Goose, you think realistically which is how I do. You understand what you were giving up and understood what you gaining. You weighed the good and bad and decided what you can live with.

 

I will agree with you on the coated plastic. It was not VW best idea due to peeling. But they use very little of it. Unfortunately they used it in places where it gets easily scratched. Door handles and around radio and steering column. My entire lower dash on my GTI and glovebox is an uncoated plastic that has a soft quality to it that you would think its coated but its not. It almost feels like vinyl and it does not peel. The entire front and top of the dash all the way to the windshield is a soft padded material with amazing fit and finish and texture. Doors use a nicely finished vinyl on top and a padded cloth material in its midsection. All of this came on even the base Jetta and Golf in the 16k-17k price range. Even the new gen of Golfs aka Rabbits and Jettas have this same high quality feel and I believe they eliminated the coated plastic. I can say I don't like the texture of the materials as much on gen. Prefer the grain pattern of the last gen. But still high quality. The Beetle was an exception and they used more plastic but that was mostly to try and get a retrolook without using steel since the old beetle had alot of exposed painted steel.


The 70's and 80's Asian cars were tinny and buzzy but they were extremely reliable compared to their American counterparts.


You are pretty accurate on your assessment of the Corolla and with the Civic I can't imagine how it reminded you of a Neon.


I didn't fault the HHR for those because I knew it was due to styling not quality. Not sure what her beef was with the runningboards. I did not find an issue with them, though on one I looked at they were poorly fitted and seemed to bow inward in the center.[/QUOTE]

Entry level does not have to mean cutting corners on assembly and fit and finish. The current VW Rabbit has been raved about for its upscale quality interior and features at a bargain price.

 

It sounds like you know what you want... It's not a hhr so move on! I don't any issues with my hhr, fit and finish seems to be good. Looks great, tons of useable cargo space , many standard features, good mpg and good price.

I’m happy!

 

I agree with you on this comment. And ALL the vehicle manufacturers agree with you.....although SOME have not reached an acceptable and recognized level, yet.

I tried to make that same point in another thread regarding "Quality" many months ago. Many people are to stubborn to understand it.

 

Really? You don't say...

Every Honda and Toyota I've ever driven has sounded like it was going to die trying to get up to 60 MPH. Harsh ride, uncomfortable seats, and cheap looking plastic and fabric galore. The new Camrys make me want to vomit with their ultra-ultra cheap appointments. When I was selling cars, we actually made it a point NOT to sell used VWs unless we absolutely had to because of the 5-day return policy. Nobody wanted to risk losing that commission on such a craptastic make.

BTW, the door handle on my girlfriend's Camry DID come off in her hand two weeks ago $200 to fix it, too!

You know, I live in rural MO, and I see a lot of 22 year old American cars running around because the people maintain them and keep 'em going.

Like I said, I'd compare the Ecotec to any Honda or Toyota engine any day. It is truly a world-class engine.

 

Since we are talking about quality interiors. Has anyone seen the inside of the Jeep Commander? Here is vehicle that is supposed to be the luxury Jeep above the Grand Cherokee. Talk about cheap looking plastic interior. At that pricepoint there is no excuse. But I like the outside of it. Like the boxy masculine retro jeep look.

 

i agree completely with 20vgt----i own a 2004 honda civic coupe and the fit and finish/reliability and mechanical elements are excellent. It is also a basic economy car and i took my time researching it before i bought it. Basically i am bored by it now and i love the chevy HHR 's style and convenience. I checked out the interior of the hhr and its just ok for the price. I bet that by 2009 model year, the hhr will have a completely redesigned interior with superb materials...just like the current general motors vehicles out right now. For me, its a waiting game of trading my honda in for the chevy lt or turbo edition, or holding off for one more year for further improvements which will come. Lets not knock down 20vgt for his honest comments on why/why not to buy a new hhr. I too have owned about 10 different vehicles of american and japanese heritage and i also have driven every car/truck/suv out there as i work in the automotive trade. Every automaker has had a inferior and superior vehicle made at some point. Its all about what you can afford and what you are willing to live with for the price/style etc.

 

Can't imagine what sort of Honda or Toyota you drove to make that statement about getting to 60mph, other than maybe a base Civic or Corolla or Scion XA or XB. Though I drove a auto 2.2 1LT and it was quite weak in that department as well. Waiting to drive a 2.4 before I make a decision but want to drive a 5 speed which are so hard to come by according to the salesman I spoke to at Chevy. He said he could build me one of I want but I want to drive a 2.4 stick before I make my decision. Also not sure how much I will like the stick in the HHR. Love VW and Honda sticks. Never liked the feel of Toyota sticks in the past. And hated the sticks in all the American cars in the past but haven't driven American sticks in a long time so I will not judge at this point with the Cobalt platform until I give it a fair shake. As far as cheap fabric and plastic in the curent Camry. I have not looked at them since the body change so I will check that out. Seems the current reviews support your statement. In the past Camrys have always had amazing interiors, though I used to hate their new car smell. Way to chemical smelling, at least in the cloth interiors.

 

Thats would be the only complaint I have about the Asians fare. Boring. Rock solid.

The difference is this

The Japanese hold their vendors to a high standard. Not the lowest bidder. If they have to pay 1.00 more for a part to last longer they did. Theor attentions have paid off in real reliability.

The American builders will do the exact opposite.)Thank you UAW) If they can put a cheaper part in a car and save a $1.00 they will as long as it can get past the Bumper to bumper warranty requirement.

An example on the HHR are the door lock shafts, Rather then machining a threaded top they are made to SELF TAP PLASTIC!!! I know of no Asian car that does not have machined door lock shafts. Its a small thing but screams loud about cutting corners and begs the question where else have they cut corners besides what i can see?

 

Hopefully in 2009 they won't abandon the HHR's cool retro exterior for something run of the mill. A nice thing would be to make it a bit larger while keeping its looks and maybe with a 48 inch width in the cargo area to accomodate sheets of plywood or sheetrock. AWD would be a great addition as well