if you finally found a nice hhr say a 2007 with 160000 miles. Would you stay away and look for a lesser miles vehicle. The only thing that scares me to do is the timing chain. Everything else I can tackle with fair amount of ease (suspension and brakes). I have been seeing a lot of them with 200 to 300 thousand miles but they don't say if the chain has been replaced.

 

Based on your location you have consider rust as well. i.e. brake lines fuel lines etc.

 

You might want to have a look on CarGurus.com to see if you can find a good one.

Paying a bit to go get it may be worth the cost and time.

Just be sure to do your research before making the trip.

I have purchase 4 HHR's on CarGurus and only one was Rusted and that was my fault for not having enough awareness about the location of purchase. (Ohio)

Rust and Mileage are 2 big challenges. Get quality Pictures of the Rear undercarriage ... don't just take some ones word.

My last 3 were purchased from Chevrolet Dealers as Trade in's and 3 of the 4 had the service records to give me.

Do a Auto Check for sure.

If you can afford to move up to a 2011 you will have all the Factory updates that were put on the HHR's over time.

Silverfox

 

I am beginning to think that I need to hold out for a newer one. The only decent one I have looked at was a 2010 with 300,000 miles. Not all are rusted but a lot are all banged up. Besides an 09 with 30,000 miles that had the hood redone, but he is asking 7900 or best ( and the collision work is not even that good)

 

My old one can be had for $1000. SS motor is kaput, but everything else is OK. Dealer told me they will sell it out from under the part-out guy who lost the title (and voided deal)

Brighton area.

 

I may need to save some more money up and get a nice one. My original intent was to get something fuel efficient to keep miles off my truck. Anything nice around here deserves not to be driven in the winter. I am kind of falling in love with these things. I may need to get one and just drive it in the summer. Not quite sure. I am going to keep looking and learning.

 

If you want a nice one, start planning for trip to south states. Won't have to deal with rust. I flew from Ohio to Georgia to get mine. Not a spec of rust. Obviously I am doing a lot to keep it that way.

 

Yes, go south.

Orlando and Tampa seem to have lots of HHRs on craigslist.

Last year I flew down to Orlando with a few kids and we drove back a 2006 Pontiac Montana minivan ($2800) and a 2006 HHR 1LT with leather seats and sunroof, spring edition, 154K miles, ($3000).

Both were bought at small used car dealers. Not a speck of rust on either one anywhere. Headlights will probably be faded and yellowed, I bought new headlight assemblies from Rock Auto for $50 a side. I will never buy a used car from the North again.

You can probably buy a rust-free 2006 HHR LS with about 160K miles for less than $2000.

Steve

 

you guys are not kidding. I just looked on Orlando......there is a ton of nice ones. cheap compared to Detroit

 

That's it, the South is the location.