Hello all of you HHR fans. My first posting is not about me, but my wife. She went home to visit her Father and I rented her a car for the week. It turned out to be an HHR and she's wanted one ever since.

I told her I would help her find a nice one so I thought I would read the threads on your web sight to find out what to look out for. She has 64,000 miles on her 1996 Mazda she bought new, so I need to get her something she will really like because she will keep it for a long time.

We live in Palm City, Fl. and would appreciate any advice or direction you all could pass along.

Thanks

Mold Man

 

A lot of HHRs went into rental fleets and are coming on the market now, especially '10s and '11s.

Aside from the obvious misgivings anyone might have with buying a former fleet queen, the one downside is that none of them will have remote start.

Mine was a Hertz rental, and several people here have former rentals.

While you're shopping, open the glove box and take a picture of the sticker inside the door and post it here. The sticker contains all the RPO codes, which is basically the equipment manifest... lots of info about options and tons of other stuff.

 

I would recommend finding a 2LT model. It's got the slightly larger 2.4 liter engine, a sport handling suspension, and a few other nice bits. Look for the factory 17" alloys (versus the standard 16" wheels) That's usually the best indicator of a 2LT from the outside.

 

Whatever you do buy an HHR SS. I regret not getting a SS.

 

Welcome to the site.. I had my 1LT for a few months now. Love it and it was a Enterprise Rental.. Other then a few little chips no issues.. I would grab the VIN# off any cart and Car Fax it. Alot of dealers offer a Car Fax in their on line adds. Car Fax is not perfect but is a great start. You should be able to cut some good deals in Fla.
Search E Bay alot of dealer post there as well as private sales... If you PM Chevy Mgr on site here with a vin# and RPO I think he can also get you some imfo
Good Luck

 

Be careful, a lot of drowned Hurricane Sandy cars coming around. Always check the car up on a hoist.

Boydie

 

You really cant go wrong with any model. These cars are very nice. They all have their own problems and depends on what your looking for.
The ss trim is nice but sometimes I wish I got the 2.4 and added a supercharger. I still might next year if I can find a good one.

 

everybody missed the point, get the one your wife likes best, happy wife happy life!! but run it by us for opinions, Happy Hunting

 

It sounds like a rental car is a good place to look and a 2.4 liter engine is a good upgrade.
I don't think my wife would appreciate the step up to an SS. The added performance would not be appreciated. I haven't seen an SS in any rental listings. Anyway, thanks for the info. One more question. Are there any Chevy Dealers that stock or specialize in HHR's?

Thanks again for you thoughts.

Mold Man

 

Look for the
C P O's at local G M dealers
Certified Pre Owned's are
mostly the rental's coming
back to be re sold.

my 2011 2LT was a rental
yea there are horror story's
with former rentals mines
been good to me so far
after more than 50 k miles