Purely for an insurance break. My premium V6 cost more than a few GTs on the lot. The insurance company (Allstate) wanted to charge me way too much for a GT when I bought the car. There was a little over a $2000 difference in insurance per year so that was the deciding factor. Even for the V6 I was paying just a little under $6000 per year insurance so $8000 per year sounded even more ridiculous. As you can tell I was still fairly young when I bought it and didn't have the cleanest driving record. After all was said and done my car was faster than a stock GT and had better gas mileage but of course a modded GT would kick my ass. I did just about everything I could to the car short of forced induction. There is a pretty big aftermarket for V6 Mustangs. I showed no shame in driving a V6 because with everything I had done to the car it was truly bad ass.

 

I wouldn't say head and shoulders...for $$ I spent is has a bit more than my 2005 Matrix had. Leather, seat warmers, tinted glass, alloys. The build quality is not near the Toyota's...body panels are a bit off in places, cup holders are pretty bad(which I knew going into it), plastic interior is cheaper than the Matrix's which is pretty cheap in it's own right.


So far I like it, it is fun to drive, looks good and cost me less OTD than my Matrix did with more options.. Time will tell if I made the right choice I guess. (That way with any car not just the HHR)


Goose

 

I had a 5.0 Mustang in HS, got it when I was 17. My insurance was never that high. Good lord, I would not have driven.

 

I had a 1990 Mustang LX hatchback. 5.0, with offroad exhaust, 5 speed man tranny. Wow...what a fun car to drive. I remember hating it in the winter though. It sucked in the snow.
I had a 2000 Grand Prix gt befor the HHR. I loved that car. So i would have to say no to the original ?. My HHR is not heads above my Pontiac. Don't get me wrong. I love my HHR. It's just different than my last car. I think it's realy fun to drive, looks unique, and gets great MPG's.

 

My previous car was a 1999 Grand Am that I bought new. I had minimal problems and drove it until I traded it in for the HHR. It went 186,000 miles before a blown head gasket told me it was time for a new car. It had the 3.8 V6 and ran very strong. Much faster than the HHR, and the factory stereo was much better with it's sub and amp. The seats were a better quality and a bit more comfy. That said, it was more expensive than my HHR, and (of course) got much worse gas mileage. The selling point for me with the HHR is the looks, versatility, economy and price, in that order. So I wouldn't say it is head and shoulders above my previous car, but for the reasons I bought the HHR, it is very strong in those categories. Let's face it, there are Grand Ams at every corner, and the HHR is still (at least around here) fairly rare.

 

Mine was a 1979, first year with the fox platform. It spent 12 years in the rockies in the snow. It came with a balance weight, bacisally it was a big hung of iron that was bolted on the rear axle, gave great weight distribution. 225HP, 3.08 traction lock, I could put it at a 45* angle on snow and it would hold that angle perfect. I had to sell it when I went to Korea....

 

There is a salesmen at the dealership I work at that has an 87 Caballero as well. Its a beautiful car, all restored and in perfect condition. I had no idea it was so rare, only 1700 wow.

Anyway we traded in an 03 Corolla and are far happier, our HHR is better in everyway well maybe slightly less mpg, but more than makes up for it with the extra room. And seeing as how we are expecting our first child in September we are going to need that room.

 

I wouldn't call it "head and shoulders" above any of my previous cars ('96 Corvette, '02 Grand Prix, '04 Dodge Ram) but I'm still happy with my '07 HHR

 

No not at all... traded a '00 Jetta for the HHR. Interior fit and finish is much less 'refined' in the HHR, but better done than say my father's '04 Impala. Milage as well is a totally different ball game. Was filling the Jetta with $50 of deisel took me about 1000km where the HHR was the same for gas but only half the distance.

I like them both for their own reasons though.

 

Traded a 1996 conversion van toward my 2006 HHR. I prefer the HHR. Recently traded my wife's 2002 Mustang against a 2007 HHR. My wife prefers the HHR.