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:

• 

  Speedometer Failure - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By btowne - May 18 - 12:30 pm

  I am happy with the Trailblazer, its wonderful for road trips even though gas mileage is an issue. My complaint is the instrument panel failure at 45,000 miles and no help from GM or the dealership, and from what I have read on the Internet this is a common problem with this year of TBs. It will be my last GM product.

• 

  my baby - 2001 Chevrolet Camaro
  By ynot - May 18 - 11:56 am

  I bought my camaro new,almost it had 5000 miles on it, and I love it. I get a lot of compliments and yes the hump on passenger side is inconvenient for a passenger but I too would buy another camero convertible

• 

  best thing ever - 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By best thing ever - May 18 - 11:49 am

  have my truck now for 2 years put over 30,000miles on it with no issue. pulled a 7x16 trailer from ny to fl with 4 sports bike like nothing. truck now has 129000 miles on her and i think i can get 300000 out of her ...best truck ever

• 

  Dont Buy It. - 2003 Chevrolet Venture
  By Canadian Owner - May 18 - 11:49 am

  Bought it brand new in 2003. Regret the purchase. Resale value is poor. Coolant is leaking from manifold intake. Transmission problems. Air conditioning not working. Junk! No Wonder that gm is in trouble.

• 

  No resale value - 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By Robert Herrera - May 18 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle has no resale value. I recently tried to trade this vehicle inn for a new truck. I was surprised that a 1 year old vehicle in imaculate condition will loss that much value sticker on this veh was $32.0000 I was surprised that the dealer where I bought this veh would only offered $13,000 trade in value on a Jeff Gordon Signature Car. I am very disapointed.

• 

  ZQ8 fun to drive - 2004 Chevrolet Colorado
  By blackZQ8 - May 18 - 10:00 am

  Love this truck. with 1500 miles the only problem Ive had is the air conditioning, it was low on freon, but with that taken care of I have no major complaints. It handles great. averaging 21 mpg with the I5

• 

  Good - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By wavydave - May 18 - 10:00 am

  All of the obvious plastic on the inside of the truck make the interior look cheap. You can hear plastic bits rubbing together when you roll down the road, especially coming from the extend cab area. The declo CD/tape deck that came with this LT trimmed truck are pure junk. The only upside were the big easy to read buttons. The only better looking truck is on the road is the GMC Denali. The four wheel steering option must be nice. The turning radious on the extended cab is pretty wide Gas mileage is good in the 4.8 liter, and the ride is comfortable. Overall, this is a great truck.

• 

  Clunks and Knocks - 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By ScrewGM - May 18 - 10:00 am

  The tranmission clunks and the engine knocks but hey GM says thats normal. Im joining the class action lawsuit against GM for building these pieces of junk and then screwing their customers by telling us "its normal" and refusing to remedy the problems. They must think we all are a bunch of morons. Cherolet: "Like a Knock" "See the USA in your Clukrolet".

• 

  Doesnt run-looks cute in driveway - 2005 Chevrolet Aveo
  By rocksteady2 - May 18 - 8:27 am

  At approx. 70K mi. the alternator and serpentine belt went out. A couple hundred miles later, there was a loud pop and my engine blew. The "L" shaped piece that connects the engine to the radiator actually blew out of the engine. Of course its not under warranty and I have another year to pay on it!I dont recommend you buy this car!

• 

  PROBLEMS! - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By 4dfmbz - May 17 - 11:43 pm

  Man, I thought I was gaining great bargain. We purchased my 2003 trailblazer ext LT from the local carmax for 20998. It only had about 29K miles on it. The first month it was in the shop for a problem with the engine fan that locked up. second month, brakes gas seal and brake lights went out had to be entirely repalced, third month, the RPM gauge stopped moving, got a quote of 400 to fix, not to mention the door mechanism began scraping, an extra shove is required to get out of the driver side. Trading in ASAP! I guess you get what you pay for.