Owned a GMC panel van for years, complete with paneling, carpet and more. You just use your mirror more and learn to trust them.
Even drove it with a broken neck (on the way to the hospital)

I have the spotter mirror on my AA5. I like to adjust my mirror so I can just see the rear corner of my vehicle. with the spotters I can see 2 lanes on either side.

Great practice... whether you can see out the side of your car or not.

 

Driving with mirrors is a skill may have never had to use and when they do it often becomes an issue.

Using the mirrors will become a habit and a forgotten fear in a short time of driving. The HHR has good mirrors and spot solve the rest of it.

In time the blide spots are forgotten and you will look in them out of habit.

I have a window HHR but I drive it with the mirrors. I never look out the rear side windows. Just habit. I own a Fiero and it has blind spots that can hide a semi and the mirrors are not that big. You learn to look and keep track of the cars behind you.

 

all my cars ive driven in the last 4 years have had a wall behind the front seat (wall, meaning a giant subwoofer box that seals the front of the cabin off from the back) so im used to it, and have never once backed into anything, not got in an accident. i use my side mirrors and im fine. even in cars i drive that are stock, i dont look back or use the rear view mirror at all.

 

agreed. i also lean forward, almost all the way to the steering wheel, to change the view in the mirror, when im going to switch lanes. ive never had a problem, nor cut anyone off doing this. when i lean forward, it shows me my blind spots

 

Thank you everyone for taking the time to post all these tips! I knew it had to be safe somehow -- people drive these types of vans everyday -- I just couldn't see how ;-)

 

Dan-

Numerous excellent answers here already.. You just learn to trust your mirrors.. And setting them properly is part of the key..

Plus: my Panel came with the GM 3 3/4" convex spots. For me they were TOO Big.
In that I had been used to 3" spots on both my previous S-10's, I had for 18 some yrs.
So, off came the GM 3 3/4" spots, & I put 3" spots on....Big improvement !!

What using smaller 3" spots does, is move the crown of the convex out further away, thus allowing me to even see the bottoms of both my rear tires..(just like on both my S-10s')....

Perfect for parking super-close to a curb, or etc. And still see across 2 to 3 lanes of traffic, out either side, all while being comfortably reclined...

And then you have more of the main mirrors to see out as well..

Plus I used to have a windowless (party) van. & did drive dem big ol rigs loooong ago...

Good Luck in what you decide..

 

Pay attention to traffic. I memorize what kind of cars are around me and notice if certain activities might lead to distracted driving such as the ole palm glued to the side of the head syndrome [cell phone!]

After a while all that will become second nature and your spidey senses will go off long before you get into trouble.

Like the others recommended getting those mirrors adjusted properly is key and practice using an 8 second sweep where you check all mirrors every 8 seconds.

I drive a semi for a living and this is part of the technique most all safe truck drivers use and good advise for any driver IMHO.

Enjoy your panel! Lots of folks use the HHR panel as a moving billboard and with the right graphics look fantastic!

 

My wife drives an '09 and it came with factory spotter mirrors. She has been driving it for a year now with no problems. And no she isin't a truck driver, she is just a carefull driver.......

 

i was 19 when i got my panel. and i had come from an extended cab ford ranger,

the first week takes getting used to.
but as far as parking spots, i park with everyone else, hardly ever back in to a spot
i just back out of my spot slowly checking both mirrors the whole time depending on where i parked
just got to watch out for the people who think your going to stop as if you have windows or something while backing out., lol

but as far as lane changing also, its no big deal, those little spot mirrors let me see two lanes over , only thing that sucks is when you come out to your panel and want to leave right away on a rainy day, is when the mirrors have fogged up and so have your windows, thats when you either go wipe them off , or deal with it for a few minutes and pretty much change lanes blind lol

 

i agree on that also, im always checkin traffic around me, you know like just in case someone stops in front of you, you know then that you have a way around it