Bye to all the great people on this forum...I bought an HHR.

[rickhow]

I have a 2004 VIBE. I got it in August of 03. It has only been back to the dealer for one "problem" (the door ajar light would not go off, after 3 days in shop it turned out to be a capacitor in the dash). I love the VIBE. Mostly how solid it is, and the versatility. I get a new car every 3 years and was going to get another Vibe, but, there is no change to the stying in 07 (I don't care for the current front end, I liked the previous style) and the rumors are rampant that they may be no more vibe after 2007, in fact maybe no more pontiac. So that worried me. In shopping around I was amazed at how the value on the Vibe dropped much faster than previous Pontiac's I have owned. Contrary to the MAtrix, it just does not hold its value. You would think with todays gas prices a Vibe would be worth more, not much less. So to be safe I opted for another car. I had GM Card earnings, so it had to be GM. I ended up with ordering an HHR. I was quite, quite impressed.First the HHR , with the options I ordered, came to a bit LESS than the Vibe, and it had more options and features. An HHR LT had the following things standard that a VIBE does not...larger engine, power seats, trip computer, remote car starter, automatic volume control on radio, cargo net, power windows, remote keyless entry, power door locks, cruise control, alloy wheels, rear cargo mat. I then ordered the options of Anti Lock Brakes, Running Boards, Mud Guards, Roof Rails.. It stickered less than the Vibe if I ordered the same options on a vibe..and Vibe does not offer Remote Car Start, trip computer, power seats. I will greatly miss the better gas mileage and the automatic headlights.Pontiac really needs to make up its mind on the VIBE. Redesign it, advertise it, get the price more in line with competition.Bye to all the great people on this forum.

[damronjr]

Cool, I like the HHR! Post some pics!

[JohnC]

["In shopping around I was amazed at how the value on the Vibe dropped much faster than previous Pontiac's I have owned. Contrary to the Matrix"I went to Kelly Blue Book and compared the Matrix/Vibe. Tried to make them as close as posible in options and trim.04 base Vibe w/38000 miles, AT, trade-in price is $10,15004 base Matrix (if you could find one) same miles, AT $11,375a $1225 difference at trade in.I purchased my Vibe for 14,999, the least expensive Matrix was in the 19s, the Toyota Dealers will not stock base models (I guess they don't make enough profit on them).So the way I see it I am ahead about $3k at this point. If trade-in value is important to you, buying a vehicle without the high priced options would be the best bet. Even better would be to keep your vehicles for 6 years/250k miles in my experiance.If you want to buy a loaded new vehicle then getting one that is 6mo/less than 10k miles is probably the best financial bet. Just my $.02 worthPost some pics of the new car!

[jake75]

No need to go away. You can contrast and compare the Vibe and HHR for those of us who did not sign an "until death do you part" provision as part of our Vibe purchase.

[slvrvibes]

The HHR is a cool looking car. Hope we can see pics.

[Katscan]

I hope they changed the HHR some since I last test drove one. I test drove an HHR before I got my Vibe and I was not impressed. *shrug* Yes the HHR has a bigger engine but the tranny felt very very sluggish. I hope you have a better experiance in an HHR than me. Ohh and yes, Post pics!!!!

[Digger]

My vibe was almost a HHR. It was not out yet. Stick around no need to say good bye

[mcgusto82]

pictures are always liked. sorry to se someone leave. what else did you look at before getting the HHR.

[crazytrain]

I was considering the HHR. Congrats & lots of luck with it.

[AKLGT]

no need to say good bye even if you don't have a vibe anymore. lots of us don't have our vibes anymore either but we still enjoy posting and talking with other members as well as participating.

[SuperSpeedWagon]

yeah no kiding the more the marrier haha but my dad was considering buying one of those personaly they look pretty kool but once you get a dent on one of those bad boys its like a whole section very wierd but good luck with the car I still love my vibe YAY

[ToolGuy]

Congrats and you will enjoy the HHR! There are lots of forums and after-market parts out for the car too if you choose! And I am sure there is a following like my PT Cruiser! And you may want to hang onto your HHR in three years. I am sure due to decontenting some of those "features" will be taken away and left as options as the car ages. The Vibe value dropping does not bother me really... I keep cars until they are paid for or are 10 years old. Not having a car payment even for one year is a great thing! For those that dropping values do bother and get new cars every 2.5 years perhaps should have leased one and have paid for more miles if they drive a lot. For me, the Vibe is a car to hold onto and mine has only been to the dealer once for a new cat under a TSB.

