Buying an 06 LT 2.4. What should I look for or have checked out?
 

Looks like I'm buying a 2006 HHR with every option including sunroof, roof rails, running boards, onstar, XM, cloth seats. It has 48k miles. One owner, always garaged. No cosmetic issues other than a couple of tiny scrapes on one of the 17" alloys and the back bowtie has the gold bubbling issue - it looks great otherwise.

Still since I've never had one and this is the first year, should I be concerned about anything or make sure something is fixed or updated? It's from a dealer btw and I saw the Carfax (although I'm aware that Carfax only reports what is reported to them).

Any input appreciated! :bow:

i would have everything checked.. :)

Hmmm, certainly not a bad idea. It's at a Cadillac dealer that also owns a Chevy store. Maybe I could talk them into doing a buyer's inspection on it to make the deal.

I still have a drivetrain warranty until 5 years or 60k miles, right?

If you have cloth seats, you do NOT have every option. Heated leather seats were available.

Maybe every option I want would be more accurate. Though you have to admit a 2006 with onstar, XM, running boards, roof rails, 17" alloys, and a moonroof is pretty well loaded. No? Not a fan of leather if I can have a choice. Are there heated cloth seats? I haven't even checked to see if this one has them. Actually I do know of another 06 exactly the same with half the miles that does have leather. It's considerably more money though and the wholesale dollar value in half the miles (24 vs 48) is only $700 more (KBB.com). So still checking it out.

At 48K I'm sure all the bugs have been found. If you can get the last 6 digits of the VIN, one of the members here can get you a bit more detail on any of the dealer fixes and what has already been done.

Not for the HHR. Seat heaters on leather only.

Welcome
 

Good for you dude! Jx3 has a good point - most folks get the column/A arm bushing/clunk - Brake rotor warpage - Headliner rattle a lot sooner. An 06 with all those options is a find. Welcome to the SoCal HHR's, look for some G2G's coming soon. We'd love to have you come. Buy the car.

Thanks guys. What's the drivetrain warranty period on an 06? Who do I PM the vin numbers to? How many does he need? Will watch for the M&Gs or as you call them G2Gs.

Drivetrain on 06 is only 3/36. Few people here have had major engine/trans problems though and many have lots of miles on their cars. I would listen closely for any rattling that seems to come from the drivers side dash. The steering column has failed on some 06's and that's how you would likely notice it.

If you mention the bowtie issue to the dealer, they may fix that for you before you get the HHR.

2006 2lt
 

I have just turned na littje over 44346 miles runs great only problum ive had was codes had to change cam solenoids, at this mileag the brakes are still at 50%, enjoy,

Who's the member that can check the VIN for me?

I'm down to these two 06s. One is 24k miles with leather and heated seats and every other option, the other is 48k miles with cloth seats and every other option. KBB says the low mileage is only worth $700 more wholesale, but the dealer wants about $1200 more for the one with 24k miles. Decisions decisions. :eek:

Go to the following thread. Don't worry about reading the whole thread, just post the VIN and you'll get a quick answer.

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/general-hhr-4/date-manufacture-4220/

Or just go here and put in your VIN (the link is loaded with MY VIN):

http://compnine.com/vid.php?vin=3GNDA33P07S570597

transmission type
 

If you are finding a lot of well-equipped HHRs locally, you must be looking at automatics. I specifically got the much-rarer manual (which I modified with a short shifter later). After I bought it, I discovered that I had "dodged the bullet" on the problem with the gear selector on early automatic-transmission HHRs. There is a metal pin held in by a plastic piece that fails predictably. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky on the sunroof, and the known problem with weak rails that break, requiring a lot of labor to get to them!

The dealer with the one that has 24k miles is down to just $600 more! No onstar though but has every other option. Anyone have a Carfax account? LOL He no longer does and said it would cost him the same as I would pay and that the steal of a deal price he's offering means I have to run my own Carfax.

Thanks for the link. Just ran the vin. The 24k mile one was built on 8-3-05. The one with 48k miles was built on 6-13-06 and it appears to have side airbags. Would you take more miles and a later build (on the theory they fixed some stuff during the model year run) or go with the lower mileage earlier build because who wouldn't want a 2006 with just 24k miles?

I'm gettting a little concerned now about buying either one of these after reading 18 pages of brake issues here and the sunroof rattles. I think that since I'm doing this long distance and can't drive it before I take delivery that I better at least require certification, no? That would give me some warranty protection. So far, one of the dealers is offering to certify his for $395 (the one with 48k mi).

Brakes are common, but an easy fix. I just swapped out my original rotors/pads with NAPA parts. At 47K miles, I'm happy with the brakes again. Well worth the $180 it cost to do myself.

The sunroof is another issue, but search here and several options on repairs.

