At the beginning of WWII, the U.S. discovered that both German and Japanese aircraft technology absolutely eclipsed anything we had. Why that happened to be true beggars all reason. And - it didn't take long before we left them in the dust.
Until a few days ago, one of my sons was driving a 1986 Honda Civic - a 22 year old vehicle. With 136,000 miles (not much for a car that old) it still ran perfect. When is the last time you saw a 22 year old American car being used as a daily driver?
With respect to automotive manufacturing and engineering, the playing field is absolutely level. There is no mystery involved with building vehicles. No doubt you have heard the somewhat cynical term "planned obsolescence". I suggest that it applies to the auto industry in a big way. It is not in a manufacturer's best interests to produce a vehicle that will stay together for a long time with no problems. It's all a matter of economics, market forces, and federal legislation versus the impossible-to-defeat Second Law of Thermodynamics.
I couldn't care less about the quality of the plastic in the interior of my HHR. The body panels fit well enough. The gauge of the metal is a non-issue: it's the shape of the components that lend to their relative fragility. The longevity of drivetrain components is an issue with so many variables that nothing meaningful can be stated about it. That's what warranties are all about.

For the price, the HHR can stand up to anything in it's class.

WR

 

I drive my 30 year old GMC pickup everyday and its never let me down 150,000 miles with the original motor and trans. My wifes 03 corrola had many problems at 150,000 so we sold it for our HHR which is superior in every way.

 

Seems many here are simply alot less critical of the construction of their vehicle and look more at what it offers them in overall appearance, price and versatility, which is actually good because it makes them easier to please. Others simply are either bias toward GM because either its all they ever owned or just never really looked or drove or looked closely at other brands, specifically the foreign brands. Some like a friend of mine who is only 34 hold a grudge against the Japanese for WWII and will not buy from them which is a ludacris reason IMHO. Mithril and Kingfrog probably are the most accurate. They give the credit where credit is due and while they may love their HHR they are clear on where it stands against its competitors. If I can get myself to thinking like them I might find myself driving a nice white loaded 2LT faults or not faults. Hey I love VW's and always will but I know their faults and live with them. I tell others who are looking to get a VW what to expect and many times steer them over to Toyota or Honda if reliability is of the utmost importance because while all cars can have their problems, I'd bet your odds are stacked more in your favor driving those two Asian brands even if the styling of many of the products is less exciting.

 

I've owned American and Foreign and have had my issues with both...my last car was Toyota Matrix and except for the clock bugging out and my window falling off the track (both fixed under warranty) it gave me 64K trouble free miles in a year and a half.

For the $$ I paid for the HHR I am pleased...the fit and finish is not what the Toyota was but the Matrix was not exactly put together like a Lexus either. The HHR stickered for over 21K...I got it for just over 16K with leather, boards, 6 CD, fogs etc..so yes essentially an econo box with some real cool styling and nice options for what I would call little $$ for a new car.

Has some quirks right now...noiser than expected engine, wind noise...some weird howling noise that sounds like it is coming from the windshield and a bit of a vibration in the gas pedal....

BUT the engine runs great despite the noises and I get anywhere form 30-35 mpg fuel economy..my UOA's show the engine is in great condition with very little wear metals. GM did something right with the Ecotec..very reliable and well made engine

I am one of those vocal guys who will notice things but I'd more than likely saying the same thing about a 50K dollar car as well so for 16K I'll keep my money and be ahead of the game


Goose

 

I'd be willing to bet the current Scion XB being bigger and finally having a decent size engine and still priced within the range of the HHR is a perfect test of that statement. Again we are not talking about looks because thats is simply personal opinion. I to would side with the HHR lookswise. Actually now that said that I am going to go test drive a new XB but I have no intention of buying one because I am not sure I like the styling.

 

I think the Scion would be excellent competition. You should check one out for sure. I wish they sold them up here in Canada but alas they don't. There are a few that have been imported and have been up for sale but at around $30,000 that was a lot to pay for a used one.

There's currently a lot of competition for the HHR. Most are probably as good if not better.

PT
Caliber
Martix/Vibe
Kia Rondo
Suzuki SX4
Suzuki Impreza
Audi A3
MB B200
Scion Xb
Volvo V50
Mazda 3
Saab 9-3 Sportcombi

That's lots to compare and one of these should fit.

 

I would like to hear the comparison. I also was looking at them but could not get past the look. Talk about polarizing love it/hate looks. I came down solidly on the latter,

Now I am an inside out driver. I may run it through a car wash once a month and wax it once a year. I care more about driving and creature comforts then how it looks going by to strangers. I don't do the "second glance" at the car as I am walking away from it like that commercial. But I still have to walk up to the car and see it. There is where I could not get past the Xb LOL

 

I pretty much agree with HHRcrafty here. I too come from a GM family--in my driveway is a pristene, 99 V6 S10 that I drove daily until I got Blackie last month (I get asked to sell it constantly), a 2005 Silverado heavy duty crew-cab (bil) with quadrasteer, a 2007 Tahoe LT (sister), heck, I still have my 89 GEO Metro that needs a paint job, but runs like it is new (and yes, people ask to buy this too!). Not to mention that the 2000 Tahoe, the 94 Cavalier and the 90 Blazer are still owned by other family members.

