HHR quality compared to perceived Foreign
03-23-2007, 08:07 PM
#102
Senior Member
Join Date: 08-17-2006
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 1,851
I thought I did, but according to an article in USA Today, the HHR only has 41% of it's parts that were sourced from the US or Canada 
With (supposedly) 59% of the components not coming from the US or Canada, does that make it an import with a Bowtie?
In the grand scheme of things, I'll stand by GM till the end. I've been personally buying GM vehicles since the late 80s, my father has been since the late 50s.
With (supposedly) 59% of the components not coming from the US or Canada, does that make it an import with a Bowtie?
In the grand scheme of things, I'll stand by GM till the end. I've been personally buying GM vehicles since the late 80s, my father has been since the late 50s.
03-24-2007, 01:11 AM
#104
Platinum Member
Join Date: 05-09-2006
Location: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 6,805
Crafty......
I believe you have HillsdaleHHR confused with another HHR*******. The one in question has not been around for awhile. I think I may have, unintentionally, hurt his feeelings.
04-04-2007, 08:38 AM
#105
Senior Member
Join Date: 08-20-2006
Location: Hillsdale, Michigan
Posts: 21,640
AMEN, BROTHER! I get so damn sick of Motor Trend being an import whoring ground, which let's be honest, is all it's become. Positive comments about domestics have become extremely few and far between lately, while they're one of the first to drool over a new import ... Toyota in particular (grrr).
In this test, the Tundra's the faster truck, and has some neat features. But the Chevy's far better value. It wins this round. But the battle is far from over.
1st Place: Chevrolet Silverado
Stylish interior, solid build and loading flexibility, but hampered by its old-school auto transmission.
2nd Place: Toyota Tundra
A superior powertrain, more room, and clever packaging, but in this spec can't match Chevy's value.
1st Place: Chevrolet Silverado
Stylish interior, solid build and loading flexibility, but hampered by its old-school auto transmission.
2nd Place: Toyota Tundra
A superior powertrain, more room, and clever packaging, but in this spec can't match Chevy's value.
04-04-2007, 08:46 AM
#106
Senior Member
Join Date: 03-10-2007
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 211
Now that Motor Trend article is quite surprising to me!
Car and Driver also named the Silverado the better truck. In their test the Toyota came in third (behind the Titan).
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...ta-tundra.html
sorry about the long link!
Car and Driver also named the Silverado the better truck. In their test the Toyota came in third (behind the Titan).
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...ta-tundra.html
sorry about the long link!
04-04-2007, 10:51 AM
#107
Member
Join Date: 03-31-2007
Location: new hartford ct.
Posts: 43
If you talk your neighbor's and make at least 50 quick conversations in parking lots of the car you are interested of buying over the course of a month you will see a pattern to help you decide.Go to the source.Ya just can't beat that.Will put consumer reports and the whole lot of them out of business in weeks.Follow the money. Every report card on a astro van was a d-.Don't buy they said. For month's anytime I bumped into a owner I asked are you pleased. (98%) responded not one problem and loved the van.So off I went and put one in my garage. Not one major problem ever and can out load and tow anything for over 8 year's and 165,000 miles later.Not one spot of rust too! Can provide thousand's of examples like that. Did same thing with the hhr but had to spend more time because of less numbers of them on the road. Again almost all said no problems and love it.I love my country and capitalism as long as the truth get's out. Kelldog
04-04-2007, 11:36 AM
#108
Senior Member
Join Date: 07-17-2006
Location: Dallas, GA
Posts: 6,052
All companies make good ones and bad ones. I have two vehicles currently, a 2006 and a 2003.
I've had the 2006 for a little over 6 months and no issues to date.
Ive had the 2003 for 39 months and it has been in twice for recalls on sensors, all within the first 6 months. Also in the first 6 months it had to go in to have the hood repainted, that intailed in the hood being repainted 6 times to make it match the rest. As during all that process, they damaged the left fender, right headlight and grill. All with the first 6 months (actuall within 2 months).
Lets see, the HHR was allembled in Mexico. Is it American?
The other was built in Japan, with a Ford motor. Is it foreign?
