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, but... - 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche
  By Cmac - November 23 - 9:26 pm

  This truck is absolutely great. The ride is surprisingly comfortable, and it is plenty of room for my entire family. I have had two problems that the dealership can not fix, but are not a major problem because I am the only one who drives. The memory seats do not retain their settings, and the CD repeat feature does not work as expected. It seems to play all the tracks up until you hit repeat. The first problem is only a nuisance if my wife happens to hop in to take it for a spin since we are on opposite ends of the height scale.

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  Mechanical issues but looks good - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Jay - November 23 - 1:10 am

  highway driving causes 3rd gear failure at 35K miles? AC makes noise at "auto" setting and has been replaced once. Ongoing problems. Thank god for the GM warranty. Rear drink holders are fisher-price like. Other than that - interior is pretty good, comfortable, exterior looks like a truck should, XM is great. No blue tooth is crazy but they fixed in later years. Cant understand why GM wouldnt spend the extra $50 and make wheel well inserts standard. Plastic door inserts look like miniature lego pieces ie: cheap as hell. Used to own a Tundra and went domestic to try and help local business but may rethink next time is I keep having problems. At 40,000 miles now.

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  Slow but steady wins the race - 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By single mom - November 22 - 3:55 pm

  I have been driving this car for over 10 years without any problems. It has 180,000 miles on it and no major repairs. Replaced exhaust due to rust, but I live in the snow belt so lots of road salt. An edging of rust just starting along the bottom of the doors. With Nokia tires I have driven this car thru blizzards and floods. As a single mom, I need reliability. It has never left me stranded. It is a no-frills version, so there were no gadgets to breakdown. Still gets 30 mpg and the interior still looks like new. Seats have been very durable. I dont think you can go wrong buying a used Cavalier if you are looking for basic transportation. This has been the best car!

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  Suits our needs, good price & value - 2008 Chevrolet Uplander
  By NellieMc - November 22 - 1:52 am

  Sometimes we take long day trips and I wanted something that we could sleep in and I found the Uplander. Weve taken the seats out, put in a full size air mattress,velcroed shades to the windows and have slept comfortably and inexpensively at RV parks. We had an 30 RV, needed lots of gas, space and I didnt like driving around with a toilet and every rattling. We are average size people, 54" & 59", enjoy traveling, dining out and have created our own little over-night pod. We can even take our dogs with us. When we return home, we put the mattress and supplies in a container in the back, keep the 3rd row seats in. If we need more passenger room we can always put the second row back in.

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  Great bang for the buck - 1996 Chevrolet Lumina
  By dax1dax1 - November 22 - 12:17 am

  Have had one for ten years. Fast, good gas, reliable overall. 188,867 miles - and going. Items replaced - Water pump, Throttle sensor, rear wheel hub & anti-lock brake sensor, front linkage (rough roads.) 2 or three window motors (smoker though - window always going up and down.) Handles well, better than it feels. LS model - pretty sporty for a sedan. I drive aggresively, but the tires wear well.

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  Old Faithful - 2001 Chevrolet Impala
  By extreme commuter - November 21 - 11:49 pm

  I bought my fully loaded Impala LS from friends at 3 years and 28,000 miles. I put 214000 miles on it in 5.5 years. It was a great car and never let me down. I had some of the same issues as others with brakes, catalytic conv., rack and pinion and recently with sensors (low coolant), but the problems were infrequent. I donated the car this week at 242000 and it was still going strong. (Although I suspect that the tranny was on the way out...) I put some money in over time, but not lots, and the car served me well. Heck, the fuel economy went up from a steady 28 to 30mpg after 150,000 mi. How many cars can make that claim? I have owned many excellent GM autos, and this is certainly among them!

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  Its all about the performance - 2008 Chevrolet Corvette
  By mp - November 21 - 8:17 pm

  I bought this car strictly for the performance. It is not a daily driver for me. This is my first Vette. I test drove TT,335I, IS350, G35. The power of this car with NPP,Z51 and 6 speed manual is a rush. Nothing compares in this price range. I do think the seats could be more comfortable and I will replace the run flats with Pilot Sports when worn out. The targa top "pops" over large bumps. Ive been told that is a common issue but easy to fix. When driving aggressively I sometimes have troulbe finding 3rd gear. Bought the Mild to Wild dual mode exhaust controller and run it open all the time. The sound is awesome. Overall very happy with it and cant wait to get back in it.

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  Good so far - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By TA Clark - November 21 - 6:37 pm

  Was reluctant to buy a first year model, but have had it four years and 34,000 miles with no problems at all - just regular service. Have the top-of-the-line model with AWD. Live in northwest PA, and it does really well in snow. Have the laser blue metallic with gray leather. Mileage got better over the years - is now about 24 mpg highway. Really lousy turning radius. Front end is noisy - everything sounds loose. Paint is thin and leather is not high quality. Price was good for a good looking AWD crossover. Great sunroof. So far, cant beat it for reliability.

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  Its an Okay Car - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Megan - November 21 - 10:27 am

  This is the first car Ive ever owned. I needed an AWD vehicle that could do well over long distance and could haul my stuff to and from college. I drive it about 300 miles every weekend. Ive only had one major problem - There was clunking in the rear end right after I bought it, and that seemed to clear up after I took it back to the dealership. But now theres some awful grinding noise in the front when I make turns (wide turns, I might add). I love the cars design and color. But anything would be great compared to my 89 Grand Prix. What a load of junk. Im just worried about how long the Equinox will last. Hopefully more than 5 years!

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  Great truck - 2001 Chevrolet S-10
  By brandon - November 20 - 9:16 pm

  Simply put you cant beat an S-10. They will take anything you can throw at them. Everything I have asked this truck to do it has. During week drove it back and forth to college and then to work all week and on weekend I do everything from service coal truck I haul big tireds, usally more that one 50 gallon drum and drove back on strip jobs where most people would never dream of taking a 2-drive. Not saying I didnt get stuck sometimes, and at same as time would take home from doing that wash it up and take out to bar. Even in winter went most people park their 2 wheeldrive I didnt. I would just throw 200 250 pounds in the back. Old 4.3 would just idle its way around. Sometime I had spend my way out