This doesn't count the various Silverado trucks my dad used to have or station wagons my mom drove (btw, almost every one of our purchases has been from the same dealer too).

After driving the V6 which was loud, I literally have to put my ear to the HHR's hood it is so quiet when I turn it on. It was the fact that it was a GM and its looks that made me want it and have not felt I lost too much power from the S10. The big pluses are that I have gained more room, and was able to get my LT2 completely loaded with all the goodies I could think of and then some (no OnStar or XM which I didn't want). In other words--you can find deals ($26k got for $18,500)

Oh yeah, and it looks cool.

You have to go with what you are used to. Having reservations already about it, you probably will not like it. I completely agree that you must research something first before opening the checkbook (and I did do some as I was thinking of getting another truck), but this is a site with enthusiasts and while we all had different reasons for wanting it, in the end, we love our HHR's.

Good luck with your decision--you wont be disappointed if you get it.

(btw, black was my 3rd choice color for the reasons you stated, but have had no problem keeping it clean).

 

Wife's car is a 2005 VW Beetle TDI (diesel). As far as build quality and quantity of plastic I see no difference between it and the HHR. VW coats some of their interior plastic with dulso or similar rubberized compound, but its still plastic. Knocking a modern car for having plastic in the interior is like knocking an apple tree for those big red round things that fall off and hit you on the head-- Majority of modern vehicles have plastic interiors, I guess its how they approach the layout and appearance of all that plastic that effects peoples opinions about that particular car. "Plastic is fantastic" is the moto of auto makers.

My experience with import brands is limited to a 1986 Isuzu P'up 4x4 truck and our VW, as well as some test drives of import brand compacts during the time we were looking and eventually bought the TDI. The Isuzu was very tin like, talk about thin guage of metal! The 2.3L SOHC engine was very raspy even in midrange. A friend had a Toyota 4x4 truck of the same year, and another had a Mazda 4x2 truck of the same year-- both were similar to the feel of the Isuzu with the Toyota maybe feeling a bit better of the three. Drove a 2005 Corolla LE and a 2005 Civic EX And a Nissan Sentra during the shopping time before the TDI. The Corolla had no power, although build quality felt good if not a bit spartan (and yes, plasticy). The Civic reminded us too much of a 1996 Dodge Neon we used to have (POS car that one), same raspy engine and poor sound insulation in the cabin (road and drive train noise galore in the Civic). The Sentra felt tight and the engine was queiter and power not too bad but it was just too blah looking especially the rear fascia (but Nissa did a great job with the re-style for 2007, very good looking). I was against a Beetle initially but the wife always wanted one. My sister at the time had a diesel Mercedes and was very pro-diesel, and got me to check out the VW TDI diesels. So we checked out a Jetta, nice but too much $$ for what we had to spend. Ended up getting the Beetle TDI but I will say that it has buzzes and rattles in the interior but that is mainly due to the high torque TDI 1.9-- around the torque peak @ 2000 rpm a symphony of muted buzzes of plastic-on-plastic and something inside the passenger door begins to serenade you until about 2300 rpm. That's the only complaint though-- 42mpg around town and almost 50 on the road with 177lb-ft torque @ 2000 rpm makes up for the interior's plastic symphony. We came out of a 2001 Ford Taurus SE to get the VW but only because the Taurus got totaled after being shoved up under rear of a Mercury Mariner when rear-ended at a stop light by a brand new Dodge Dakota. The Taurus had zero problems for the 50,000 miles we had it, and was very comfortable and quiet inside. I will say the Taurus took a pounding in that accident but protected its occupants (wife, son, and son's friend) perfectly.

20vtguy it souns like you would be happier with something else. In a way I think you may miss out on a very satisifying vehicle by passing on the HHR.

And as far as most of the things Karen1953 cited, well those are intrinsic to the retro styling and not quality issues-- the shallow windshield and thick roof pillars (which limit outward visibility), running boards, etc., are the price of the designer's pen strokes (or CAD pixels) when he artfully created the body style for HHR.

In the end, I think you have to also concede the class of vehicle the HHR is: entry level. GM intends it to appeal to buyers looking in the entry level class who want max style and value for their limited dollars they intend to spend. I think HHR delivers in those areas, and quality, very well.

 

One more thing, the Ecotec engine is pretty bullet proof. Here's a 2004 Ecotec that went 365,000 miles with no problems and no rebuild:

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=100893