Looking for advice on the HHR
08-05-2013, 09:30 AM
#21
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 02-09-2013
Location: usa
Posts: 69
The other one I posted looks interesting with 50K (one thing about 50K is they probably found and fixed any the niggles common to these cars). But its hours away and has been for sale for a couple months.
Going to look at another today at a Honda dealership. If the people who drove an hour to look at my truck yesterday fall though I will probably keep the Tacoma and trade it for a CX-5 when used ones start showing up. and take $6000 out of my step sons car fund and find him an HHR. We have 16 K set aside for his car fund. but he will need insurance and fixit money and don't want to blow all of it on hos first car. A higher mileage HHR should have had a lot taken care of.
08-05-2013, 09:31 AM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: 08-10-2008
Location: Snellville, GA
Posts: 239
Just did this myself......
Just got my wife an '06 2LT, auto, air, power everything, leather/heated driver's seat, top end stereo, sunroof, yadda, yadda. 86K on it w/ 2.4 and haven't had any of the problems mentioned, and according to the codes and carfax, this was a rental, but, it's been flawless so far, wife couldn't be happier. Now at this mileage, it needs some regular maintenance, like shocks, it bounces a few time over bumps, but, shocks/struts are in order and that's normal, all of which I can do myself. Was thinking of a "little" over-kill by going to Cobalt SS/TC springs and rear swaybar, I think the SS HHR's are the only ones that came with rear swaybars from the factory, but, the install is like a 15 minute job.
08-05-2013, 10:42 AM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: 06-17-2012
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 161
I am looking at buying an 08-11 HHR w 2LT Been hashing this out for months. My head says get the CX-5 My heart says save $12G and buy an HHR. IF I cannot find one at a great price, My only other choice is a Mazda CX-5 when the 2013s start hitting the streets used.
Been reading this forum for months since deciding to cash out my Tacoma. Got an offer today (pending Credit Union) today at $22,500 which is $3500 more than Carmax offered as a straight buy out last Feb. If the deal goes, I am willing to spend up to $12,000 for an HHR. I don't put many miles on a car. Maybe 4000 a year. So the Tacoma is a pile of money doing nothing and I want a smaller foot print in my garage for my bike to fit as well. HHR looks like a fun hobby car.
I found this and may make an offer for $11,000 cash
http://columbia.craigslist.org/cto/3867344896.html
With 50K
What should I look for? Pattern Issues I have been reading are
Shifter ignitions stuck
Wind deflector moon roof
Water leaks taking out heater blower/resistor
Front rotors warping
Various electrical mysteries
Lift gate membrane failures
Suspension issues with stabilizers (clunks?)
Krist making this list is giving me second thoughts....LOL What am I missing?
Is the battery in the rear a problem for anyone?
Does the 2LT set up dismiss any of these more common issues I have been reading about? ie different suspension, bigger engine.....
Some of them seem like inexpensive fixes. Others not so much.
Coming from two Toyotas Wife on her third RAV (never an issue.) Me coming from a trouble free Tacoma. (Neither of us ever running into a wall and bursting into flames due to a stuck accelerator) I will admit I am a little tentative about buying a Chevy given what I have been reading. But they all cannot have all these pattern issues.
I also am looking at an 08 with 20K but that's a Ford dealer and they want $14474. I would not give them more than $12,000 plus tax.
Thanks for the advice.....and maybe comfort and confidence?
Been reading this forum for months since deciding to cash out my Tacoma. Got an offer today (pending Credit Union) today at $22,500 which is $3500 more than Carmax offered as a straight buy out last Feb. If the deal goes, I am willing to spend up to $12,000 for an HHR. I don't put many miles on a car. Maybe 4000 a year. So the Tacoma is a pile of money doing nothing and I want a smaller foot print in my garage for my bike to fit as well. HHR looks like a fun hobby car.
