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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  Good Truck for the Money - 2006 Chevrolet Colorado
  By JPM - February 16 - 4:44 pm

  This is a great truck. The 5 cylinder engine is silky smooth although the gas mileage could be better. The ride is firm but comfortable. Some extra lateral support in the seats would be good. I was amazed at how quiet it is inside-even at highway speeds. Outstanding leg room for driver and front seat passenger. Fit and finish is above average.

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  My 95 Z28 - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Chrisz - February 16 - 7:25 am

  I purchased an automatic car. That was a mistake. Although the car is still a blast to drive I often wish it was a 6 speed. That aside the Camaro Z-28 is a great machine. I love the power. The car is mostly factory. It has K&N filter, power chip, and front strut bar. The car handles the curves awsome, and loves to open up on the highway. When the rear end comes out it is pretty predictable. the cars styling is great. My complaints are trans, (drive and od fell out 2 weeks into driving) The glare of the dash is terrible in the windsheild. The car is a little sqeeky when driving over bumps or rough surfaces. It is a lot of car for the average person to drive around. But I find it fun.

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  Love my LTZ! - 2007 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Tom - February 15 - 9:16 pm

  I have owned my car for a little over 4 months and the more I drive it, the more I like it. I love all of the feaures on this car, especially the remote start and heated seats. The car drives very well and has a lot more room than you would expect for a mid sized car. It drives great and has handled all sorts of weather including snow with no problems. It truly is a really nice car with a lot going for it!

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  Trailblazer Value - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By TNJ - February 15 - 10:00 am

  I have found the Chevy trailblazer to be a reliable car with plenty of room and very reliable in all weather conditions found in the Northeast USA. Although I would have liked more choices for the standard interior I disagree with the critics that it has a "cheap" appearance. One of the reasons I chose this vehicle was for the comfort it offers to individuals like myself who are over six feet tall...I shopped about 20 vehicles in this category (including the ones they "highly" recommend) and found Chevy offered the most SUV for the money.

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  Chevy Silverado - 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Darren E. - February 14 - 3:36 pm

  I am a college student and needed a reliable truck that would get decent gas mileage. I traded in my 98 GMC 1/2ton pickup w/4.3L V6 for this 07 Silverado. I thought that since I had good results with gas mileage on the V6 that I thought the new trucks would get good mileage. Wrong! I am getting 12-13 city and 16-17 highway. This really disapoints me. Other than the gas mileage, the truck is good. Overall I am happy with the deal and would recommed Chevy/GMC trucks to anyone.

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  Wonderful car, great ride, best cargo room, 32 mpg - 2008 Chevrolet HHR
  By DDOlson - February 14 - 11:23 am