[jake75]

Trading in wives for a new experience every 3 years is way more expensive than trading in cars for a new experience. If you don't like the HHR / VIBE / PT Cruiser / Caliber / ETC or you just want a change you can buy something else next time- not a lifetime committment.

[AKLGT]

yep, if you are concerned with resale value, just remember you still bought a domestic. they don't hold their value (almost always). when i traded mine in last year, i reminded myself why i swore i'd not get another big 3 vehicle... since I rarely keep a car more than 2 yrs. was hard to pass up price and financing on one though.

[BlueCrush]

Congrats on the HHR. I really didn't care for them when I first saw it but it has started to grow on me. Make sure you post a pics of it for us before your gone. Thanks and good luck!

[ColonelPanic]

Congrats on the new ride. That's a pretty snazzy ride you've got there... What color did you get anyway? I'm with ya on the whole bang for the buck thing, Chevy did a good job there. I remember when they came out how I noticed the HHR had this/that/the other which my Vibe lacked, yet the sticker price wasn't that different than what my Vibe cost back in 2003. I had considered one, but in the end they were still out of my reach. About the only things I didn't care for were the premium fuel requirement for the HO engine, which actually bothered me more than the MPG ratings... And some interior plastics just seemed to have a funky texture that didn't sit right with me. Other than that, I thought the layout of the cabin was great - especially up front with the seats that have the armrests attached, and it certainly looks cool from the outside. Don't worry about the automatic headlights, your HHR will have them. Only better, IIRC the GM systems now have a position you can turn the headlight switch to that disables the automatic lights when you feel the need. Sure beats shutting off --> setting parking brake --> starting back up. And I believe they'll come on with the wipers too.Anyway, congrats again and no need to dump us because you've dumped the car. Heck, many of us have stuck around after moving on, myself included.

[isaaclud]

I'm sorry, but those HHR's are ugly....i cant see why people are buying those...lookin like a wannabe woodie wagon made outtastyrofoam & Chrysler sheet-metal...stick around though RICK....keep posting my brother

[northvibe]

chrysler sheet metal? you mean chevy? the new HHR SS!! turbo like the solstice maybe thats something i wouldnt mind

[isaaclud]

^ no i mean Chrysler....like as in PT Cruiser wannabe.....haha I can see it!!! the HHR SSR edition

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by isaaclud »I'm sorry, but those HHR's are ugly....i cant see why people are buying those...lookin like a wannabe woodie wagon made outtastyrofoam & Chrysler sheet-metal...stick around though RICK....keep posting my brotherGee, that's a friendly way to congratulate someone on their purchase... Are you the one writing the check every month? I didn't think so...

[northvibe]

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/0...ng-up/hhr ss yummy turbo, be a nice family sleeper

[isaaclud]

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Gee, that's a friendly way to congratulate someone on their purchase... calm down brother....i got nothing but respect for rickit's nothing personal RICK can trash my 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyagerif he wants to...(which was the stupidest financial decisionIever made).....he can trash that too...I just had to say I didnt like the HHR...I thought I was going to beamong others....but apparantly everybody here likes themI am in the minority

[Katscan]

If it wasnt for the interior style and the exterior style and the sluggish tranny Id like the HHR a bit more Hehe but that is all my own opinion

[rickhow]

Thanks to all of you who extended their kind comments and congrats..I appreciate it. And to those few of you who did not like the car or anything about it, that's okay with me too. I mean if we all liked the exact same thing then there would be only Vanilla, no chocolate. I for one find the current front end on the Vibe less attractive than the old, but if others like it, I think that is fine. I'll open a new post and show ya the new HHR. I did NOT find it sluggish at all..in fact I thought it had much better torque than the Vibe and took the hills around my home in comparable fashion..I got the four speed automatic. But then again I'm in my late 50's not my 20's and my days of romping on it at the red lights and making it over the hill five second faster than the next guy are over .

