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Comments
I thought visibility was great, which I wasn't at all expecting given the tiny windows. I also couldn't get over the maneuverability of the thing (not necessarily the handling though). The turning circle seemed smaller than anything I have driven recently.
It did fine sitting on the freeway for 2 hrs heading back from LAX.
I went with him to the dealer one day, and we sat in an HHR. He didn't really like it once he saw it in person. I wanted to give it a chance though, so I at least sat in it. I fit okay up front, but it just felt claustrophobic. To me, those tiny windows seemed to hem you in, not only from the high sills, but also the low tops. It almost seemed like a custom chop job.
I also wasn't too crazy about the back seat. It felt a bit tight, and the seat just seemed uncomfortable. And I remember there being very little foot-room under the seat, either. Another thing that bothered me about it was the texture of the hard plastic. I know some people say that plastic is plastic, but I just didn't care for the texture on the HHR. It was what could best be described as wrinkled pebble-grain. Kinda like the pebble-grain of an Xterra or a Fusion, but with more of a wrinkle thrown in. In contrast, the PT Cruiser has sort of an elephant-hide look to some of its hard plastics, that I just find easier on the eye.
And this is picking nits I know, but it just bugs me the way the lock plungers on the HHR just stick up through holes in the hard plastic of the door panel, with no trim surround or anything. It's like somebody just took an awl and plunged it as brutally as they could through the plastic to make the hole. they could've at least put a chrome surround there.
Still, I found the thing to be a likeable little car. Oh, in the end, my buddy ended up getting the Xterra.
I think that the HHR suffers from being too close to the PT Cruiser in concept. Chevy should have taken a different theme for their styling theme.
If they had come out with any of the 3 concepts that they are currently taking a vote on they would have had a true hit on their hands.
I did not like the visibility, the 26 mpg for a smallish car, and the generally uncomfortable seating.
It's been awhile since I've been in a PT Cruiser, but I remember it having a higher seating position. The HHR's front seat went further back, but not enough to offset the fact that the seat was lower. The back seat of the PT just seemed better thought-out, as well. I remember foot room being better, and I could just fit more comfortably.
To be honest, neither of tehm would be a car that I would like to drive again. They have so little to offer except freakshow status.
I wonder if this is a sign that the domestics are still taking their traditional attitude when it comes to smaller vehicles, and just not putting that much effort into them? Now that I think back on it, my Intrepid started having some annoying things pop up around the 40-50,000 mile mark (thermostat housing leak, door frame seals starting to shrink, passenger side mirror adjust breaking, part of the console trim warping a bit, the cover for where the ashtray would be if I'd sprung another $15 popping open in hard braking, etc) but luckily, after that rough patch, the car's behaved itself for the most part. I wonder though, if I'd bought a Neon or Stratus at the time, if it would've been as reliable as my Intrepid ended up being?
And isn't the original PT based in large part on the Neon platform? I don't know how much actual parts carryover was involved though. The powertrain is from the larger models, right?
I haven't owned any domestic small cars except my Saturn, and it crapped out with multiple problems before 50K, similar to your Intrepid except my problems were more serious.
Point is, all my small cars except the Saturn have been repair-free to 100K and beyond. So even if some small cars are being built poorly, it certainly isn't the case segment-wide.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Yeah, the PT Cruiser is based on the 2000 Neon, while the drivetrain was lifted from the Stratus/Cirrus. It was the 2.4 4-cyl, which was an enlarged version of the Neon 2.0, and both engines actually had their roots in the old Chrysler 2.2/2.5 K-car engine from the 80's. Back then the Neon had a 3-speed automatic dating back to the 1978 Omni/Horizon, while the PT Cruiser used a 4-speed automatic, lifted from the "cloud cars". The Neon did finally go over to the 4-speed automatic around 2002 or 2003, though. I remember hearing that, right before the switch, the Neon 3-speed was actually the most reliable of the Mopar automatics at that time, because they finally got most of bugs worked out after 20+ years on the market!
In contrast, my uncle's '03 Corolla has about 138,000 miles on it. The only real problem I can think of that it's had is that it needs a new catalytic converter, which isn't cheap. The dealer quoted him something like $1500! He's been putting off getting it fixed, but will have to before the next emissions test, because they won't test the car with the check engine light on. Its interior is getting kind of junky, but my uncle can be rough on cars. I know two of the most glaring faults are a little drop-down door in the center stack that's broken, and the little change drawer to the left of the steering wheel that won't stay shut. Oh, and I have noticed that on the dashboard, the lower part of it resonates at a different frequency from the upper part. In this picture, it's the part where the bottom of the brownish colored part of the dash, below the radio, meets up with the charcoal of the lower trim piece. I first noticed it when I went for the seek button and my finger ended up on that seam.
But, if I'm digging that deep to find faults with the car, obviously it's not THAT bad! :P Honestly, it's not a bad little car. If it didn't hurt my butt and legs so much, and have that strange, off-set seating position (steering wheel slightly to the right-of-center compared to the seat), it would be a great little car.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Trust me, it's an ugly story. I can recall a few things, like the seat backs broke (both sides) and he's on transmission #3....oh, a CV joint fell apart I remember that because it happened when he was visiting me one time. I remember we were looking for parts that had rolled out from under the car and down the street---that is so sad....
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
The damage was surprisingly light considering. Lucky he didn't hit anything else but the ground. Around $3,000 fixed 'er all up.
Truck only had 35,000 miles on it.
Well my friend's wheels never fell off, so that's something.
I'm gonna go drive a 2008 Scion xB next week, and a 2007 base Mini stickshift with sports suspension.
