The forum list is actually quite short, considering the quantity of HHR's produced and sold.

 

Agreed. Most of us are having a decent time with our cars, but those with real problems will get air time as it were. I'm sure more problems get aired on the internet than do good times with a car. Just the nature of the beast since we all seek answers and problems demand answers.

 

I didn't say the list was long...I said the list is growing...and it is, each day it seems someone else is having problems.
The Problem forum has many , many pages of complaints.

 

My point exactly-- it will on any car forum. It's where users post problems.

 

3700 members and 20 pages of complaints...not a good ratio.
Go look at some of the other forums from other car makers to see better ratios.

 

Page numbers of complaints VS member numbers is likely a very meaningless survey in any forum. How long are the pages in each forum, how much in each is simply wasted air, etc.
I cannot think of a best way to quantify it, but your method is not a good model.

Let's put it this way, the more cars on the road, the more problems due to the higher quantity. That would remain a constant in any car line. Now some car lines have a LOT more problems than others. You suggest the HHR is one of them This may be true, dunno...ours is ok at the moment......

I know in the Honda forum I read people are complaining that Hondas are often having a lot more problems than they used to as are Toyotas. Too many gadgets stuck in a box we put outside in all weathers. Sounds like a problem in the making, modern cars that is.......

I like how the Honda zealots are explaining the higher rates of Honda and Toyota problems, they claim that both lines were perfect gifts from god and never had any problems until they had American workers making them
Stupid simpletons is what that line of reasoning comes from.

The real source of a lot of our frustration is the simple fact that ALL OUR CARS are very complicated nowadays . Toyota is slowing down on the adding of gadgets and going to re concentrate on quality instead of pushing out cars with a lot of not-thoroughly-tested technologies in them. All this reliance on electronics takes its toll and sends us to the repair center. Electronics in the hot/cold/moist environment of the auto is and always has been a tenuous union at best.

I drove Chevys for many years without having to go to the shop. I could repair them myself. But very often all they needed was GOF ( grease , Oil, Filter ) Few of us are qualified to repair our autos anymore and some cannot get their oil changed easily at all.

Heck, some cars need a lot of resets to systems etc just from disconnecting the battery. Never mind taking out a passenger seat for a simple wire run or something and setting off the air bag because of this used-to-be-routine procedure Now we have to shut the battery down to do anything or run the risk of upsetting airbags and the likes. But if you do that then an other host of potential problems rear their head. Throw a little corrosion in the works and vola, problem soup in our way to electronic cars

 

That analysis serves no point. A lot of people join forums because they have problems, not because they are having a good ownership experience. Reading any car forum will lead one to think that particular car has issues because that is what most forum members post....issues.

Good luck with whatever you now buy...Mazda5 was it?

 

Look at what you get in the HHR technology-wise under the hood and throughout the vehicle. You get drive-by-wire fully electronic throttle control, Coil-on-plug distributorless ignition, Variable Valve Timing, automatic headlights. You get the MN5 version of the 4T45E electronically controlled transaxle. You get drive-by-wire electric (non-hydraulic) variable rate steering. These trucks are packed with technology formerly found only in higher end imports

Five years ago if you had rattled off the above features people might have thought you were describing an Acura, Infiniti, Lexus, or BMW. And here they are in an entry level Chevy. There's going to be a few cars come off the line that have some issues. But what you get for your money with HHR especially with the current rebates, financing, and dealer price cuts is truly amazing.

Lemons happen in any brand. If you got one, it sucks but try not to make blanket categorizations about the model and/or brand. It doesn't really serve any useful purpose.

 

That's because the forum list is almost a year old. Sounds like someone has an axe to grind. Did the "negative equity fairy" take a nice big bite out of your ass?

Like I said before, enjoy the riceburner. Hope you'll pony up for the better gas and drive it more than 2 miles a week. Repairs on that Mazda are going to be about double whatever the HHR was going to be, too. Guarantee it.

 

No kidding. I have a Mazda and parts are priced crazy on this thing!!!