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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  Regretful Purchase - 2002 Chevrolet Tracker
  By SandraDee - May 2 - 11:39 pm

  I have owned this vehicle for 5 years now & cannot wait to get rid of it. There is absolutely no pep to the car very sluggish. If you happen to hit a bump in the road the vehicle actually jumps. The ride is rough and the vehicle will only go into 4wd when the car is at a complete stop which can be very inconvient. Drivers side window has squeeked ear splitting since almost day one. Brought it in to the dealer stopped squeeking for about 6 mths & then came back. Back door on drivers side will not open. Lock will not pull up for nothing. Windows fog up continuously in the winter so defrost has to stay on.

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  Think twice before buying - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By Ambivalent Trailblzr - May 2 - 6:21 pm

  My wife always wanted one so when they were cheap in 2005, I finally agreed, even though I knew deep down it would be a mistake to buy another truck. It drinks up gas like theres no tomorrow. Resale value is poor. Other than that, it looks nice, it drives nice, it has plenty of power, lots of cargo space with seats down. Its good at what it does. Weve had problems with steering - fixed under warranty. I wish we leased it rather than bought it so we could be done with it. 12-13 mpg around town on a really good day. 10-11 is typical. On the hwy 18-20. We had a 95 Suburban that got the same mileage. Think twice before you buy!

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  Fun Family Car - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Kelly S - May 2 - 6:01 pm

  Bought it as a demo. Love the car, hate the minor problems. Sunroof vibrates, been "fixed" 2x, needs to go in again, tire problem no one can seem to fix, drivers door came out of alignment, more squeaks and rattles than youd every expect, "clunking" in the font end was a problem with a steering shaft-same problem we had with an 04 LS. We had leased the 04 LS and liked it and test drove the SS at the end of our lease and fell in love, decided to buy. The kids love when mom burns the tires asking my husband to run errands is never a problem. This car is fun, quick, & sharp looking- but hoping to sell/trade it b4 the warranty runs out. GM can do better. Our brand loyalty is running out.

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  Best SUV and a low cost to operate - 2001 Chevrolet Suburban
  By Tom the salesman - May 2 - 4:58 pm

  My Suburban was purchased used in 2001. The car had 18,000 miles when purchased. I use this car for work since the day I purchsed it. My average gas millage is a poor 16mpg but concidering the low maintenance cost to operate I feel Like I get 40mpg. The car has 428,000 miles and rides like a new car. Here is a list of my repairs. 160K first tune up done by myself. 210k & 400k a fuel pump gave out (850.00 ea. installed). At 250K the Air conditioner was replaced. At 340,000 I replace engine with a used 60K mile engine installed for 1,200.00. At 360K trans died (800.00 used and installed) Replaced back shocks and at 400,000 replaced rear rodors and pads, front rotor is original.

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  Good Truck - 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By good truck - May 1 - 6:46 am

  Good SUV. Not too big, not too small. The EXT has room for my family of 5 and our stuff. Fold down seats leave plenty of space to haul things. The 4.2L engine is great. Lots of power. Have had lots of brake problems, and what I suspect may be a transmission problem at around 60,000. The LT package is great.

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  Lumina Euro - 1993 Chevrolet Lumina
  By JOHNS 94 SE-R - April 30 - 1:04 pm

  I bought this Euro off the original owner, 99,000 miles, 3.1 motor which I like better cause the 3.4 needs too much maintence. They are more powerful, but the cost is too high. This Euro gets 20 miles per gallon no matter how I drive it. Very clean, easy to get in and out of. They are nice cars.

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  Good car for the money - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By JEB - April 30 - 12:59 pm

  This is a company car and Ive put 45k on it in 15 months. Had problems with tires and they dont seem to keep in balance. Lots of car for the money and the gas mileage is excellent for the size of car. Six cylinder is peppy and relatively smooth. Went from a Lexus to this car, but not too bad for the cost of the car.

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  Good Value car - 2007 Chevrolet Impala
  By American Made - April 30 - 12:03 pm

  Purchased new 11/06,16,000 miles now. Running well, battery died 07/07, replaced under warranty. Fuel mileage about the same as 98 Lumina LTZ at 20 mpg mixed driving. The 3.9L engine has plenty of go. Wish that the interior had more space with smaller driver middle console and more rear foot room. Power seats really reduce the rear foot room. Have had several chips in the windshield, very odd. Re-circulation of cabin air now runs compressor hot or cold (same as air conditioner or defroster running) takes away fuel efficiency. Active fuel management is a joke. Hate traction control, but at least can turn off. Air filter location tight. Wind noise not good, door hanging quality poor

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  Overall a good truck - 2000 Chevrolet S-10
  By Nick - April 30 - 7:35 am

  I bought this truck about a year and a half ago with 100,000k on it but Ive owned an S-series vehicle before, so the mileage didnt bother me. Ive driven it almost 40,000 miles so far and I really dont have any complaints. I only had to replace the MAF sensor and heater core, and Ive done everything from auto-crossing to drag racing with it. Ive put it through its paces thousands of times and it hasnt given up on me yet. It is definitely a truck that is decently easy to work on if something goes wrong. Ive averaged around 20-21 mpg driving 50% city/highway. Its decent for a v6 truck.

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  Great Car For The Money - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By MissShona - April 30 - 3:54 am

  We got this car out of pure necessity (our previous Neon was on its last leg). The Chevy Cobalt seems to be a much more solid car than the Dodge Neon. The only thing we needed to go back to the dealer for was the window sealing/trim falling loose from the door seal. What a great way to get from point A to point B without breaking the bank!