2006 Chevrolet HHR LS

July 15th, 2010... this was not exactly in the plans. The Saturn was totalled the day before, but I had seen this car on the Chevy dealer's website and it looked like a good deal. It came with just over 79,000 miles and I got it for $6800, which the NADA website says is the average trade-in value. Whether that's true or not, I do think it was a good deal.

When I bought the Saturn, I really hoped that I wouldn't hate it. I bought it because it was practical: Inexpensive, good on gas, and even though it was tiny (2350 lbs) it had decent interior room and a reasonable trunk. It turned out that I really liked it. A car that light is going to handle nicely, and shifting your own gears is always makes a car more enjoyable to drive.

How will I feel about the HHR? Well, it certainly doesn't handle as well, and it looks like my summer gas mileage will be about 27 mpg instead of the Saturn's 33. (The Saturn got 36 in the months where no air conditioning was required.) Even though its 2.2 liter engine puts out 40% more horsepower than the Saturns (140 vs. 100), it weighs over 30% more and has an automatic transmission, so if it's any quicker, I can't tell it.

But the HHR is much quieter (the first GM car to use "Quiet Steel"), and even though it's the "base" (LS) model, it has power windows and locks. The seat is okay, and I can see out just fine. It holds a lot of stuff in the hatch. And it looks cool to me. That last one creates a pretty big "+" in the like category. The HHR's looks are theoretically inspired by the 1949 Chevy Suburban. I wouldn't say it looks like the Suburban, but with the fenders and grill as they are, it begs for something I've been resistant to for years: Chrome. My older son's first comment was that he was surprised I'd bought a car with chrome wheels. So am I, I suppose. But I'm planning to decorate it just a little, something I've never really done with my cars before. I've ordered a chrome grill. (The one on the car has a satin finish, but chrome was a no-cost option.) I've also ordered decals to cover the brushed-gold Chevrolet emblems with blue. (I've wasn't too happy when Chevrolet started putting the gold emblems on their cars, after an all-too-brief use of blue in the ninties.) I plan a few other touches, as well. You'll get pictures as it happens.

Meanwhile, here are the first photos I took of it. Click each photo to see a much larger version.

It definitely has an SUV profile	Cool "retro" taillights	Going to replace that satin finish grill with a chrome one
Deep fenders. You can see the ridges on the roof
2.2 Liter "Ecotec" engine	Retro air conditioning vents	I like the detail on the guages. Look at the larger picture to see that the blue circles are actually many blue lines.
The load floor can be placed up high as a shelf or to hide what's in the hatch	Here it is placed at the bottom. The back seats fold flat, so this really will carry a lot.	I plan to put an "Chevrolet" logo on the back that looks like the ones on the Chevy pickups from the 40s and 50s. Maybe some chrome rings around the tail lights, too.
Most Chevrolets now have this dashboard storage. Perfect to store the GPS and its suction mount and cable.	Smallish glove box.	Extra storage at the front of the cargo area. Perfect for my 12V tire pump.
Yes, I now have a car with bright shiny wheels.	No center console at all! Two cup holders and a tiny space where I have my mailbox keys.	I don't know why you'd want to, but the load floor can be placed at an angle. The owner's manual says so!

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