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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  Very Reliable & Inexpensive Lil Truck - 1997 Chevrolet S-10
  By Daniel Brown - March 20 - 2:00 am

  I realize that there are better trucks out there, but for the price that I purchase my truck new 5 years ago at $11,000 I have no regrets. My little S-10, stripped w/no original extras, has been a blessing. I have had no problems whatsoever, which is good because I am not mechanically incline, with it and I currently have 110,000 miles on it. The only real drawback is that the 4cyl does not have much power-but hey, I get above 25mpg!

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  Better than SUV for larger Families - 2002 Chevrolet Express
  By Stephen Burton - March 20 - 2:00 am

  Have a Family of 8 and needed a replacement for our Suburban that was totaled by a drunk. Equity in Suburban to little to replace with same. Opted for a basic Conversion Van. Quad Seating, rear bench folds into a bed. 5L V-8. Result is very nice ride, and better value for the money. Conversion adds insulation which greatly reduces interior noise from road. 7100 lb GVWR is plenty, and with seats removed can haul massive cargo. 20% better mpg than Suburban - 17 vs 14, more living space. Large picture windows allow toddler in car seat excelent view of world outside. 6ft7 son can sit anywhere and have plenty of room. Great for long distance travel.

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  LOVE THIS CAR - 2002 Chevrolet Malibu
  By IL - March 20 - 2:00 am

  Great gas mileage on road trips 35-40 mpg. Good performance, good car. LOVE it, so far. Would recommend it to others.

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  3.1L "Sleeper" - 1994 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By Dr_Watson - March 19 - 2:00 am

  One word about this car that sums its character up Torque. She may not have alot of ponies on the stat sheet, but its light and that 185 lb-ft of torque will rip the tires until smoke starts rolling out of the wheel wells. Ive driven it hard for over 3 years now and the only repairs needed have been 1 alternater, 1 battery, 1 water pump, 1 windshield wiper motor, and lots of brakes (thats the fault of my less then old lady driving though). The car is a fun machine to drive, and Ive loved it to death. Its a sleeper that can easily keep up with Eclipse GSTs, and the like.

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  Wife doesnt want to trade it in..... - 1998 Chevrolet Venture
  By wtm - March 19 - 2:00 am

  We liked it so well we are trading it in on a 2002. Very versatile for my scoccer mom wife..... Really liked the versatility of modular seats. On long road trips we would fold the driver side middle seat down (folding the back down makes the back completely flat) and strap on a TV/VCR for the kids and head down the road. Mom & I would plug in the headphones and listen to books on tape. Worked great!! Only problem that we ever had in four years was that the power sliding door got out of sync once. The dealer unplugged the power and pluged it back in to re-set (no charge)..... and we were on our way.

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  Fun but not reliable - 1996 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Car buff 64 - March 18 - 5:35 pm

  I bought this car used with 40000 miles. Had problems with head lights , power windows and rear gasket seal after first 3 months. Needless to say I am not happy. Driving this car is a blast. Fast and handles great, a real head turner in black especially. Youll have to decide which outweighs the other, headaches or headturner.

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  Loving it - 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier
  By NCS - March 18 - 12:49 am

  This was my first car that I actually owned, a 5-speed Z24. What a great fun little car. I got it with over 130k kms, and am now over 170k after a little over a year. The jump for a car in this class is great, much more $ is usually needed to get anything worthwhile the torque department. Very few minor repairs, and regular maintenance keep things going smoothly. Ive also drive a 1990 Corsica with over 500,000kms on it driving in northern Ontario for 9+ years and it still runs fine...whats that about North American cars again? Ive got nothing bad to say about it.

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  Will keep buying - 2001 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Blazerbuyer - March 17 - 7:02 pm

  I just purchased a 2001 2DR Blazer. I previously had a 1997 4dr. I purchased the last one new, and put 90,000 miles on it. I brought it into the shop once for ball joints- thats it (other than routine maintenance ie: brakes, oil). The new one has been in the shop for vibration in the front end and a blown oil cooling pump. The vehicle rides beautiful and is living up to my expectations of a new Blazer- hopefully this is the end of the repairs. Will keep on buying Blazers/ Trailblazers for years to come.

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  Our Tahoe - 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe
  By David/Nina - March 17 - 12:25 pm

  The Tahoe has really opened up our eyes to Chevrolet. As current BMW owners (2), we considered BMW and Acura. We bought the Tahoe and are pleased with our choice. Well built (so far), good looking and large enough to haul "stuff".

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  DuraMax - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 3500
  By Ray Gaskill - March 17 - 2:00 am

  I tow a 18,000 lb trailer to all the Nascar events and love this truck. I originally drove Fords, but after looking at the numbers and talking to another DuraMax owner (who also had a Powerstroke and swithed to Chevy), I order the DuraMax and leave Fords and Dodge in the dust!