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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  save your cash - 2003 Chevrolet Corvette
  By daniel86 - January 5 - 7:21 pm

  Bought it new in 2003, garaged every winter, low millage, excellent maintenance and body care, Moved to Florida and now on the 3rd A/C compressor, had to replace the dash light for the fan indcator and the ABS Brake control modular, the battery , tires twice and Im not a hard driver, windows leak air and water,The interior noise from the tires is one of the more madding defects in the car, Cant hear the radio or the person in the passenger seat on the HWY. I have only taken thru 1 car wash and got wet, running lights have burnt the plastic housing they are in and I replacethe blubs every other month. was my dream car, I would rather drive my truck w 288,000 mile

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  Nomerous complaints about taillights - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By kewldude_001 - January 5 - 5:37 pm

  I have had my van for 6 months. Purchased from a family member. Having a few problems, i thought I would look up some info and found the many complaints about the taillights. I found I had the same issue. With burning taillights out and turning signal (driver side) To help people who might have this problem try this. At night turn lights on and hit the brake pedal. Look for you turn signal lights on you dash to glow slightly. If so the plastic around the connector melted and is allowing current to travel down brake light and turn light and vise versa. If you have some knowledge, take you brake light fixture out and look at your plug. If you see the signs of melting that is your problem!

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  Junk 1999 Blazer owned by a Ford - 1999 Chevrolet Blazer
  By kickford - December 20 - 6:24 pm

  Absolutely the worst vehicle that I have ever owned in my life. It has been a complete money pit to date. I have always been a Chevy man but this has been terrible. Ball joints every couple of years, flywheel busted $800, leaking front diff $300, $1000 4 fuel pumps, $100 turning signal kept my brake lights from working correctly, $100 auto climate control motor, $75 brake pads x5 wear only on one side?, $200 2 distributor caps wires rotor, $100 drivers side window motor, $25 drivers side hinge pins, $300 cv joints, $400 2 radiators, intake gasket leaks, half the drivers seat motors do not work, gas guage does not work. This is not including what I consider normal upkeep. Repairs mostly self

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  Unseen-Unknown problems - 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By mnguy2 - December 15 - 7:58 am

  I bought an 06 Cobalt (LTZ) about a month ago and have quite the story to tell. I took the car for a two-day test drive and brought it to a trusted mechanic (everything checked out). A week later, the car stalls out on me in stop-and-go traffic, so I brought it to the dealer and they take about a week to try to figure the problem out, they are telling me they cant figure out whats wrong with it. I started driving it again and about a week later it stalled out on me twice in stop-and-go traffic...dealer has had the car for going on two weeks and still cant find the problem. FYI, I treat my cars well, I dont floor it everywhere I go...Chevy has lost my respect.

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  Very cheaply built car - very poor quality. - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By swannee1948 - December 5 - 1:44 pm

  I bought the 2006 Chevy Impala Ltz recently from a dealership in Iowa. The car had only 33,500 miles on it -- thus I thought that it would be an excellent buy & value for the money. Mechanically the car is fine - the 3.9 L - 6 cylinder engine performs very well. The heater does not work properly . The heater takes forever to kick in & generate warm / hot air -- the heater works fine when driving. The heater does not work when sitting idling in traffic - blows cold air. The rear window defroster does not work at all. The quality of the interior is horrendous -- very cheap. Squeaks, creaks & rattles all over - especially in the dash panel. Very poor craftsmanship

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  Bad Engine - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By bagley3 - December 1 - 11:43 am

  I bought this car in 2006 and it only has 60,067 miles on it and the engine sezied up. of course it had to it when the warrenty ran out

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  Only 4 payments down and been to the shop 3 times! GARBAGE!!! - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By tturlich - November 30 - 8:46 am

  I bought mine in July and not even two weeks later the car would randomly shut off when DRIVING! Then after about a month or so it would make load noises when starting up. Brought to dealership three times and all they did was put 250 miles on it driving it around to see why it stops rather can contacting someone who might know what to do. Now yesterday I went to start the vehicle and it wouldnt even start! Let me remind you I bought it brand new and have only had it since July! One more time to the shop and you better believe I will be contacting a lawyer for a Lemon Law! This is my first new vehicle and my last from GM. My honda accord had 170,000 miles and I never even once had a problem.

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  Nice Hunting Vehicle - 2001 Chevrolet Blazer
  By mancheskia - November 29 - 9:53 am

  Ride is anything but smooth very ruff ride, ride is better off road than on road. Power is well just not there how is it that the 3.8 V6 GM also produced created 205 horse and 230 torque when the 4.3 V6 is only capable of 190 horse and 250 torque. Gas Mileage isnt the worst with the ZR2 package I have got 19.5 mpg as best and as low as 9.5 mpg while towing. Now mainly use for hunting as it is a small capable off road suv that can get down the small tight trails.

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  7 payments down & 8 trips to the dealer for repair - 2011 Chevrolet Equinox
  By grace_d_jr - November 23 - 7:14 pm

  Love the car for every day use due to the value and style of the equinox. However, we have had several issues with our chevy. Started with a check engine light with less then 2K on the clock, (3K) loud noises upon start up, (9K) steering wheel felt like it would "lock up" while driving, rough idel, interior parts and molding not fitting/working. Chevy refused to extend warranty nor would they assist with a trade in towards a new Equinox...it says a lot about a product when the mfg will not stand behind it and give an additional 3 yr warranty. As far as the MPG goes...it has been pretty close to the 22MPG listed in town driving.

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  Beautiful car from the outside. - 2006 Chevrolet HHR
  By ecrosslin - November 17 - 9:41 pm

  I bought my 2006 Chevy hhr ls used with 72000 miles in early 2009. Three months in I begin to experience shaking in the front end when brakes are applied. My brakes get checked and replaced but still the problem continues. Two years and 25k mi later this issue has gotten worse and worse to now the whole steering wheel shakes. Several different dealerships were unable to find the cause of the issue. As many others have stated, the interior stains very easily. Not good for young families. The back interior light dome broke. The front ones on the review mirror flicker on and off and sometimes stay on. Everything is backwards. Headlights can almost not be replaced without going to the dealer.