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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  01 SS - 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By jrmatps - February 1 - 2:00 am

  My experience with my 01 SS has been, at best, mediocre. The car, black, still turns heads when it is clean. however, every scratch and bug splat shows. The 3800 powertrain provides spirited power. You must choose your stoplight drag races carefully- otherwise you will get burned. Worst insult was at the hands of a CHRYSLER 300-ugh!!!!!!!!

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  very good car - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
  By smartgiant - February 1 - 2:00 am

  during 100,000miles, it has not major problems. Key is not any leaking from this car, no over heat.

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  We enjoy our SUV - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By RachaelAC - February 1 - 2:00 am

  We wanted to find a reasonably priced SUV before we started our family. The Trailblazer gave us practically everything we wanted. The ride is nice, it has nice power and towing capacity. The fold down seats have been great, we have been able to get a new leather furniture set in the SUV, and only had to tie down the gate for the long couch. Only complaint is that there do seem to be some minor problems. Our gas tank had a leak, the rear AC stopped working this summer, and the battery would completely drain in the winter when the truck was not started for a few days. If Chevy could work out these little problems, the truck would be a dream!

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  my truck - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By gator2 - February 1 - 2:00 am

  It handled great when I moved across the country towing a Uhaul. Awesome power!!

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  Solid Truck - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By bideshyi - February 1 - 2:00 am

  Rear seats are comforatable and please both the kids and parents. Access to rear seats with clamshell doors not a problem. Rear seating area has more functional room/features than did the 2001 Xterra that we previously owned. Z71 towing package provides enough axle and shock overhead so as to handle moderate tongue weights with no perceptible impact on suspension.

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  Pleasure and pain - 1995 Chevrolet Camaro
  By ltl - February 1 - 12:57 am

  Its the car i`ve wanted ever since I was able to drive. When I bought it, it had 79,000 miles, who knows how the previous owner(s) maintained it, but day two, it wouldn`t start. A few months later converter went bad. Six months later opti spark failed. The car is a real pain, but you know what, I love it. Everytime I press that pedal to the floor, I still get chills. Now with a flowmaster on it scares my wife, thats what I like

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  Why did you stop making them? - 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By 4th Gen Chevy - January 31 - 7:03 pm

  Bought my Trailblazer used from the dealer. Have been back and forth a good few times to the beach, and such and running errands. Biggest problems thus far were with tires (cheap foreign knock offs, one blew out on me and the belt wasnt even steel, it was fabric!) and a pulley bearing for the serpentine belt. I would say to Chevy Blazer/Trailblazer concept is sound, however get your parts somewhere else because it does not take an engineer to figure out that plastic will NOT last 100,000+ miles. Other than that, powertrain and drivetrain have been good overall. Has Bose radio and RSE system in back, AC is Ice cold. Snow driving has been fun, and has held the road even in drifts.

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  Wish for better mileage - 2005 Chevrolet Uplander
  By bchcrab95 - January 31 - 4:19 pm

  Overall I am satisfied with the Uplander. I have had the exterior molding rust (its plastic.. go figure) The miles per gallon was rated at 19/26 and I get no where near that. Definitely a gas guzzler. Very disappointed with the mileage. Comfortable, the heated seats are great for someone with back problems. Husband is diabled and is easy to get in and out of the car for him. The rear seats are hard to put in the upright position. One thing that I would fix is that is nearly impossible to see to the rear passenger side to look for oncoming traffic with the seat in the upright position.

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  Professional grade? - 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Wobblerite - January 31 - 12:44 pm

  Reliability has been low in history of this vehicle. Fuel pump at 33K, water hose quick connect corroded and broken at 40K, tranny died at 55K, Driver door handle breaking at 60K, Alternator @65K, windshield wiper circuit board @70K. Had Delco battery leak acid that destroyed battery cables. Parts counter at Chevy dealer recommended I get another brand because he had a room full of leaking batteries and Delco did nothing to redesign to prevent problem. With all this no wonder the term of endearment for this vehicle starts with "piece of". Now that everything has been replaced it runs great and I intend to keep for some time as tow vehicle for boat.

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  Dont buy it - 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By SERGE - January 31 - 8:40 am

  I fell in love with the car on a rental. Was very pleased with power,comfort and fuel efficiency. When a similar used SS came up at the local dealer,I couldnt help buying it.Loved the car Around 70000 KM, it started showing problems, acceleration seemed to miss, transmission shifting hard. These problems increased and now at 120000 KM, I had to spend 2000$ to get it to work so-so. Mass flow sensor was bad, I replaced both front wheel bearings, steering fluid is leaking, yellow light in dash always reporting some problem, windows wont go down on hot days,radio does stupid things, transmission shifts hard (850$ ), still hesitates at high accel. To many probs to list.