I found this and may make an offer for $11,000 cash
http://columbia.craigslist.org/cto/3867344896.html
With 50K
What should I look for? Pattern Issues I have been reading are
Shifter ignitions stuck
Wind deflector moon roof
Water leaks taking out heater blower/resistor
Front rotors warping
Various electrical mysteries
Lift gate membrane failures
Suspension issues with stabilizers (clunks?)
Krist making this list is giving me second thoughts....LOL What am I missing?
Is the battery in the rear a problem for anyone?
Does the 2LT set up dismiss any of these more common issues I have been reading about? ie different suspension, bigger engine.....
Some of them seem like inexpensive fixes. Others not so much.
Coming from two Toyotas Wife on her third RAV (never an issue.) Me coming from a trouble free Tacoma. (Neither of us ever running into a wall and bursting into flames due to a stuck accelerator) I will admit I am a little tentative about buying a Chevy given what I have been reading. But they all cannot have all these pattern issues.
I also am looking at an 08 with 20K but that's a Ford dealer and they want $14474. I would not give them more than $12,000 plus tax.
Thanks for the advice.....and maybe comfort and confidence?
I am looking at buying an 08-11 HHR w 2LT Been hashing this out for months. My head says get the CX-5 My heart says save $12G and buy an HHR. IF I cannot find one at a great price, My only other choice is a Mazda CX-5 when the 2013s start hitting the streets used.
Been reading this forum for months since deciding to cash out my Tacoma. Got an offer today (pending Credit Union) today at $22,500 which is $3500 more than Carmax offered as a straight buy out last Feb. If the deal goes, I am willing to spend up to $12,000 for an HHR. I don't put many miles on a car. Maybe 4000 a year. So the Tacoma is a pile of money doing nothing and I want a smaller foot print in my garage for my bike to fit as well. HHR looks like a fun hobby car.
I found this and may make an offer for $11,000 cash
http://columbia.craigslist.org/cto/3867344896.html
With 50K
What should I look for? Pattern Issues I have been reading are
Shifter ignitions stuck
Wind deflector moon roof
Water leaks taking out heater blower/resistor
Front rotors warping
Various electrical mysteries
Lift gate membrane failures
Suspension issues with stabilizers (clunks?)
Krist making this list is giving me second thoughts....LOL What am I missing?
Is the battery in the rear a problem for anyone?
Does the 2LT set up dismiss any of these more common issues I have been reading about? ie different suspension, bigger engine.....
Some of them seem like inexpensive fixes. Others not so much.
Coming from two Toyotas Wife on her third RAV (never an issue.) Me coming from a trouble free Tacoma. (Neither of us ever running into a wall and bursting into flames due to a stuck accelerator) I will admit I am a little tentative about buying a Chevy given what I have been reading. But they all cannot have all these pattern issues.
I also am looking at an 08 with 20K but that's a Ford dealer and they want $14474. I would not give them more than $12,000 plus tax.
Thanks for the advice.....and maybe comfort and confidence?
Been reading this forum for months since deciding to cash out my Tacoma. Got an offer today (pending Credit Union) today at $22,500 which is $3500 more than Carmax offered as a straight buy out last Feb. If the deal goes, I am willing to spend up to $12,000 for an HHR. I don't put many miles on a car. Maybe 4000 a year. So the Tacoma is a pile of money doing nothing and I want a smaller foot print in my garage for my bike to fit as well. HHR looks like a fun hobby car.
I found this and may make an offer for $11,000 cash
http://columbia.craigslist.org/cto/3867344896.html
With 50K
What should I look for? Pattern Issues I have been reading are
Shifter ignitions stuck
Wind deflector moon roof
Water leaks taking out heater blower/resistor
Front rotors warping
Various electrical mysteries
Lift gate membrane failures
Suspension issues with stabilizers (clunks?)
Krist making this list is giving me second thoughts....LOL What am I missing?
Is the battery in the rear a problem for anyone?
Does the 2LT set up dismiss any of these more common issues I have been reading about? ie different suspension, bigger engine.....
Some of them seem like inexpensive fixes. Others not so much.
