sorry for duplicate post, but I'm sure many of you remember that warm-fuzzy feeling you had the next morning after you bought the car you wanted. Gotta share...this place is like a "support Group"

My name is Craig, and I have a problem. I am a HHR-AHOLIC.

thanks gang. We did it!
drove four HOURS and found 3 HHR's to test. a metallic red 2LT panel with black interior, a orange SS and a Victory Red SS.

the panel was nice, but decided against it due to price, condition at that price, lack of visibility(it was pouring rain so it gave us a real good feel for what it will be like). we left with the feeling of "we'll consider it". beautiful car though. The trade-in offer was lower than I wanted but worked to my favor later(more on that). They gave it to me in writing(carMax)
on to the next dealer 30 miles away, in traffic and rain.
the orange SS. It was sweet, never drove it but did a lot of research before we got there. found a carfax note about a "crankshaft replaced"...??? WTH?
called the servicing dealer and learned it broke a timing chain tensioner and had to have the cyl. head replaced, the crank, 2 pistons and new timing set up among other things...at 77k miles...and 3 months after the 5/100k warranty expired...either they had an extended on it, which must be why they fixed the motor rather than replace it(bean counters) or the owner was cheap and then on top of that, they traded it in 2 months later...so can you say RED FLAGS???

on to the Victory red SS.
Factory certified, black interior, AT, as close to "new" as you will ever see from a used car.
55k miles, and it drove perfect. I mean PERFECTION WAS AT THE HELM!
with a pocket full of $100 bills from the race truck and trailer sale, I was ready...and they played hard ball. low-balled me on the trade in, wouldnt budge on the sticker, and tried to "sell me" the car. I told him "I'm trying to help you.
I played back...harder. leverage. they low-balled me on my trade, wouldnt budge on their over-price and we were done...I wanted it...but had 2 feet and a ride home in my truck.
So a few minutes later(45) after some back and forth, they matched the offer from the 1st dealer for my truck, and I offered more cash for the down...I said "you give me what I want, and I'll give you more cash down"
done.
they added an additional 3 year/45k bumper to bumper warranty(the GM one, not after-market) I paid for GAP(I am a believer in GAP if the price is right) and lowered my interest rate.

drove home in the exact car we hoped to score. we kept most of our cash, cleaned out our trade in, and headed to dinner.

a long day, but this was after a 3 month ordeal of selling, negotiating, advertising, researching, emails, phone calls, cleaning, driving, selling, frustration and regret.

done and done.

Brenda will be on here later to JOIN and come up with a USER NAME and/or name for her new HHR.
It's her car...nothing makes a man happier than buying his gear-head girl the exact car she wants. She agreed to give up her seat and sell our race trucks(she was the driver) so you KNEW it was going to cost me~!

thank you all for the helpful advice and thank you to all who contribute to this forum for arming me with the knowledge to be on the look-out.
I have done what I can with my HOW TO posts from my 2LT days...give and take...its a beautiful thing.

I'll post pics when I can...but I will say this....the car pictured below is what made me want the one we bought...

 

Congrats on the red SS and she is a gorgeous beauty
give us some more info about the car, year and the interior (two tone). tell us whether it is a stick or auto. does it have the RPD (reconfigurable performance display) where the storage compartment is on the HHR
so many questions.

now you need to play w the t/c button
once to turn off t/c, 2 times for comp mode and hold it for around 10 seconds till the esc off says on the DIC where it turns off all the nanny controls and it drives like a beast w the individual controlling it at the helm.
ESC off is my favorite and what i would run it at the track

 

Nice when a plan comes together, now do the dishes once in awhile and vacuum so she will let you drive the SS once in awhile, lol!

 

Congrats on the new ride.

Based on the picture, it sure looks like it's sitting on lowering springs.
Does it have any other mods? Like the GMTU for example.

 

Omg I've been there trying to get other stuff,LOL
Congrats again smoke

 

1st thing I thought too

 

CJ can you explain a little more about holding down the esc button for 10 seconds??? Thats a new one on me. I thought you just press the button twice to turn the stuff off???

 

2009 HHR SS
black interior with 2 performance seats
stubby front antenna
GM CERTIFIED
new ignition switch
automatic(a must for her)
doubt it has the GMTU since it doesn't make 20 psi
seems like mashing the GO pedal only produces about 10 psi but haven't played with it yet. was pouring rain when we bought it and a LOOOOONG drive home on a wet freeway.

will go out and wash it and learn more later

the pictures is NOT of the car we bought....as I stated in the initial post
(shows a lot of you are like me...read the 1st few sentences and scroll down to see the pic! lol)

 

Hmmm. I did read your whole 1st post but I guess my reading comprehension wasn't up to snuff.

I took this: "the car pictured below is what made me want the one we bought..." to mean that WAS the car and that's why you bought it cause it looked so good in the picture.

Anyhow, congrats again on the new ride. Waiting to see your pics since I have a Victory red SS also.

 

seems like mashing the GO pedal only produces about 10 psi but haven't played with it yet. was pouring rain when we bought it and a LOOOOONG drive home on a wet freeway.

Mine is auto only reaches 10 maybe 12 psi but got to really get on it to get above 10psi don't think anything wrong with it but was going to look into it more thought is was supposed to get near 15.