I finally rolled up 20,000 miles on my HHR. So far, so good! In fact, it’s been so good that I know I purchased the perfect car for me. In July of 2007 I had the following cars on my possible purchase list: VW Passat, BMW 3-Series, Mercedes 230 class, Chrysler 300, and Chevrolet HHR. I settled on a fully loaded 2LT HHR because I loved the retro style and it’s versatility. My cars before the HHR were a 1997 Malibu and a 2000 Malibu. Horrible cars! They had every problem under the sun and, as a result, I was somewhat reluctant to by another Chevrolet. Still, I loved the HHR and my hometown dealer in Juneau, WI, Mueller Auto, gave me a very sweet deal. To date, the HHR has not had a single problem and is simply a wonderful ride! It has not had any of the problems associated with my previously awful Malibus.

Comfort: My HHR is quite comfortable. It isn’t Cadillac DTS comfortable but for a small wagon I am quite happy with its ride and nice leather seats. In addition, this winter in Mankato, Minnesota has been quite chilly and I sure do appreciate my seat warmers.

Fuel economy: It’s impossible to get good city fuel economy in Mankato—there are too many hills and stoplights. My in town economy is only 20-22 mpg. On local secondary roads where the speed limit is 55 mph I get around 30 mpg give or take a few tenths of a mpg. On long trips back home to Wisconsin I get around 27.5 mpg at 70 mph with a fully loaded HHR. My fuel economy isn’t extraordinary but it is acceptable.

Reliability: I have not had a single problem so far. Thank, God! After the misery of the Malibus this has truly been a blessing.

Overall: I love my HHR. I would recommend one to anyone thinking of purchasing a small wagon. As an additional note; I was thinking of buying much more expensive cars and I ended up with one that is perfectly suited to me and I saved a heck of a lot of money. You can’t beat that!

 

Paul, based on the "other choices" you were considering, the HHR is going to cost you the least amount of money. Not only the purchase price, but future repairs, fuel and Maint will be a fraction of what you would have spent. I had a Passat and a broken Timing belt cost me over $4K, and no warranty to cover it....
Any way, congrats on your trouble free milestone and hope you have many more.

 

$4K for a timing belt! WOW! It would be impossible for me to express how happy I am with my HHR!

 

Ya, when it went, it took out most of the valves! You almost have to remove the engine to replace the belt!! German engineering
Don't get me wrong, it was a very nice car, but when I went to replace it, I decided that I was going to consider warranty and service/repair costs. The HHR fit the bill in those respects, and I have been very pleased with the utility of it as well.

 

That is what happens wit Zero clearance and rubber bands.

 

Yep, zero clearance and a rubber band for a timing belt.

This is how far you need to tear the thing down just to get to the belt.

And this is where 3 out of the 5 valves hit the piston (Top 1/3 center and bottom L and R). Each piston varied which valves hit, but they all had some...

 

Holy Crap esmarkey

I thought replacing the timing belt in the cramped engine compartment of my old 98 Neon was bad! Fortunately I did it as preventative maintenance when the water pump started to barf coolant.

 

Hi Paul W! My '06 1 LT automatic also hit the 20,000 mark, and my sentiments are the same as yours. I Still get 23 mpg around town and 28-30 hwy. Only problem I had with him was in the steering column 3 months after purchasing. That issue was resolved and I have had no problems ever since.

We've had an unusual amount of snow this winter in S. Indiana (getting a big snowstorm this evening as a matter of fact,) and the HHR travels the roads well in those conditions. I dont have any mods on HHRvey, but he is a faithful car and I love driving it!

 

HHRvey, it's good to hear that you are happy with your HHR and have had no problems other than the steering column thing! By the way, I went to college at IU in Bllomington!

esmarkey, what an unbelieveable job on that Passat! I hope I never have to do a job like that on a car in my life.

 

Paul W
How does your HHR do in the Minnesota weather?

PS. I have been a Hooiser Fan since 1980, and am looking forward to Tom Crean bringing the team back to its Glory Days within a few years. Glad fans filled Assembly Hall this past weekend. That's exactly what these guys need.