Anyone like the HHR?

[johnnymk]

I am sorta considering a 2007 model. My friend in Florida got one about two months ago for a little over $15K and he claims that they are now going for $14K there. Up here they are going for a lot more.

I am wondering how I could get one from Florida in the shortest amount of time. I really don't want to drive it from there to here.

He gets 29 MPG highway, which is pretty decent.

[mechmike0034]

They are not bad vehicles, though I have noticed that the PT Cruiser has more interior room.

[Dave_7]

Have driven one several times. It's a cool lookin' car (more manly looking than the PT Cruiser, in my opinion). Kind of narrow on the inside, but fun overall.

Dave.

[kimchicowboy]

had one as a rental car with a friend here in hawaii. i didn't really care for the layout of the dashboard/console-thing or the exterior design, but didn't have any problems with it mechanically. seemed pretty solid for a rental.

[ray]

Honestly, it's an ugly car. It almost seemed like Chevy was aiming for this retro look and ended up with a pile of crap on 4 wheels. My 2 cents.

[Dave_7]

If you were already considering buying a $14k Chevy, then this model is as fun and usable as any.

Dave.

[guiseppewv]

It is a very ugly car. I have had many of them as rental cars. They have quite a few blind spots too. I never cared for the car and I only get it as a rental when there are no other 4 cyl vehicles available.

[Dave_7]

They have quite a few blind spots ...
This is true... visibility is not terrific.

Dave.

[TwistyCostello]

I'm considering one as well... can get an 07 HHR LS with upgraded radio and auto tranny as the only options for $16,000 including tax and license (after rebate) ... Is that a good deal? Should I bite? OP said $14 or $15K, but I'm wondering if that's before tax & license and what trim level and options you'd get for $14,000.

[Paymaster]

I considered this when I bought a new car last year.

Pros: Great price, great mileage
Cons: Have you looked at this thing? Blech.

I just couldn't do it.

[Maarchk]

This thread is useless without pics!!!

http://z.about.com/d/trucks/1/0/g/S/hhr_uniqueperf.jpg

http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/03/chevrolet-hhr-customized.JPG

http://ebay.windingroad.com/newsuploads/2006/09/hhr-ss-kgp-1.jpg

I would vote against this thing. Even tricked out, it looks ugly...

[ski]

I had both the HHR and PT Cruiser as rental cars over the past year, and I enjoyed the HHR more. On the whole though, those two models were the #2 and #3 least enjoyable rentals I had, behind the Ford Taurus!

[kimchicowboy]

(not to hijack the thread...)
hey ski, is your avatar Franklin??

"it ain't easy being white, it ain't easy being brown..."

ok, back to the HHR.

[gravediggah]

I work at a Chevy dealership here in Tulsa, OK...I can get you a great deal if you are really interested...

[johnnymk]

I work at a Chevy dealership here in Tulsa, OK...I can get you a great deal if you are really interested...

A large dealership here is having a sale on them for $14,300. My sister said I may get tired of the style after awhile. She may be right.

I am reconsidering and may look for an '05 Mustang and adding a body kit and nice wheels.

[thresher]

Wife has an 03 PT Cruiser and (sadly) we love the damned thing. It has lots of room, gets good mileage and hauls an amazing amount of stuff. The funny thing is: old people LOVE this car. We get compliments on it all the time. It looks a lot like a '37 Ford to the elder crowd. We test drove an HHR. WAY too small inside and felt cheap compared to the pt, so you know it felt really really cheap! :)

[DarkFury]

Wife has an 03 PT Cruiser and (sadly) we love the damned thing. It has lots of room, gets good mileage and hauls an amazing amount of stuff. The funny thing is: old people LOVE this car. We get compliments on it all the time. It looks a lot like a '37 Ford to the elder crowd. We test drove an HHR. WAY too small inside and felt cheap compared to the pt, so you know it felt really really cheap! :)
Well if you throw some nice wheels on a PT Cruiser and trick out the front grill, they really do look nice.

If only it wasn't built on the Neon chassis... just WAY too small for me (plus the engine compartment is too small to cram a HEMI in there. :D )

[johnnymk]

I was initially impressed with the PT Cruiser, but the design is growing way too old. Chrysler needs to tweak the styling a bit.

[renovation]

chryslers dropping the convertable pt cruiser this year and i think next year 2009 will be the end of the pt cruiser.

[johnnymk]

chryslers dropping the convertable pt cruiser this year and i think next year 2009 will be the end of the pt cruiser.


http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/17/autos/pt_cruiser/index.htm?section=money_mostpopular

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Chrysler plans to stop production of the PT Cruiser, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The paper reported Friday that the automaker will drop the line after the 2009 model year. The move comes as Chrysler executives consider killing slower-selling models to help the company return to profitability.

Chrysler had said earlier this month that it would eliminate the PT Cruiser convertible. The company is also halting production of the Dodge Magnum, Chrysler Pacifica and Chrysler Crossfire.

By the end of the 2009 model year, the PT Cruiser will have enjoyed an extraordinary run. Introduced in 2000, the PT Cruiser was initially a hot property. Dealers were charging customers steep premiums over the car's low sticker price.

Since then, the PT Cruiser has had only a mild redesign, the 2006 model. This means that Chrysler will have been selling virtually the same car, with only minor alterations, for twice as long as most car models go before being completely redesigned and reengineered.

Although the PT Cruiser is still the fifth-most popular compact crossover in America, just behind the Chevrolet HHR, overall sales are down 27 percent this year, according to the Power Information Network.

Cruiser sales are on track to top 100,000 this year, a sales pace sufficient to justify its continued production, at least for now, Chrysler spokesman Rick Deneau told CNNMoney.com earlier this month.

But Chrysler executives have struggled, even before the company's split from Daimler (Charts) and subsequent takeover by a private equity group, with how to redesign the retro-styled PT Cruiser without losing the vehicle's unique character.

Ultimately, it may have proved easier to drop the PT Cruiser name, jettisoning the expectations attached to the current model and giving designers greater flexibility in creating a replacement