Heres my recent buying experience




I recently bought a 2006 HHR that had an original sticker of $24,125. The original buyer bought it 14 months ago. They had it marked at $18,995 Carfax said it was local and bought locally.I was not looking for an HHR but a Vibe or MAtrix when I stumbled upon one at a Dodge dealership just after test driving the Caliber. I like the cargo area and the creature comforts. But hated the asking price of $18,995

I had a 2003 Explorer with 48K on it. I offered $4k and my Ford OTD. They wanted $8500! Since I was in no hurry I said no. They asked for and offer, "I made my offer". They invited me to look up both cars on KBB. I did. I saw ACV trade in in good condition on the Explorer at $9800 and $13.5 low book as equipt or so for the HHR in good condition.

I figured they have $12k MAybe $12.5 in the HHR (What a beating these cars take). Thats how I came up with my offer. The Sales Manager was a good guy. No a GREAT guy. He took no offense but kidded with me " So lets see you want to trade wholesale for wholesale" I said "And?" HE laughed and dropped his price $3000!!!! to $5500 OTD and my truck.

We both were silent for about 5 minutes. "I said I guess the next person who talks loses" He laughed and said "I knew you were thinking that"

I pull out a single check from my wallet and fill it out for $5000. I hand him the check and tell him it's my last check. I will have to go home to get another. HE again laughs and calls his used car manager to find out "how much they have in the HHR" The sales guy is standing there not saying a word.

The SM gets up and says we have a deal. Easy and a good experience. Not anything like I have had in the past.

Now the HHR has 11k miles on it and has EVERY option available. Even the On Star and XM Radio still apparently have time left. Its a nice alternative to the big Explorer.

But they are obviously worse then KIAs in resale LOL

Whether or not the dealer made $200 $2000 or $5000 on the deal makes no difference. I bought the car for $14k OTD and felt it was a good value.

I did not buy the car at a Chevy dealer which in my mind saved me money because it would have been "Certified" and I am sure that would have cost another $1500 or more. Because it was at a Dodge Dealer I believe they let it go as it may be competition to their PT Cruisers. I sure would not want the chance of someone coming in for a new PT to decide they rather have a new HHR instead...Perhaps.

It has been in the shop for all the "common" issues I have read about in every forum. Steering column/Key stuck/ Squeaking seat/ (Still waiting for rain to see about leaks) But I am very happy with it. As a side benefit After driving it awhile it makes my wifes Ecli[se Spyder feel like a Ferrari.

 

Sounds like you got the kinda deal you were after, good for you!

Hopefully you enjoy the HHR for a while.

By a GM Certified used car may have been a little more money but if I'm not mistaken you would have also recieved an extended warranty to 60,000 miles. Correct me if I am wrong, but is that not the offer that came about down in the US with certified vehicles?

 

As long as your are happy, that is all that matters.

This is not true, my mother bought her 2006 Cobalt at a Chevy dealership. They are rarely "certified". Too bad since the used certified has a better warranty than new on these (5/100K).

No 2006 model has a great trade in or resale value. I bought my 2006 new for less than most were selling them used for.

 

Its a drive train only warranty and thats not what goes wrong with these cars.

Resale is indeed terrible. Check out the trade in value. The previous owner of this car gave up 10 grand in 13 months!!!! I would not call that a good resale. I bouugt it for $14k out the door. even if the previous owner got a $2k rebate, he is still out $10K in less then two years on a car with 11,000 miles.

Heres Kelly trade in on a 2007 Loaded 2LT $14.500. Retail $24,125 minus rebates Maybe $13,000. Yikes "Suggested" retail is $20,000. Forget retail no one pays that or should. Actual Cash Value is good trade in value, What can you get for the car today. Thats the real value No dealer will pay more then low book. Many will not even pay that on a car that has a limited market. If they use Galves Book or Black Book figure another $500-$1000 less

Watch Ebay sales as well.


I love my car but I have no illusions of what their value is. First of all there are not a lot of buyers who would be caught dead in these cars. The PT is old news and not exactly a barn burner in sales any more. The market is really thin. If it wasn't I surely would have paid a lot more then $14K OTD for a loaded car that was 13 months old.

Like KIAs and Hyundais there cars are keepers and much better value purchased used.

 

Once again, to sell a car (especially trade in ) a car that is only 13 months old and you will loose your butt. For comparision I looked up a 2006 Camary XLE V6, and then again 11000 miles later. Guess what, close to 10K loss. And you know the toyota gave up nothing on the initial sale and the HHR probably did . I looked up my own for S&G's and looks like I lost about $4G for the initial year, average (since I bought new, I know what it sold for).

