Posted: 9/6/2005 10:54:19 AM EDT
I was up in B'ham Friday evening and saw the first HHR I've seen on the road/in the "flesh." I didn't even realize they were "out" yet...  I didn't like it from the pictures I'd seen so far in the magazines, but it has more charm in person than I expected... enough that I may even consider one in a year or two when (1) I'm in the market again and (2) they've had time to work out the "new model" bugs.  Has anyone here driven/bought one yet? Just curious... 
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That's what I thought at first, but this thing appeals to me in a way that the Cruiser never has.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not in love with the thing - just more interested than I expected to be (didn't expect to be at all). It certainly doesn't tug at my inner child and make me yearn the way the SSR does... 
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For anyone unfamiliar: www.chevrolet.com/hhr/ (It's smaller than it looks in pics - at least to me.) |
+1 GM aint had an original idea in YEARS! |
The local dealerships haven't had one on the lot long enough yet... but I will. I won't really be in the market for at least a year (we don't like to have more than one car payment at a time), but I like doing car "research" long before I have to. Like I said above, I don't expect to love this thing but it might be a reasonable compromise between what I want and what I need, especially given the low price... a price that will be even lower after applying $3K or so in GM Card rebate dollars.
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I haven't seen too many HHR's on the road-mainly because not all the '06 models have come to market yet. |
Do you mind not hijacking on HardShell's thread? PT Cruisers have a large following, a lot of people bought them, and from what I've heard from a family member that works at a dealership, the HHR is a nice car, and better than the Cruiser. |
 MINI-VAN!!! It's amazing how everything comes back to the goddamn van & station wagon... Dodge Magnum HHR Most new 'SUVs' Whatever happened to CARS apart from the look-alike japanese tin-can sedan? Heck, even 'performance' cars these days look like the 'generic 4-door', missing 2 doors and adding a bigger engine....
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I realize PT Cruisers have a large following. Maybe saying people realized they suck was not quite accurate. It's more like the PT Cruiser was a new thing 6 years ago, but nothing special today, there are so many around because they have been out a long time, and Chevy building a copy this much after the fact seems retarded. I've heard from a family member that works at a dealership, the HHR sucks, and is worse than a PT Cruiser.  |
I really didn't mean for this thread to be any sort of flamefest.  I was just hoping someone here had some first-hand experience with these - test-drive, bought, rented, whatever... I have driven a couple of different PT Cruisers (two friends own them) and while I won't concede that they "suck," I will say that they just didn't "do it" for me. I think the retro-styling is neat and it was a good concept when introduced, but I'll agree that it has become dated. One of the appeals the PT had for me was that it didn't look like everything else on the road - kind of ironic, in light of Dave's comments above. As far as all the "originality" comments go, IIRC Chevy was building vehicles in this general style & shape long before Chrysler was (not that that means anything). I may very well be equally un-sold on the HHR once I drive it - I just haven't had an opportunity to do so yet (and likely won't for a while now - I just broke my right foot!  ).But if it drives/handles well at all, it may be IMHO a very good, versatile buy for the money. If I didn't have any children, my next vehicle would be another 2-seater - either a new SSR or an older Corvette. But I have a 2-year-old and we are trying very hard to come up with a sibling for him in the coming year, so I need something with a backseat and room for all the kid-stuff - of the four vehicles we currently own, only one really fits that bill. Since I'll be buying based on "need" more than "want" this time around, I'd rather buy something relatively inexpensive... just so I won't feel guilty if a great deal on an old 'Vette or Mustang falls in my lap in the next few years (you know, an "offer I can't refuse" ).Anyway, I'm not going to get upset at all the bashing and bickering (cars are a very personal choice and some folks get real emotional about the issue), but I really would appreciate any first-hand experience with the new HHR. (...if you're not afraid to post it after all of the above... )
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Sorry I didn't mean to hijack your thread. I keep hearing how GM can't pay its healthcare for retirees and how they will go bankrupt. I can't help but see a PT cruiser clone as a symptom of this slide to oblivion. It is wrong wheel drive. The engine is packaged in such a way as to make service difficult for an owner. I have looked at it. I did not drive it. |
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It *might* look better if there was a "woody" option (as in, surfer-hot-rod type woody, not PT-cruiser or 80s station-wagon woody). Too new for the local dealership to have one, and I'm in too small of a town to have seen any, so I can't offer any real opinion on them. |
and try to give people a hint.