It has been 6 years or so since the HHR went out of production has any one year stood out as the best or worst? By best i mean most reliable.

I understand newer will generally have the fewest problems or one with the fewest options or lowest miles, but this is not always the case.

They all seem to have the same common front end problems.

 

I am driving a 2006 2.4 and have 183XXX
During my ownership we have the following;
(MAJOR/SAFETY) REPAIRS; Alternator, battery, headlight bulb, brake pads and rotors, brake drums and shoes, Intake and Exhaust Solenoids, Air filters, Butyl patch fix due to water leakage
MAINTENANCE; Coolant flush, Transmission Flush, oil change every 5,000 miles on synthetic
INTERIOR: Has remained flawless without any sort of cracks or anything in the leather, no panels falling off or anything, and my car sits in the Florida sun ALL DAY
EXTERIOR: The paint, though it does have tiny chips and imperfections due to highway commuting, is still in excellent condition, and you really have to look for the defects to find any.
I also only run 93 octane in the 2.4
I have a yearly mileage of close to 30,000 miles, and the HHR power plant seems to LOVE commutes. Overall, no repair done thus far has every been one to leave me stranded, and are all pretty much expected with the age of the vehicle. Besides, I think my 10 year old battery is what killed my alternator, but who knows all is well now. This is one of those vehicles that, if you keep up with maintenance and take care of it, it will never let you down. I do not abuse it but I do not baby it either; that is I accelerate to pass in traffic, sometimes have some fun once and a while (the 2.4 has great response when using it while moving, not so much off the line power though...gearing?) Anyhow I can say that this car is, without a doubt, the most dependable one I have ever seen. Some rare folks out there have 300XXX and more miles, so my 183XXX is just breaking in As I write this now the car does not leak any fluid of any sort and runs like a dream. I never have any concern about the car letting me down because I simply know it will not. I do have the occasional front end clunk but am "living with it" for now.

 

Mine's a 2007 LS 2.2 automatic, has 215,000 miles and at least twice as many smiles!!
No major problems!

 

Purchased my 2011 in 2013 with 29,000 miles, has 92,000 now. I have replaced the battery (three months after I bought the car), the left headlight bulb, the air filter twice & the cabin filter twice. I replaced the tires at 51,000 with Goodyear Triple-Tread, which by the way are great tires. I do oil changes off the DIC at about 20% life left, with full synthetic oil. Coming up on flush & fill antifreeze & will change the thermostat (AC Delco) at the same time, & will change the spark plugs soon, also AC Delco.

 

I have a silver '07 LT with 113K miles , bought with 48k miles on 3/31/2010. I have had no major problems, only taken to dealer for recalls. Repairs have been done by me and the help of this forum. Car is garaged , routine fixes like brakes, rotors, air/cabin filters done by me ,also sunroof, T'stat, turn signal. Took it to muffler shop with flex pipe from Rock Auto. Consumer Report annual book shows '07 with least problems. Makes the perfect beach car and hauling small loads for me. I had a '85 chevy El Camino with 175K before this

 

Well... Personally I like the 2009 thru 2011 best mainly because they include for me some important updates.

1. VVT engines

2. Moving the Window switches to the door panels from the console area.

I also see a slight regression in hood fit on the 2011 which is a negative because you can not completely adjust the poor hood to fender fit.
Also it seems to be mostly on certain colors for some reason.

None of my 9 HHR's I have owned have had enough miles to report on the mechanical performance. The highest mileage on any was 32,000.

SF

 

Personally I couldn't tell you if any year is better/worse than another. Turn them upside down and they all look alike. My 2008 Panel has 153k miles with nothing other than brakes (lots), oil changes, battery, assorted bulbs, tires and wheels. Oh yeah, and a coil on cylinder 3 because of water dripping down thru the hood louvers which I take full responsibility. All in all, one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned.

 

It seems pretty common that a lot of cars are going into the mid 100,000 mile mark without issues, good to hear for me @ 89,000. In the week that I have owned the car I changed the left tail light. The car feels really good and I am very happy with it. I do have a few more changes coming in the next week or two, but just normal maintenance.

 

OK, I pick the 06 because it was the first year they have the signal running lights the first gen fog lights, besides that they were the fastest and could haul the most stuff they also have the nicest leather coolest wheels and I own one!

I forgot nothing ever breaks, wears out or needs repair either!

 

My first HHR was an 06 LS, who my girlfriend currently drives. No major problems (60K). Her shifter needed replacing which GM later had a recall for. I'm currently still driving my 09 SS, no problems at all. Just replaced the serp belt. (43K) My folks own a 11 LT and only had there battery replaced. (25K)