without ever experiencing this, and considering it did the same thing at 5:30AM when outside temp was 70. I paid extra to rent another TBlazer for the day and drove it immediately over to the same service writer so she could hear what a properly running TrailBlazer sounds like.