[rickhow]

Several asked to see pics of the new HHR...so here it goes...I got the running boards too but they are not on in the photo's...its a dealer install to be done SOON.

Attached files

[crazytrain]

I really like that color on the HHR and may have gotten the same if I had purchased one. Looks great with the tint.

[Mavrik]

looking nice there.

[ColonelPanic]

Very cool! Nice color, sharp car! You'll enjoy it, I'm sure.

[damronjr]

Looking good man! Get some rims on that thing and it will be awesome!

[northvibe]

hey that looks awesome! yea the HHR shouldnt be to "sluggish" that ecotec 2.2 and 2.4 are some of the most torqy 4 bangers ive ever felt. I couldnt find a weight on the hhr but id assume its a little heavier than the vibe, so it should be pretty peppy, specially that 2.4. My friends cavy with a 2.2l beats me all the time that thing pulls from a stop. post more pics!! hmm i should really to test drive one for the fun of it....

[slvrvibes]

Looks pretty cool with that tint.

[ColonelPanic]

The HHR is quite a bit heavier than the Vibe, but does have plenty of torque. Weird how the high output engine peaks higher for torque than what the HHR's base engine does.Vibe ('07) 2700 lbsHorsepower126 @ 6000 RPMTorque122 @ 4200 RPMHHR ('07) 3155 lbsHorsepower175 @ 6200 RPMTorque165 @ 4800 RPMbase engine:Horsepower149 @ 6000 RPMTorque152 @ 4000 RPMBut the Ecotec has plenty of potential from what I gather, so I'd imagine one could build it up pretty good. If only they'd drop the Cobalt SS' supercharged engine in there, they would have a pretty good thing going.

[cs1992]

I don't understand GM. Remember, the Vibe engine is a Toyota engine. Why they would not offer a car similar to the Vibe with similar gas mileage is beyond me. I would have considered the HHR if the mpg figures were closer to the Vibe. But, look at the Cobalt. It's the same class as the Corolla & Civic and only gets 24-25 city.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by cs1992 »I don't understand GM. Remember, the Vibe engine is a Toyota engine. Yeah, how could we ever forget that?

[DHelm72]

Nice car. I test drove an HHR with my wife. The only thing that kept me from buying that car is that the front seats were very cramped. My wife was driving and I was in the passenger seat. I couldn't even open my legs. My right leg was against the door panel, My left leg was against the center console and I felt cramped. I am only 5' 7" and 150 pounds. My wife is smaller. We were almost touching shoulders. It is the most narrow vehicle I have ever been inside. When I was driving, the windshield seemed tiny and added to the overall cramped feeling.I drive a Ford F350 and a Vibe. Obviously the Ford is huge. The Vibe feels much more spacious and I can open my legs wider than shoulder width in the front seats. That is the only reason I chose the Vibe over the HHR. Too bad, cause they look sweet.

[ArcsVibe]

Congrats on the new purchase. I was/am considering the HHR as the next car after the Vibe is paid off. Very nice color by the way! Do you have anything else planned as for mods?No need to leave though, by all means stick around and share with us your HHR experience

[high revin]

Love the HHR's aswell except for........ power, rough ride and lack of room thought it would be a little more roomier! plus the prices are way to high $ 22 plus for a slow (removed) car no thanks keep my GT vibe

[crazytrain]

Quote, originally posted by DHelm72 »Nice car. I test drove an HHR with my wife. The only thing that kept me from buying that car is that the front seats were very cramped. My wife was driving and I was in the passenger seat. I couldn't even open my legs. My right leg was against the door panel, My left leg was against the center console and I felt cramped. I am only 5' 7" and 150 pounds. My wife is smaller. We were almost touching shoulders. It is the most narrow vehicle I have ever been inside. When I was driving, the windshield seemed tiny and added to the overall cramped feeling.I drive a Ford F350 and a Vibe. Obviously the Ford is huge. The Vibe feels much more spacious and I can open my legs wider than shoulder width in the front seats. That is the only reason I chose the Vibe over the HHR. Too bad, cause they look sweet.Amazing, isn't it? To my eyes from the outside it looks like the HHR would be huge inside. I still like the styling though and think it's a sharp looking car.

[savedbyzero]

sorry to hear that...