Faults:

Ignition switch and shifter, both replaced by factory recall.

Also the mass airflow wiring harness, chewed on by a rodent.

General Comments:

Great family vehicle. We bought this as a former fleet vehicle from a Chevy dealer. Has been exceedingly reliable, we have put 115,000 miles on it nearly and the only problem not fixed by a factory recall was a wiring harness chewed by a rodent.

Replaced the front brake pads at 100k and did the factory tune up then also.

Not real sporty, but easily ascends mountain passes in the Idaho area without feeling like it is straining; not bad for a four cylinder.

Great space to store stuff for longer road trips; we added a roof box for the winter, and it does well enough on snowy roads with a good set of all-season tires.

Fuel economy has been consistent since we bought it, 29 MPG combined. We live outside of the city, so do a fair bit of both highway and in town stop and go, always getting 29 to 30 MPG.

Fit and finish is good enough, no major rattles or noises in the cab after 8 years of use.

Two complaints:

First, the vehicle has poor visibility, I have nearly pulled in front of other vehicles several times due to the large front pillars. Also large blind spots to the rear for the same reason.

Second, we have the light grey interior; it stains horribly, even from light use the seats look awful, and we have tried to clean them without much success. The dealership said this has been a consistent problem for this type of fabric.

Overall, great value for what we paid and the use we have gotten from the vehicle.

Faults:

Brakes needed replacing twice.

Trim very poor (pieces of dash coming unglued, chrome trim around gearshift lifting).

General Comments:

I purchased this HHR used in 2009 as I was looking for something more fuel efficient than my Windstar. It is a fun little car to drive, and overall I feel it is a relatively good value for the money. Fuel economy is good, and while you will never beat anyone away from a stoplight, it cruises along great on the highway.

The ride quality overall is amazing considering the size of the vehicle. My only reason for getting rid of it is the visibility issues, I am over 6' tall and no matter how I adjust the drivers seat, I am still bending forward to see out of the top of the windshield to look at street signs, stoplights, etc. but that is really no fault of the car, more that I should have taken more notice of it on my test drive prior to purchasing it. I would highly recommend this car for anyone looking for a reliable, inexpensive wagon (small families, couples with a lot of luggage, etc), so long as the driver is 5'8" or shorter.

Faults:

Struts clunk a little when it is really cold outside, and the car is travelling down a rough road, but what would you expect out of a small vehicle that has spent most of its life dodging potholes in rural America?

The rear Chevrolet "bowtie" emblem became disfigured due to weathering way before the original, 36,000 miles. Bumper-to-bumper warranty expired, and the dealer still wouldn't do anything about it.

Otherwise, this car has been flawless.

General Comments:

We custom ordered our HHR with the larger 2.4 liter engine and a manual transmission. It has reasonably good performance and returns phenomenal (28 MPG) economy for a vehicle of its stature.

It has been far more reliable that any GM vehicle we've ever owned, even our 2002 Saturn VUE FWD, which we also purchased new. To date, we have not spent a dime to perform anything other than routine maintenance. It has never dripped a drop of liquid, has never overheated, and all of its accessory still function as they did in April 2006 when we picked it up.

The ride is very nice, the brakes stop quickly and wear well, and the car handles reasonably well.

Most of the interior is well built, but the carpet seems unusually weak. Seat fabric has held up nicely, as our son has spent about half his life riding around in the back seat of this jewel.

We bought the sport red metallic color with the beige interior. I must say this car is still attractive, considering we spent less than $19,000 for it. It's too bad Chevrolet is going to stop building them next year.

There have been many comparisons between the HHR and the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Personally, I drive a 2007 Chrysler PT Cruiser base model while at work, and an HHR off duty. The PT Cruiser is a little more fun to drive, but that's where the comparison stops. The Cruiser isn't as fast, isn't as comfortable, and doesn't get near the gas mileage the HHR does. The Cruiser does handle better than the HHR, but its turning radius is like a battleship's by comparison.

The PT has had one minor repair (which totally disabled it) at about 12,000 miles., otherwise, the only trips to the shop have been routine maintenance. Again, NO REPAIRS on the HHR in just over 73,000 miles.

The HHR will store about twice the cargo of a PT Cruiser. It also has a much better stereo and generally has better ergonomics. It feels a lot safer as well.