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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  Tahoe has gotta go - 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By bamafutbal - December 29 - 7:07 pm

  bought a used 2007 LTZ with everything except for folding running boards. The first car I have actually loved. 3 rows of captain chairs, all black leather, nav, rear dvd etc etc, then newness wore off. coming from dodge 2500 turbo diesel, pulling a 3500lb boat, this motor is way too small for interstate passing even in FLA. Have way to many electrical gremlins that surface then go away. Tired of the rear end clunk. Very tired of the 13mpg city 16.5mpg hiway mileage without pulling a boat> AND THE OTHER ISSUE, go online and look for tahoe dash crack. Mine has 2 cracks now, called gm, brought it to local palm chevy, they verified, gm called back and said too bad, not going to cover. car is

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  P.O.S. 04 Impala - 2004 Chevrolet Impala
  By Notta GM fan - December 29 - 6:46 am

  Got it used w/24k on it. Since I have had it I replaced two wheel hubs ($400 each), replaced instrument cluster assembly ($500... gas gauge had stopped working), replaced two heater cores ($900 each), replaced heater control head so the heat could actually get out the vents ($500), ABS light coming on ($1000), replaced steering shaft (warranty), ETC!!

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  96 Monte Carlo Z34 - 1996 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
  By DBedo - December 29 - 2:00 am

  Roomy comfortable ride with good acceleration. The 1996 3.4 liter engine was poorly designed. Alternator on the bottom of engine which is pricey to fix and common to go bad in colder climates, especially hard winters. Tune ups require removing the upper plentum and igntion system (coils and ECM) Not an easy vehicle to troubleshoot vacuum related problems. Good car when it is running well but sluggish with vacuum problems due to it heavy design.

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  Happy, So far. - 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By JC LS SPORT - December 27 - 10:00 am

  I purchased an 02 LS Sport with a 5- speed in May and havent had to take it to the shop yet. The new ecotec engine pulls pretty good for a 4 banger in 1st and 2nd gear, but after that it loses its pep. I wouldnt recommend racing any si civics unless youre only going to race to 50mph. I did find the paint job to be quite poor. I can feel some rough spots where it feels like they didnt spray enough clearcoat. Other than that, the car has been good so far. Oh yeah and the rear drum brakes are just ridiculous. I thought i was buying a sport coupe?

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  1999 Astro Van - 1999 Chevrolet Astro
  By John Hilger - December 26 - 4:28 pm

  Bought van new and it performed well until it reached 60,000 miles. Then the electric door locks began to fail. The power window motor failed on drivers side. Water pump and and thermostat @ 80,000. 100,000 differential bearings went bad. 119,000 cooling leak around intake manifold gasket. Always maintained van and never abused.

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  time to buy a real truck not a silverado - 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
  By cjk - December 25 - 10:33 pm

  This was at first a good truck at 67,000 miles when the transmission went out on me the dealer told me I need a new transmission this is not good for gm I just go back and forth to work. No towing no plowing so gm said they will not help do. Dont buy gm trucks

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  Bottom of the Barrel - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Chris Kimball - December 24 - 7:20 pm

  This car is good except for the transmission. The automatic transmission has a high stall converter (2800+ rpm stall) thus the explosive performance but causes me to only get 14-15 in the city under normal driving conditions. The shift points for the car are also very high, on a light throttle the car shifts out of 1st and 2nd gear at 3,000 rpm and no less. On the highway I get 19 with no A/C on going down hill the engine rpm is around 2,400. The mileage sticker on the car from the EPA is very generous and needs to be reviewed again.

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  Bought mine NEW!!! - 2000 Chevrolet Venture
  By Purchased New - December 21 - 11:14 pm

  Purchased vehicle new and added a 100,000 mile warranty. Glad I did. After 62,000 miles we had to replace the transmission. Great dealer service and no problems with transmission since! Several problems with what felt like transmission shifting problems. Local mechanic replaced the spark plugs and wires and this fixed the problem. Overall it has been a good, reliable vehicle for a young family of 5. Recently the van has had several mechanical faults costing a total of $2500. Now it has started smoking (from where I have NO idea). Will sell soon but have enjoyed the van.

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  2009 cobalt - 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By John Frank - December 21 - 1:22 pm

  Car looks and handles alright and mileage is very good. The problem I am having is the exhaust system makes lots of noise when you turn off the car and the pipes cool off. Two dealers have told me this is normal, but this is way to loud and needs to have a fix. Has anyone else had this problem and had a dealer fix it?

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  Should be a lot better - 2008 Chevrolet Equinox
  By rjd - December 20 - 8:44 am

  This car is terrible. Always had GM vehicles. This one is terrible. It slides in the rain, no one knows why. Never happened with my Blazer or Jimmy. Dealership has been a pain. Owed me more for truck trade wont give up $1000. GM said they would still waiting. I will never buy GM again. Hello Tokyo...