I've owned mine for 10 months now and all is well. hope you buy. by far the best car for the money. good luck.

 

Well I can say I am very happy with mine. Even if it is the shop getting a new front end due to someone turning in front of me. So I can also say it seems to be built like a take, cause it seems the damage was not as bad as it looks. It also rates a 5 star, but a 6 star with me. I had the radio problem and that has been it. No paint problems no engine problems. Yes you can say it needs more horsepower and they could have done a better job with some placement of things on the inside.
If we need not need a bigger car also, my wife would also like to have one.
So here is one person who gives the car a couple of

Edit: I have 13k miles since Feb 06

 

JB1,
Hey, I hesitated about buying mine. Started looking in October 2005 bought it Feb.16, 2006, I just wasn't sure if I really needed the new car payments, if I wanted a first run model and a 4 cylinder at that, plus all the extra options that came with it. Well, I haven't regretted it yet. This little cruck is a blast to drive, economical and basically trouble free. Everyone compliments me on it. Can't keep my wife and 12 year old out of it. He thinks it's cool to be seen in it.
I too have the A/C Growl, but there is a service bulletin on this, soo I'm sure Chevrolet has addressed this with the 2007. As with any vehicle you buy, first, why do you need it and will it fit your needs?. This is about as good as any new car out there. I think more bang for your buck too. Lots of options that are standard that aren't on others in this group. I've bought new cars and used cars, some that have been buggy for others, but I've never had problems with. Others have given me fits, they are machines, no guarantee what they will be like til you buy it and use it. Most of my vehicles had over 150,000 miles on them when I get rid of them with only the normal wear and tear on them for the most part. In addition, these are built on the Cobalt chassis, which is a year old, so much for the new run. Plus, as you've read, these little cars have a 5 star crash rating too, very important in making a decision in buying that new car.
PS
About the only negative..................NO............. It's Not A PT CRUISER......It's a Chevy.

 

Thanks for all the true replies I appreciate that.
I love the looks of the HHR and so does my wife. She doesnt want a hotrod so the 4-banger is fine for her/our needs. We are buying this for gas mileage, looks, functionality, because its a Chevy, but we also need this to be dependable (hence the thread topic). We were all fired up ready to buy till I found this forum and started reading all the threads about problems and "buy-backs" from a few members...I was shocked at the threads and dissapointed. I had/have great plans of modding this HHR alot like I have my chevy truck. I am a member of fullsizechevy.com so I know the importance of these specific forums and this one seems great.
We went and looked at the Dodge Caliber tonight and that thing was junk...just felt cheap unlike the HHR. We havent test driven the HHR yet just sat in them, test drive is scheduled for Monday morning because the salesman that helped us over the phone was off today.

I have allways owned modded vehicles, I cant leave anything stock so Im gonna need your help with mods because the HHR is new to me.

Heres a couple pics of my current truck.

 

You have to remember that when problems happen we hear about them but when everything goes fine we do not hear that (at least not as much, this thread excepted). If you look at the issues people discuss here in the context of the number of members who actually have that problem, that is a pretty good gauge of number of problems in the real world of HHRs. In fact the real world experince may be much smaller than here since many people seek out groups like this only when they have a problems. So what you read here in many ways may be an exaggeration of the true incidents in the context of total HHRs sold. So frankly I would only concern myself with the things that seem to be a common issue, such as the need for running boards.

I have had may HHR for merely 2 months now but it has met my expectations in every way. I have had no problems at all. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone, without hesitation, even reading the few issues some members have experienced.

 

So whats the need with running boards?

The black one we are looking at doesnt have them?

 

I've had no problems with mine. LT2 with 4500 miles.

I did have a 1997 malibu (first model year) with a whole host of problems in the first 36000 miles. When it reached 170,000 miles I traded it in for the '06 (first model year again) HHR. It's common to have bugs in the first year of a new vehicle and most should be worked out in the '07 (I'm not guessing which ones)

 

Without the running boards, you will probably experience sandblasting on the back doors and rear fenders depending on where you live. Besides, they really add to the look of the car and give it an attitude. Mine didn't come with them and after reading about the paint issue I had them installed and am glad I did. Not only for the protection...but for the cool factor.

I will look up the thread for that and post a link here. If you're considering buying the HHR, I would use it as a bargaining tool when negotiating the deal.

Paint Chip Thread that deals with addition of running boards is HERE, with 281 posts to date.

 

If you have read posts on this forum at all, you will hear a common complaint about paint chipping or sandbalsting on the rear quarter panel/fender from the front wheels. This problems seems quite common and the common and functional solution is running boards.

But like any issue, where you drive, how you drive and your local road conditions may lead you to have a different experience. In fact this issue proves my point in that not everyone experinces problems. There are members on here without running boards that have no problem. Others have found that mud flaps do the trick.

When I order my HHR, I did not order boards. But after reading here, I decided not to take the chance since I live in an area that has significnat winter weather and a lot of salt and asnd is used on the roads. So I ordered them separately and had the installed when the car arrived. YMMV.

 

Thanks a link would be great, or at the least gimmie the part numbers for the boards because I have a friend thats a parts manager at a Chevy dealership and I get great deals.