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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  Junk1 - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Eric Herbst - September 27 - 10:12 pm

  Plan on replacing brakes and rotors every 22-24000 miles. Roughly $90, if you do it yourself. Lower intake manifold gasket went at 44,000 miles. I have found this is quite common, and look forward to replacing it at least once more before I can get rid of the car. If you are not a mechanic or know a good friend as one, expect to pay between $700-$1100. This will occur roughly every 40-50,000 miles. If you do not catch it in time, your engine will cease to run. Rear window motor is failing. It will roll down, but fails to travel back up. If you are considering purchasing a 97-2003 Malibu, I highly recommend against it. Perhaps you should buy a Ford Edsel instead.

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  Blazers are the WORST - 1998 Chevrolet Blazer
  By Nocturnal - September 26 - 11:12 pm

  I own a 1998 Chevy Blazer ZR2 and is is by far the worstvehicle I have ever owned. I have no idea what the engineers where smoking when they let this one go, but I have owned it since October 2002 and it is now September 2005 and where do I start??? The cheap plastic interior is the loudest annoying thing ever. Seriously, the wind blows and it rattles. I dont even want to explain when going over gravel roads or railroad tracks!!! The next is the front ball joints are notorious for premature failure. Also, wheel bearings! I have replaced front ones 3 different times. I dont do much offroading besides ice fishing, so why so weak under "normal" conditions? I am a graduate of an Automotive Engineering program and a 3 yr. SAE member take it from me, you dont want a Blazer.

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  My last V8 - 2000 Chevrolet Camaro
  By Kurt - September 26 - 7:02 pm

  I purchased this car from the dealer using my mother-in-laws employee discount. I ordered it in September, 1999 and it was delivered on Jan 1, 2000. The brakes warped right away and Chevy resurfaced them no charge - more than once. Several months ago I decided to keep the car and installed Baer Eradispeed disks front and rear with Hawk pads and a new set of Goodyear F1 GS D3s and the car is now perfected. It goes like stink and stops exceedingly well. Now that gas is $3/Ga I think this will be my last V8, but it has been fun. Used ones are cheap now and mine has been bulletproof. I would recommend one to anyone who wants something like this.

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  Money Pit - 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT
  By yesman12 - September 20 - 1:49 am

  Bought this 2005 EXT model with the I6 motor as a new car. Nothing but problems since then - instrument panel replaced 3xs, wheel bearing hub replacement and new water pump all before 80K miles. Vehicle now has 93K miles and had to have it hauled back home from vacation because of a mis-firing problem in the 5th cylinder. the cyclinder has no compression which will likely require a head replacement (not a cheap or fun endevour). If you are thinking of buying this vehicle - Dont - its a total piece of junk. Im a die hard Chevy guy, but I think this is my last.

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  Trasmission and electronics - 2009 Chevrolet Equinox
  By Jason - September 16 - 10:06 am

  I purchased this 2009 chevy equniox for my used 3 years ago with 50,000 miles on it. When we purchased it finish was starting to come off on the controls, but not bad. Everything was good for the first year then the problems started. First was the drivers door lock would not work with the fob after 2 years. You had to use the Manuel key. Then the third year the service tration control light came on. Then the service engine light. Then the trasmission started slipping. The vehicle started going down quick. Yesterday I decided it was time to trade it in @ 81,00 miles and it was such a relief. Chevy is not what it used to be. A friend that is a chevy mechanic told us that the head gasket would need to be replaced soon because that is a very common problem. The resale value is also poor. Trade in was only $2,500 -$3,500. We still owed $8,000 on it so we ended up paying Msrp to get the suv paid off. Lesson learned. I bought a new hyundai sonata and bought my wife a new kia sorento. 100,000 mile warranty and best rated for reliability.

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  dont judge a book by its cover - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD
  By why oh why - September 14 - 4:10 pm

  I bought an 09 chevy 3500 because the salesman told me that it could do everything I needed it to he even showed me charts and graphs on how much weight it could pull and how the torque band runs and everything else and then I used this truck and I dont care how good something looks on paper unless it performs in the field papers just that paper. Im telling you right now Im going right back to dodge if you want prissy the chevy works if you want something that works you get a dodge.

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  2005 "Nox" Review - 2005 Chevrolet Equinox
  By toeknee1970 - September 11 - 11:46 pm

  Unfortunately, I bought this vehicle on looks alone, my first mistake. The price was right, but I guess I got what I paid for. Although it has more pep than my 2004 GMC Envoy, it doesnt even compare with overall quality.

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  Great for first 36 months - 2001 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Shaun - September 8 - 6:48 pm

  This car is great until around year 3. Problems included short brake life, a/c issues, intake manifold leaks. After doing research found these to be common problems with this vehicle. I would have sold it a long time ago if I wasnt still upside down due to depreciation. If youre going to get this car only do it for a lease.

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  weak little truck - 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
  By Just junk - September 8 - 9:36 am

  I pull horse trailers for a living and I have several trucks in my fleet. This year I thought Id try something new and I made a huge mistake. My Dodges all handle better than these have more power. Even my 1500 HEMI can pull a bigger trailer than this waste of space. I couldnt believe how slow this truck was going over the coastal range. And when we took it out on the beach I had to get pulled out (by a dodge) Im never dealing with chevy again.

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  This is the worst truck I have ever had - 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
  By Jim - September 7 - 9:56 am

  This truck is a joke as far as I am concerned. It has a terrible clunking noise when up shifting into second gear and also down shifting. The dealership has checked this out and I have a document from GM that says this is normal clunking. (Did not clunk into gear when I bought it). Tough to resell now. Also now when cold starting there is clattering going on under the hood. This goes away after a few minutes but again the dealership says this is normal clattering. HMM!! did not clatter when I bought it. I will not buy another GM truck as long as I live.