Coming from two Toyotas Wife on her third RAV (never an issue.) Me coming from a trouble free Tacoma. (Neither of us ever running into a wall and bursting into flames due to a stuck accelerator) I will admit I am a little tentative about buying a Chevy given what I have been reading. But they all cannot have all these pattern issues.
I also am looking at an 08 with 20K but that's a Ford dealer and they want $14474. I would not give them more than $12,000 plus tax.
Thanks for the advice.....and maybe comfort and confidence?
That being said, be prepared for some of the common issues. Besides the drivetrains, the HHR is definitely only a car for people willing to take care of them.
Shifter ignitions stuck-common, but an easy fix (I avoid this because I have a standard)
Wind deflector moon roof- (this WILL happen to all HHR's with a moon roof, the bracket just snapped on mine last week) It cost me $12.00 for the left and right replacements, and you can do it yourself if you're handy. The dealer will also do the work, but be prepared to pay for labor. You can also go the easy route and just replace it with an aftermarket fixed plastic one.
Water leaks taking out heater blower/resistor- Haven't had this issue yet, and mine is an '06 but I won't rule it out
Front rotors warping - Mine has this issue, I'll be replacing the stock rotors and pads with aftermarket units to alleviate the constant replacement or turning.
Various electrical mysteries - I think this is just luck of the draw, mine has been pretty reliable
Lift gate membrane failures - Haven't seen this issue in mine, but it's something to watch for.
Suspension issues with stabilizers (clunks?) - Mine has this, sounds like the car is going to crack apart in sub zero temperatures. Only fix is replacing the components.
The other thing to watch for is rust creeping out of the door seams at the bottom of the door. This seems to be something you just CAN'T avoid happening. If you're pedantic about car appearance like me, I highly recommend mentioning this issue to the dealer, and the cost of having it fixed. This should knock the pricing down quite a bit, or make them take care of it for you.
08-05-2013, 11:26 AM
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: 01-13-2008
Location: Washington State, where it rains
Posts: 4,708
But remember not ALL cars are affected by all this,,there are plenty of them out there that have not experienced these problems. Rotor warpage is most likely the cause of no/low maintenance, brakes are treated as if they will tend to themselves and these do not. The rears have to be maintained in adjustment or the fronts get overheated....thus warped.
My SS is 5 years old and the moon roof works fine..keeping trash out and lubed does wonders. Dirt gets in places and binds it up..normal maintenance. Everything else is subject to wear and tear and requires standard maintenance. Not all cars get the front 'clunk"..both my cars (07 -08) have not experienced this. Both are over 60k..
Neither car has any rust anywhere..and they both have been thru several winters..and Im not one to wash them in 30 deg weather so they stay fairly dirty all winter long unless it rains or an exceptionally warm day comes along. Rear hatch? The struts dont last forever, theres an awful lot of weight that it carries..no different then the old wagons or the truck cap with the rear window,They wear out. Granted, there are a handful of lemons out there, every make/model has them, including washers toasters tv's and lawnmowers. But there are many many more that are happily chugging along with little to no problems what so ever, and you wont hear about them because they have nothing to complain about. Theres a handful of 200-300k milers out there that have done nothing more then routine maintenance. I guess what Im saying is don't lump them all into the "problem" categories, its a ratio and that ratio is low. I understand that you mean the Possible problems..not probable...so dont take this blurp the wrong way..
My SS is 5 years old and the moon roof works fine..keeping trash out and lubed does wonders. Dirt gets in places and binds it up..normal maintenance. Everything else is subject to wear and tear and requires standard maintenance. Not all cars get the front 'clunk"..both my cars (07 -08) have not experienced this. Both are over 60k..