Also, be prepared for the floor on the passenger side to get wet. It's also common, and also an easy DITY fix with some RTV on the butal (sp) patch under the cowl.

06's & 07's also had a issue with an A/C growl on some, but odds are if that happened here, it's been fixed already.

By the build dates you listed, one is an 06 and one is an 07 it seems. The 07 does have a 5/100 powertrain warranty.

I read about those other issues. They are both 06 models, one just has a later build date, it was one of the last 06s, so no warranty at all on either one. :(

Check the A/C, the amount of coolant, and the wiring to it. Mine shorted out and it cost a bunch to replace. Check the cabin filter in the glove box. Check to see if you get the stock cargo net. Have them test the battery in front of you. Mine just died. Check all 3 wipers, do the penny test on the tires, they should not be the stock ones with that mileage. I have a 06 2LT and alot of my car problems have been in the past year.

Sorry to hear you've had problems. At what mileage did they start happening?

I can't personally do any of those tests cause I'm buying it long distance, but I can have an inspection done. I did have them walk around the vehicle and send me photos if there were any things I wasn't certain about and had them tell me as much as they know and viewed the Carfax reports on both and the GMVIS on one of them so far.

GM certified
 

While extended warranties are not usually a good idea, the $395 for certified would be a deal-maker for me. That 12 month bumper-to-bumper warranty can substitute for the need for inspection, and you get the 5 year / 100k power train warranty in a 2006 - the only way you can get it that year. How much does this cost with the GM certification? And, again, I take it these are automatic transmission cars?

Yes they are both automatics. The 24k mile one I can buy a GMPP - the best level of it, which would cost around $900 for another 3 years or 36k more miles. The 48k one is the $395 for the certification - they haven't given me a price on a GMPP on that one yet.

The thing I keep coming back to is that the one with 48k miles, although more attractive to me overall, I get it back here and it's gonna have 50 thousand dang miles on it in no time. The 24k one, I can drive for a year and it will still only be in the 30k mile area (I drive about 6k miles a year).

How long do you plan to own it?
 

If you are only putting on 6K miles per year, and you are planning to keep it 10 years or more, the mileage difference pales in comparison to having more options to enjoy for that length of time. The $395 for GM certification, with the 12/12 bumper-to-bumper and 5/100 on a car that comes with NO WARRANTY now, and is good without question at any GM dealer, seems like a better deal than any other warranty. The addon warranties, though I'm not familiar with GMPP, start with a limited list of things that they include. Everything else is NOT included, and furthermore FAILURE OF COVERED PART CAUSED BY A NON COVERED PART IS NOT INCLUDED. That last statement is the cause of many disputes and disappointed customers. The bumper-to-bumper warranty starts by covering EVERYTHING not explicitly excluded, and then deletes only consumable or wear-and-tear items that would not be expected to cause secondary failure of other parts.

Let me know what you decide, and what the final cost would be for all your purchase choices. Here is my experience: I bought my 2007 2LT in 1/10 with 57k miles, so I have plenty of time on the power train warranty and no bumper-to-bumper coverage. I found that I had a broken remote mirror switch, broken sunroof rail and wind deflector, a hose had fallen off the washer fluid reservior so the rear washer didn't work, misaligned (noisy) rear hatch, rattle in the dash board and four worn-out tires when I fully inspected it. I have paid to have all but the sunroof fixed or replaced without incident. However, NOTHING ELSE HAS BROKEN since I got the car 5K miles ago.

Yikes. How much have you spent on all the stuff that wasn't covered and how much more will it be once you get the sunroof fixed?

The GMPP with the best 'Major Guard' option can be $50 or $100 deductible and is apparently exactly like the bumper to bumper one you get: http://www.gmpp-online.com/?page=gmpp_major_guard

repair cost
 

The remote mirror switch replacement was done earlier and separately, and it cost about $50 for the part plus $65 for an hour of labor including removing the door panel. The other repairs were lumped in with the cost of intalling a lot of my aftermarket modifications. Total cost for the big work was $635, but I suspect the aftermarket installation prices were high, and the repair costs were artificially lowered to keep the total from being even higher than it was. So, I can't give you meaningful information there. The sunroof repair will cost less than I have seen it anywhere else: 4 hours labor @ $65 plus tax, $15 for rails, and $52-100 for a wind deflector. The tires and lifetime alignment were done together and came to about $700 including road hazard protection. I could have gotten cheaper cost but good quality tires at Sam's Club, but I travel. Sam's Club has limited hours and the tires are special order. Having had tires blow out in strange cities on Sunday, I prefer to get towed into Firestone which is open 7 days a week and has many more locations. The last time my S2000 needed emergency tires when I was traveling and they were not in stock, Firestone split the cost with me to get them shipped in overnight!