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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  WARNING - TRANSMISSION - 2004 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By April - September 16 - 8:58 pm

  Everything was going great, then at 58,000 miles the line that feeds the transmission fluid rusted out. Dealer said they stock those lines like they stock oil filters because its such a common problem. It just wouldnt go one day, my choice to spend $4000 to fix it, or send it to the auction and hope to get as much of the $5800 I owe. Auction it is, meanwhile Im stranded, and it was just a baby. Oh yeah, no trade in value.

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  my cat is awesome - 2007 Chevrolet Aveo
  By mikey - September 16 - 3:59 pm

  had this for appx 2 years,no problems,get 45 mpg highway mpg if kept under 65 miles per hour, its not a perfect car ,but what can you buy new for $8995.oo. if you know what your doing you can modify this car and improve your mpg

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  Good ride but you will pay for it $$$$ - 2001 Chevrolet Impala
  By GregS - September 15 - 2:31 pm

  To be fair i bought it used and was an x security car. Anyway had the head gasket, lifters, tie rods, and the air stopped working. I do have 184,000 so that part is good. Key lock problem a huge pain but can be reset by leaving the key in on position for 11 minutes exactly as it resets! Stinks if you are in a hurry because it happens at the worst times!

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  Falling apart already... - 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By dgw2jr - September 14 - 10:17 pm

  I got it as a rental for work. Pulls hard to the left. Tire pressure is good though. Vibrates when braking as if a rotor is warped. Not acceptable for a car with only 30k miles and built in April of 2008. I dont expect it to last as long as my 1992 Sentra.

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  Bad decision - 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt
  By Ramon - September 14 - 9:16 pm

  Overall, I am pleased with the fuel efficiency, but little else. I started having trouble when the drivers side door broke off completely. I got online to do some research and have found that I am not the only one with this issue. I decided to repair the handle myself just to find out that it will take more than just removing the interior door panel. I switched from Ford to Chevy in hopes of easy repair work, but I miss my Ford already.

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  luv it or leave it - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By karen golob - September 13 - 11:19 pm

  I am not very happy with gm I bought my car used with factory warranty to 1000,00 mi. The car has 53,000mi My transmission has been slipping I took it to dealer they didnt fix it they gave it a new gasket supposedly. tear down transmission, replaced side cover gasket. Im not happy with gm Im going to need to keep complaining for them to fix it properly. Im worried transmission is already on its way out it sickens i bought car 2007 used 32,000 mi I luv style of car and the way it rides but Im afraid of keeping it to long I think I have lemon signed depressed

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  2000 Chevy Metro - 2000 Chevrolet Metro
  By Joe in JT - September 10 - 3:28 pm

  I use my Metro for work throwing newspapers everyday. Its very dependable and gets 32 mpg. The drivers seat springs collapsed and I have to use 3 Sunday newspapers under there so I dont sit on the floor. Also the interior roof liner is sagging, and the cup holder is dangerous as I couldnt put the car into reverse in a quick manner because I had a coffee cup in the holder which blocks the shifter. After I bought the car I had several repairs like a loose spark plug and cv boot and axle. The PNP switch in the trans shifter shorted because previous owner didnt push in the shifter button when changing gears. No problems after that and it has become a reliable car now that I enjoy.

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  Trailblazers dependability - 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazer
  By herbra - September 9 - 10:00 am

  The 2002 LTZ Trailblazer is a fairly nice vehicle except for its reliability. Ive driven the LTZ for a 18 months with 6 trips to the dealer for the same problem connected to the four wheel drive system. It seams to have a mind of its own. It either wants to shift on its own or leave you stranded. Has anyone else had this problem? The dealer made me a reasonable offer to trade mine for a 2003 model but when I accepted the offer they pulled it off the table. Good luck to all who purchase a Chevy Trailblazer.

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  Run dont walk away - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By Corey - September 8 - 3:57 pm

  The transmission went out initially at 75k miles, then again with 97k miles on it (luckily under the 36k warranty). Now with 106k miles on it the flex fuel sensor has gone out, and guess what? It is a dealer only part (quote for $800.00 from dealer to fix) You can buy on-line from GM for about $300.00 vs $500.00 at the dealer (love the markup) All in all I will never own anything from Government Motors again, worst reliability of any vehicle I have ever owned. Which is saying something as I have owned an old IH Scout which lasted longer and caused me less head aches.

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  Disappointed - 2006 Chevrolet Impala
  By Dave - September 8 - 12:32 pm

  My Wife and I were first very excited to get a newer Impala ours is an 06, the fact that I was not given the vehicle history up front should have warned me off. our first problem was the trans. we lost 2nd gear, then the rotors warped at 39000 miles, then the truck started rusting out and also the passenger side front door panel started to rust. After I finally received a copy of the cars history before I bought it I was shocked there were 3 pages of repairs on the car. I am still having trouble with 1st gear shifting hard and sometimes being sluggish to shift at all, and as far as gas mileage this car has never done better than 17 mpg period.