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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  Silverado full of promblems...... - 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By 2008xgmman - May 19 - 3:07 am

  bought new gm truck cause, thought they were the best... was i wrong..i will try to list the many defects. and there is many i will probably forget on or two.. first the day i bought new and drove home the hub caps feel off.. nice right.... one month and less than 8000 miles had to have trans work. and after that the seat recliner lever broke and was fixed and it broke again..junk right..dont ever buy on with on board tire pressure monitor. when that goes out the sensors are over $100.00 and you have to have the tire taking off the rim. more cost...and i still goes off evertime you start the vehicle. worst off the bolts fell out of the exshaust manifold and damaged the heads,

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  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.

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  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".

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  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!

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  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.

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  At first this was a great car... - 2008 Chevrolet Aveo
  By Ashley - May 17 - 10:48 pm

  I absolutely loved this car at first. It was the first car I had ever bought in which I picked it out and everything. It was the perfect color-- blue my favorite! And great gas mileage, I got 35 mpgs which was great for commuting to school... But within 5 days I had to take it back to the dealer for the sensors coming on and the gas gauge not working. I also have had two problems with the "shift-lock release" first the solenoid was replaced then, last week, the whole shifting column! I have had the car less than a year! Before this, I owned a Toyota and a Ford and I was never disappointed and now I know I never should have gotten a Chevy aveo.

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  Very Angry at Chevy - 2003 Chevrolet Impala
  By boinjax - May 17 - 10:47 pm

  As a long time domestic car fan, especially GM, this has sealed the deal for me... NEVER AGAIN, in addition to 3 thermostats, a water pump, radiator and 5 sets of brakes, not to mention a common electrical problem linked to the pass key, now the transmission went out.. the car only has 105k, other INTERNET sources found identical problems from 100-130k miles, the car was bought new, female driven and meticulously maintained, but this car isnt reliable, just decides to run hot and arbitrarily wont start, dealers want a fortune to fix even though they are aware of these problems as common, no wonder the police wont drive them, used to love GM, now, HATE THEM wont even rent a GM car...too bad

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  Problem City - 1995 Chevrolet S-10
  By masterskiier - May 15 - 4:48 pm

  I got this truck in October. sense then iv had nothing but problems. very first thing i had to replace was a fuel injector at 97000. to me that seemed crazy, scenes the truck was never beat on. and now the engine blew at 100250.

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  You can tell its a Chevy..... - 2007 Chevrolet HHR
  By Big Patrick - May 13 - 10:31 pm

  Bought my 07 HHR new in 2007. By the time 2008 rolled around it was worth about 10K less than the sticker price on a trade. The car was much better built then my 2004 Cavalier...but that does not say much. In my 20 months of ownership I had multiple electrical issues, suspension problems and fuel mileage down to under 23mpg consistently. It looks more spacious then it really is. I would be more likely to recommend this vehicle as a used car....dont get suckered in to buying a new one because it drops in value sooooooo quick you cant get your dollars worth out of it before it will be off the road. My summary: Decent car, dont forget that you are buying a Chevy and it will cost you!

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  Nice Truck - Poor Reliability - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By envelopo - May 13 - 8:36 pm

  After returning to the dealer 7 times for issues ranging from a door rattle they did not fix, various squeaks, engine oil usage, a bad torque converter and electrical issues, I traded the truck in on a 2010 Tundra. A pity really, since the silverado is overall a nice truck with great features and really the best looks of any out there. Wish it would have worked out for me but I need my truck for work and cannot afford to be hanging around a the dealership waiting for repairs to a brand new truck.