And you compare that to a KIA?

If you are happy with your purchase, great. That is all that matters. For the less than $3G your paid over (under) mine, I'll take the satisfaction of knowing what happened that first year. But I could care less about the resale value. I don't trade out cars every year or so.

 

I think that they are better values new rather than used and find the tone of your post demeaning. I paid just a little less than 6k off of list price and have a 100k power train warranty. I checked out KBB.com and they say the trade in value(not private party nor retail) is more than I paid. Of course KBB is not all that accurate but is helpful for those of us not in the business. Also I would add that your comments on the PT cruiser are inaccurate. The only Chrysler corporation CAR to outsell the PT is the 300.

 

Thats funny since the previous poster claims he lost only $4k on a new car, That's impossible with any American car unless he is talking retail. I would invite him to show me a 2006 $25,000 MSRP CAmry with 11k I can buy for $14k out the door. I'll buy all he can find. OR even an$18.000 Corolla.

If they really are selling these cars for $6k of MSRP says alot obout the real market and subsequant "value" of the car whether or not you like my "tone" or not.

IF you bought your car for $6k of MSRP and MSRP was $24125. You paid around $19K out the door. Check out the resale on a similarly priced KIA then laugh. KIA can be bought at huge discounts as well. Because they have no resale.

The Toyota example is misleading becasue anyone can sell a 2 year old Honda or Toyota WITHOUT trading it in for less then $4k of the new price all day long. No need to trade it in because there is a market for those cars.

As far as the PT Cruiser being the best selling Chrysler next to the 300. Thats not saying anything with regard to the rest of all cars sold. Only relative to Chrysler. The PT will be going away. Watch. A big seller does not go away. Look at Mustangs.

Rule of thumb when buying GOOD high deprciating cars like HHR and KIAs. Buy used. Buy Hondas and Toyotas new and keep all of them. In 4 years the Honda and Toyota will smoke my HHR or KIA on the resale market. In 6 years the difference in value will be laughable.

 

You keep insisting that the PT Cruiser is going away even though it is a sales leader for many years. You seem to be presenting your own bias as if it were fact. Here is an article speculating on doomed Chrysler corporation models as indicated by their new CEO. Notice the lack of mention of the PT Cruiser.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20743583/site/newsweek/

You assume incorrectly that I bought a car with a 24K list price. I find that level of content of little interest to me .More apropos of this discussion these "over optioned" cars have poor resale value. "Over Optioned" is of course in quotation marks because these may be useful or even necessary options for some. However, the resale value is determined by their desirability to the majority of buyers. Most used car buyers will pay full fare for an automatic transmission, but this isn't so with navigation and Onstar. Rule of thumb in real estate is to buy the cheapest house in good neighborhood, not to buy the most expensive. I think a lot of your experiences with poor resale value in the past has been your poor choices in the options area. You have a great day.

 

Comparing the financial aspect of car ownership with Real Estate in ANY way is a sure indicator of the lack of financial accumen and a sure way to pay interest one's whole life rather then collect interest. Most Real Estate is an investment. Most cars are not.

You are assuming I had poor resale experiences in the past. I have always bought used cars that had poor resale values. In my case I actully did much better then the first owner in every case. Thats why a used car with high depreciation is a great value and a terrible lease or buy when new. Whether you keep the car one year or sell it after 10 you still threw away $5000 as soon as the front wheel went over the curb. It's money that was spent or is OWED that will NEVER be seen again and many are paying interest on. How is that a god thing (except for the new car smell)

AS far as options go I would not buy new with all the goodies but will always buy used with all of them if possible. I bought my bike that way with $2000
worth of options rolled into the cost. They ended up costing me about $300 over book value on the bike.

BTW as reported by another HHR Member "New Chrysler Chairman Nardelli reports that the Magnum and PT showed a drop in sales of 35 and 25% respectively and are at risk of being dropped as the new company takes over. As reported by the AP."

In fact wann't it you who wanted to sign the Petition and started a thread right here to SAVE THE PT????

 

Yes indeed that was me. Doesn't change the fact that the PT cruiser is a star in Chrysler sales.

Regarding your purchase of high optioned cars not costing you anything; there is a reason many people shy away from them. That of course is the high cost of repair and the frequency of those repairs.

While it is true that there are major differences in the economics of real estate and automobiles, it is illogical on your part to assume that the constellation of factors are mutually exclusive.

There is some merit to your plan of buying used cars of poor resale value, and most probably makes more sense than buying used vehicles of high resale value as some people do. There is no merit to your disrespecting the choices of others.