VW also did the TDI engine right. Bullet proof small diesel.

 

I am one of the ones questioning the all the rage about foreign vehicles. My opinion is that there is very little difference within the price range of the HHR. When we were searching, Hondas, and Toyotas had a sterile, generic feel to the interior. The HHR interior had a little personality that we liked. The ride is stable and road noise minimal compared to the others. I have extremely sensitive hearing, and the droning of the Hondas and Toyotas at 70 MPH made me nauseas, common thing with small cars and me. The HHR is barely noticeable, rare for this price range and size. Oh and for reliability, My 92'Safari van has 220,000 miles on it and is driven daily, original engine and trans, no rebuilds. The 97' Grans Prix I just sold had 180,000 miles, small problems,but was reliable. I have owned 37 vehicles of several makes,so far GM models have far exceeded all in performance and reliability. Last place were ALL 4rds, will NEVER own a FoMoCo product ever again, or a Dodge for that matter, just plain ugly looks and crappy drive trains. After owning so many vehicles I can honestly say that I am a GM man. But hey if you don't like and decide not to buy, that's OK, your loss.

 

I agree that many of the foreign companies keep things pretty sterile on many of their models but you are confusing sterile with good material quality and assembly. I never said the styling of the Hondas and Toyotas inside or out was necessarily better. As a matter of fact I mentioned in an earlier reply that Chrysler IMHO has some of best designs as far as exteriors are concerned and inside I like some of the more daring designs of the American cars, just not their materials and fit and finish. But nice style doesn't change the fact that the materials used are of a cheap nature. GM though I see improvement on many of their models. The Malibu for instance I found very acceptable inside. If the HHR and the Cobalt were equal to that you would not hear a complaint from me on here regarding the HHR interior.



Not sure which Hondas and Toyotas you are referring to but can't imagine hearing that on an Accord or Camry. I never have in the past. Maybe on a base Civic hatchback or the SI models due to their performance exhaust.


You sound like someone that has had luck with GM over the years reliability wise and that does not suprise me. Every GM car is not unreliable. Its just ratiowise a larger amount are than their Asian counterparts. Alot depends on the models you had and drivetrains as some are better than others. Doesn't change the fact that the assembly and engineering were inferior to the foreign counterparts, though there has been alot of improvement in the last few years and dare I say some of the Asian competitors have slipped a bit in that area, namely Nissan with the Altima interior. Until the interior revision about 2 years ago the last generation Altima interior was really the worst thing I've seen come out of a Asian company, considering how amazingly nice the exterior was. Tons of poorly finished plastic and somewhat tacky styling.

 

Someone I know traded their Altima for a new Malibu and among the things they liked about the Chevy was the interior over that of the '03 Altima they traded.

20vtguy, I implore you to go look at an HHR that has the ebony (black) interior. The ebony makes the HHR interior look more upscale. I looked at HHR's that had beige and gray cloth interiors and it was not my cup of tea. Those were the ones I referred to above that I test drove. Then I found this Sunburst Orange one that had the ebony cloth interior. It looked (to me, my opinion only) good inside. I think the dark interior also complements the cave or tunnel effect you get inside the HHR, i.e. the retro "limited visibility" you get from the smaller windshield and smaller windows all around along with the thick pillars. I'm a private pilot (out of currency, bah...) and I'm being honest when I say the interior atmosphere of the HHR reminds me just a little bit of a Mooney M series cabin (I didn't have a Mooney, had a Piper).

Please don't pass final judgement on the HHR until you check out one w/ ebony interior.

 

Altima interiors were cheap in the 05s that I saw. I believe they improved them in the recent redesign, but I could be wrong. Not all Japanese cars are on par with Toyota and Honda.

I recently bought an HHR, and my wife and I compared it to the Vibe, G6, Civic, Impreza, Hyundai small SUV, Hyundai Elantra, Fusion, Mazda 3 and 5, and Malibu... Accord and Camry were slightly out of budget.

The main thing I dont like about economy Japanese cars is that they are smaller in legroom... at that price... The interiors were all about the same (plastic is plastic, is plastic), and the difference were small in smoothness, quietness, and other things, cept for rear leg room. For the price, the HHR is a good buy. If I didnt need room in the back, then maybe I would have gotten an Impreza 5 door, or Mazda 3, BUT I dont think those cars are any more reliable than an HHR. I think those companies are riding the "Japanese Car" coattails created by Honda and Toyota.

 

OMG, did Kingfrog actually say something NICE about the HHR?

 

I have always said I like the car.....But I qualify it "for the money"

Would I pay $20,000 for this car. No. That does not mean i don't like it. It means the value at that price is not there for me. It's subjective. For others it is. I dont see the value in a Corvette either for the money.

If I am going to spend that much on a car I want more then flash. I want substance too. Padded doors and dash, An engine I do not hear at all.The Civic is quieter. a car that has a huge market used, l a car that can sell on it's own without trading. You do not see many used Honda's on dealer lots for a reason. IF I am going to spend $20,000+ for a car ar it will be a Honda or Toyota. Thats just me. In the mean time for less then $14k I have a fine car with more than 2/3rd warraty left, a fun car and an intersting looking car. I hope they don't become as common as the PT.

I am even spending money on it customizing it a bit. It won't be my hobby. I won't polish it every month by hand, or enter it in car shows. Its a car. An economical car that is very practical and you don't see 100's of them on the roads. That's what I like. (Outside of the price)

The fact that I have had more "common" issues with the car required overnight stays at the dealer in the first two weeks is beside the point

 

Probably the way I will be if I get one. I will constantly complain about the things I hate. But ya know, I do that with my VW GTI to. Friends always say if you hate the VW that much why do ya keep buying them. I tell them I have a love hate relationship with them. l love their good aspects but can't stand their bad ones and will ***** about them . For instance, damn Check Engine Light is on again. Just went through this over the summer. At that time it turned out to be the diverter valve on the turbo. Inexpensive and easy to replace but annoying none the less. Hooked the car up to my laptop this time and the engines computer shows a MAF sensor issue. Thank god its easy to change and only about a 80 bucks for the part. But other than a few small interior squeaks car is still tight and drives like she did when she was new.

 

I would. Doesn't matter what it is. Whether its a GM or a BMW. Whether it costs 12k or 120k. It should be treated the same. If I get an HHR, like my GTi it will rarely see the inside of a commercial car wash. Hand washing and waxing only except in extreme situations. Only microfiber towels will touch the finish and like my GTI, if any of my friends attempts to lean on anything but the glass or rest any object on any surface of the car other than the sunroof glass they will be run over by said car.

 

I think the HHR has great value for the money I paid for mine. That said, those furrin cars that were mentioned in the posts are all decent cars and I wouldn't be adverse to owning one. The only German cars I have ever owned were an ancient 66 Beetle and an Opel GT. Good cars both, but not up to what VW and others make today. The plastic interior is so common as to be standard in every car in this price range. It's actually better than the paper thin vinyl over cardboard that was standard practice in the 70s and earlier. I also have one of those ancient early 80s Mercury Marquis wagons. It is an everyday car and runs great, even in our harsh winters. One stab of the gas pedal and it lights off on the first crank. Those are even rarer than HHRs around here. LOL.