  For cheap and good this is the real deal. First of all this is my second HHR. I bought the 2006 first off the assembly line. I never had a single problem with it until 200,000 and even then the problem was easy to solve. I must preface this by saying my husband is a great mechanic. We maintain every car we own as a 10 out of 10. Many of the bad reviews I see here I think are caused by people beating their cars into the ground and reselling them as junk. Seriously people, dont buy a used car until youve done your research, test drove it and had a mechanic check it out. And buying from a back lot small time dealer is a real roll of the dice and youll pay much more for a car from a factory type dealer. My 2006 I finally sold at 220,000 just because I didnt want to have anything happen out on the rural roads in Minnesotas winter weather. That said the problem I did have was BATTERY GENERATED. You must replace newer cars batteries every 3 years. If you do not, cars today are so electronically generated from the computerization to lights, sensors etc. you start getting warning lights, sensor lights, power downs etc. as the batteries age because the old battery cannot support the juice needed to run the car. The cargo room in this car is better than any other its size and MPG. My son can get two bass bins and music gear galore in it no problem..I use to get ladders and dressers and beds in mine!!!!Its the best for this. Also I have three family members over 6 feet tall and they fit comfortably in the vehicle..so much we got one for my 6 ft+ son. Also the inside car handles are cheap plastic and wear out. My drivers side simply broke in two but one, You Tube video later and a replacement part at NAPA, and it was fixed at home. Now my son graduated from college. We bought him a 2008 HHR used 91,000 miles on it. Believe me it took weeks and a 7 hour road trip to buy the right one. There were tons out there but over priced, poorly maintained, a real crap shoot if you dont know what you are doing. I was very surprised how people just out and out try to deceive you about vehicles. I am so glad I have a reliable person to check things over before purchase. Our 2008 has the 2.2 engine and does get 32 MPH with the cruise on..my husband claims without the cruise it would be more if you drive it a certain way. The guy we bought it from even did the 100,000 maintenance on it all ready with the high end platinum plugs. New front tires-smooth ride and we really kicked the tires on this HHR before we bought it and drove it 7 hours straight to get it home. And the person who said they could have gotten a VW-good luck with that and buying used. I had VWs for years. If you do not do the routine maintain on them at a rep. certified VW place at thousands of dollars a pop, the vehicle is crap and a money hole. A used one maintained is hard to find. it is now 2017 and we are still very happy to own an HHR. The 2008 had a small flaw in design where they took the fuel line and routed it close to the exhaust and wrapped the fuel line close to the exhaust with heat shielding that absorbed water...so it rusted out. Again another You Tube video later, replaced that length of fuel line with a piece that included a rust preventative( make sure you get compression fittings due to fuel injected vehicle- for some reason O"REILLY employees didnt know this- dont rely on store employees). We did put the heat shielding back on but open so the moisture can escape. Also again, as with the 2006, there seem to be glitchy things with the mother boards and electrically system just randomly deciding to do finicky things. Being a seasoned HHR owner, we pulled the battery which reset the electronics and when we put it back in, trouble free. Got to make sure you have a good newer battery. I can tell you I do not like the computer technology in ANY vehicle I have owned. They stink...you can have nothing wrong with the vehicle itself-just the computer. It also can be an expensive fix. AND mechanics charge you a fortune and rarely get to the real problem-its a crap shoot...Glad it hasnt been on this HHR yet!

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  4 dr sedan LS - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By rochelle - February 13 - 6:11 pm

  I love my new Aveo. I did a lot of research on small cars and pricing due to our budget, and when I test drove my 2007 Aveo it drove as smooth as butter! So quiet and comfy. It felt smoother than other more expensive cars. The gas mileage will save me even more money. Anything after 2006 is great on this model and with the low pricing on this car go for it get the 2007! We are happy campers.

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  Almost - 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Jcausey - February 13 - 10:00 am

  This is my second new chevy truck. 1st went 5 good years. This Z71 may also if the squeaks, small repairs and the dealers indifference and lack of service ability doesnt force me to sell it sooner. In service for two days to tell me they have to order a door gasket for installation at another time. Two days to address drive shaft slip & bump which was repaired by "installing a rubber ball from wal- mart to cushion the thud". I was toild this the third time I went in. What happen to mid-ship bearings? What happened to service? Why all the squeaks & rattles? $32,000 should buy the same solid construction that $21,000 did in 1994.

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  LTZ and towing - 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
  By rdalcanto - February 12 - 5:47 pm

  We bought the Suburban because we needed a family vehicle that can tow 5,000lb boat/trailer. We love the car except for two things. Fuel mileage has been much less than advertised. Our city driving doesnt have too much stop and go. Highways run fast. We still average only 13.7mpg. Part of the problem is we live on a hill, and as soon as you have to climb, it drinks fuel like crazy. We also have to tow the boat over a mountain pass. Friends with diesel pickups can tow a similar boat at 80mph without breaking a sweat. On the steep parts of the climb, we cant go more than 55 because the car has to downshift. Perhaps we should have gone with the 6L engine. Diesel Suburban please!

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  Not to bad for an old car - 1997 Chevrolet Lumina
  By Phoenix - February 12 - 1:55 am

  Bought it with just over 97,000 miles on it. Put on about 10,000 since. But after about two weeks of owning it the engine would heat up very fast but after continuing to drive it for about a minute straight itd go down until at an idle stop. Had a cracked cylinder head, worn hoses and cracked water pump. Then about a week after the A/C had a slow leak for a few days until it was dead. No money to fix and was moving to Phoenix! Still never found out what was wrong with it but dont want to spend the money to fix it. 2 months into owning it, engine runs very rough until driving at freeway speeds or engine is warm. Wont last me long but overall a good car, would be great if no mechanical problems