Leave the "it's the company pocket that counts" out of this. The president of GM ain't gonna give you a dime. Neither is the president of Mazda. Seems most that compain about the "lack of quality" just wanna ***** about a purchase they made, and the little research they made in that decision. Oldest car I have owned was 15 years old, actually two of them, both Fords. Highest mileage was a Honda at 196K, (next was a Chevy with 126K, it was stolen). Had to replace one Ford tranny and had one Honda motor spin a bearing (was not the 196K motor BTW).
Go by any dealership and look at the service department. You will see that none are bored. They all have a line up of their own cars there to work on. And not all are oil changes.
IMO, unless you have a actual problem, "Quality" is pretty much the owners version. What you see as quality, I may see as crap. What you might wonder why they didn't do something, I may be glad they didn't. Do I think the HHR is the highest quality? I have no complaints about the material and components used. Is the plastic too hard? Well it's the same as it was they day I bought it, as long as it doesn't crack, I'm happy. I test drove the car, and more than one version. I knew what it had and didn't have. I knew how it worked. If it breaks, then the dealer will have to fix it (under warranty for now) and I will have to deal with that. I also knew that at the time of purchase.
But I like not driving something that does not blend in with everything else on the road.
I've had the 2006 for a little over 6 months and no issues to date.
Ive had the 2003 for 39 months and it has been in twice for recalls on sensors, all within the first 6 months. Also in the first 6 months it had to go in to have the hood repainted, that intailed in the hood being repainted 6 times to make it match the rest. As during all that process, they damaged the left fender, right headlight and grill. All with the first 6 months (actuall within 2 months).
Lets see, the HHR was allembled in Mexico. Is it American?
The other was built in Japan, with a Ford motor. Is it foreign?
Leave the "it's the company pocket that counts" out of this. The president of GM ain't gonna give you a dime. Neither is the president of Mazda. Seems most that compain about the "lack of quality" just wanna ***** about a purchase they made, and the little research they made in that decision. Oldest car I have owned was 15 years old, actually two of them, both Fords. Highest mileage was a Honda at 196K, (next was a Chevy with 126K, it was stolen). Had to replace one Ford tranny and had one Honda motor spin a bearing (was not the 196K motor BTW).
Go by any dealership and look at the service department. You will see that none are bored. They all have a line up of their own cars there to work on. And not all are oil changes.
IMO, unless you have a actual problem, "Quality" is pretty much the owners version. What you see as quality, I may see as crap. What you might wonder why they didn't do something, I may be glad they didn't. Do I think the HHR is the highest quality? I have no complaints about the material and components used. Is the plastic too hard? Well it's the same as it was they day I bought it, as long as it doesn't crack, I'm happy. I test drove the car, and more than one version. I knew what it had and didn't have. I knew how it worked. If it breaks, then the dealer will have to fix it (under warranty for now) and I will have to deal with that. I also knew that at the time of purchase.
But I like not driving something that does not blend in with everything else on the road.
04-04-2007, 12:42 PM
#109
Member
Join Date: 03-31-2007
Location: new hartford ct.
Posts: 43
The only true judge of quality is reliability.Quality is not a personal perception. If your hhr 98 last 20 yrs it HAD to be made with Quality parts and constuction.Best place to get info on reliability can only come and should from the horses mouth which is the beauty of these kind of web sites that are un bias. You can take motor trend and throw it in the garbage.Do other countries have there hand in there back pocket. I betcha they do.When 100 people you meet say hhr is reliable,you best beleive you have a Quality hhr. Follow the money!! kelldog
04-12-2007, 03:28 AM
#110
Banned
Join Date: 04-12-2007
Location: san antonio,tx
Posts: 897
my cousin was a GM engineer for 6 years and worked on many concept vehicles as well as a few that made production including the SSR and the Cobalt. he moved closer to home to become an engineer at our new toyota plant.
HE is a QC Engineer for Toyota and he has talked me out of buying a toyota on multiple ocassions. his major point is that the toyota QC issues outweigh the Domestics by a long shot. so, on that note i am in the arena for an HHR.
i researched the ford fusion and the cobalt, but in the long run the HHR seems like a great choice with the warranty we get with them now.