Neither car has any rust anywhere..and they both have been thru several winters..and Im not one to wash them in 30 deg weather so they stay fairly dirty all winter long unless it rains or an exceptionally warm day comes along. Rear hatch? The struts dont last forever, theres an awful lot of weight that it carries..no different then the old wagons or the truck cap with the rear window,They wear out. Granted, there are a handful of lemons out there, every make/model has them, including washers toasters tv's and lawnmowers. But there are many many more that are happily chugging along with little to no problems what so ever, and you wont hear about them because they have nothing to complain about. Theres a handful of 200-300k milers out there that have done nothing more then routine maintenance. I guess what Im saying is don't lump them all into the "problem" categories, its a ratio and that ratio is low. I understand that you mean the Possible problems..not probable...so dont take this blurp the wrong way..
08-05-2013, 12:19 PM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: 10-21-2008
Location: hemet, calif.
Posts: 1,831
I bought my 2006 2lt from a Chevy dealer a lease turn in with 32,000 miles looked like it had not been driven all was perfect, had the windshield changed the first week as it had some pits, then had it lowered bought a billit grill the 2nd month, I did have the dreaded solenoid problem after the first year thanks to Whopper I changed them in about 20 minutes for $110.00, the only problem was the alternater went out over $500.00 to get replaced, I have replaced some things such as shocks and struts with the fe-5 added a rear sway bar, I now have 63,000 miles and still love it. buy an HHR and you will love it, that's why many folks have more than 1.
08-05-2013, 12:43 PM
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: 02-21-2010
Location: Burlington, ON
Posts: 537
There are many on the forum like myself that own 2 or more HHRs.
As others have said. On a forum you don't always hear from the people with no issues.
Looks like you have fully done your research and now you just have to decide on a colour.
Me I like them black.
As others have said. On a forum you don't always hear from the people with no issues.
Looks like you have fully done your research and now you just have to decide on a colour.
Me I like them black.
08-05-2013, 04:21 PM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: 04-05-2011
Location: 3rd rock from th sun
Posts: 235
15K for a 5 year old HHR, resale of these can't be that bad.
Love my HHR (yes only LS - boo hoo), but those are pretty different vehicles. Of those Tacoma would be a better fit for me, but I can't do a 2WD truck anymore. Been there/done that, not in Minnesota.
A 2wd off road package is pretty funny.
Love my HHR (yes only LS - boo hoo), but those are pretty different vehicles. Of those Tacoma would be a better fit for me, but I can't do a 2WD truck anymore. Been there/done that, not in Minnesota.
A 2wd off road package is pretty funny.
08-06-2013, 08:04 PM
#29
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 02-09-2013
Location: usa
Posts: 69
.. I guess owning an HHR is sort of like owning a Harley Lots of little niggles here and there and things to be aware of.Toyota is like Yamaha. They just run. Don't need to think about them or even maintain them LOL
Somehow I think 20K miles on an 08 may not be as good as 50K mikes on a 10.
Have not heard form my Taco buyers so I may be forced to give it some more thought. I know one thing. I won';t trade the the Tacoma for the HHR without at least $9000 pocketed. I just think there is more than $6000 dealer difference between the two. Especially depreciation going forward. If I get $3500 more than low book fair trade value selling privately. I would feel a lot better about buying the HHR.
Not too many 2LTs available though. Hard to believe rental companies bought 2LTs. I drove an LS today. For the relatively small difference in price used I would rather have the 2.5 and the leather. I have dogs that shed. I could live without a moon roof and likely will not open it except to keep it well lubed and blow the down tubes out.
One thing is there is lots of good information on this site. Some of it scary lol. But I am 59 years old and may look silly driving one as well. Dark tinted windows will be in the mix
I will keep reading and learning about these cool little rides. Dammm I wish Toyota made them....
BTW Ford just dropped the price on the Orange one $900 to $13574 since I was there last week....They are killing me'
http://www.beachford.net/car-details...-sc-id-4957112
1
08-06-2013, 08:10 PM
#30
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 02-09-2013
Location: usa
Posts: 69
Black Suits the car the best. Flat black even better for the nostalgic look which is what i would go for. Hood Ornament. Some chrome side moulding pieces behind the wheel wells like Yamaha does on the Stratoliner bikes. Although digs would bother me and you can see them a block away on black not to mention keeping them clean is a career.