I don't like the chopped windows and the high beltline. They really killed visibility. My kids can't see out the window when they sit, they'd need a boost to avoid getting car sick. :sick:
Have you thought about the C30?
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=121087
22-25 grand doesn't seem to bad considering the turbo 5 cylinder.
The writer rather blew the credibility of the statement: This may well be the first Volvo that can justifiably be described as "cool." by including a picture of an 1800 ES accompanied by a very comely female model.
james
I tend to not like those flush-mounted windows in general. At a quick glance, they make the car look like it has an open, airy interior. But from the inside looking out, the actual opening is often only about half as big as the glass area.
And you mentioned the xA's amazing load capacity in ref. to moving to your "summer digs". Where do you hang out in the summer?
james
Oh yeah, I'm talking about big 'ole truck wheels here. One Seattle-area man was killed when one came across from the other freeway direction's traffic and hit him and his rig. He was killed instantly. Investigators looking in to these failures have never seen so many in one region.
I'll tell you one thing: the Seattle area is one large rat race and driving in that region always gave me a kind of uncomfortable feeling. One time on the way to Boeing in the early morning a bouncing bone hit my Sportage's window and left one of those annoying stars. Some area hick, the kind that put their bull mastiff in the back of their pickup truck...umm...lost track of one of their bones in the back of the truck. It was bouncing end over end and I got the chance to see it getting closer to my head as it came up. Truly a beautiful sight.
That area is one that lets you enjoy living with about 3,586,966 other people all of the time whether you really want to or not. :sick:
Glad to be outta there!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
In the old days, when dinosaurs rules the earth (Detroit iron I mean, not reptiles) it was easy for any red-blooded American boy to have 3 or 4 cars in his stable. Neighbors did not call the police and zoning laws were non-existent.
Now, alas, when real estate became valuable and my home towns became precious, I can't have 3-4 cars anymore. One car has to satisfy all my needs, or perhaps two at best.
The xA is an admirable vehicle for its price, no matter what you hear from these venal youth who test drive cars and think that because they got to drive the Bentley they can thus sneer at the subcompacts.
But there are shortcomings. It needs just a bit more power, the handling needs to be a tad crisper, the seats a bit firmer.
So the 2008 xB solves the power issue (2.4L, 128 HP--I can work with that) but no doubt we'll still have crappy seats and that sort of typical Scion vague steering.
Now the MINI takes care of the power and the seats issue, and certainly the handling issue---so what's not to like? Well, if it's going to be one's only car, there are space limitations. I'm sure I could pack more into an xA
I think that the forthcoming MINI Clubman could be the "perfect car" (in my conception) therefore, combining good handling, supportive seats, adequate power, good economy and enough room to accomodate my "benchmark box"---that is, the box that I use to measure any vehicle's utility---that being the small wardrobe box you buy at U-Haul. :P
I did MOD the xA a bit, with rear sway bar, front strut brace, performance exhaust, short shifter. I did not, but really should, add "real" tires and "real" wheels, a cold air intake, and some possible manipulation of engine management systems.
The BIG bugaboo about the xA is the short highway gearing. I'd really like to drop 500 rpm at 70 mph and there ain't no cheap way to do that.
RE: VOLVO -- interesting car but I worry about Volvo reliability issues.
Our Mitsubishi saleslady has a Volvo S60 and likes it a lot but told us flat out she wishes she had our '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS instead. She was as excited about the rig as I was and was fresh off a couple-day new world order '08 Lancer "training course" as well.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Now, alas, when real estate became valuable and my home towns became precious, I can't have 3-4 cars anymore. One car has to satisfy all my needs, or perhaps two at best.
As long as they're all tagged and titled and legal, is there really anything tangible your neighbors can complain about? Or is it just to the point that there's no place to park a bunch of cars?
james
You need a Civic Si wagon. :shades:
Upgrading the brakes on the Accord to slotted Brembo blanks and greenstuff pads helped alot, and using poly bushings in the suspension (along with new shocks) helped a lot too. I went with Kumho ASXs in a stock size, and for a 15 year old car, the thing is pretty fun to drive.
Its kind of an issue though, as now that I have it more/less the way I want, the new Accord feels way to big and floaty, and the new Civic, I dunno, just doesn't feel good to me.
When I drove the xA, I thought it would be great with a sway bar and some firmer underpinnings and tires and wheels, and then I was at about 17k so a lot of the cost savings had been offset.
Let's price it out:
sway bar, rear -- $125, minimal labor
strut brace -- $100, minimal labor
17" wheels & performance tires, mounted -- $1,000
cold air intake, quality item -- $250
performance exhaust -- $175
short shift kit + labor $150
computer manipulation --$300
lowering springs + labor + align $500
So give or take $2,500 to make a real car out of an xA, and then you still have only maybe 110 HP and a cheap base MINI knock-off at best for about $16,000 total + t&l.
Volvo has marketed this brilliantly, but they have just one single car on IIHS best:
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx
S40 isn't on there so I doubt the C30 will make it. I'm not saying they're unsafe, but each model should have to earn that praise, vs. the blanket statement that all Volvos are safe.
Subaru is smaller and cheaper yet they have 3 times as many cars on that list.
Its got the hatch thing for cargo, and it's a little more unusual than a Civic.
I like the Volvo C30 too, I just need to test drive one.
Echo tranny swap? You would lose the near-granny 1st gear, though.
The xD is 128hp with the 1.8L; the neo-xB is 160ish with the 2.4L.
That 2.4l engine isn't particularly efficient.
Mazdaspeed 3 - looks like a whole lot of fun, but all the tests I've read have sub-20 mpgs to report. Those turbo 4 engines (Mazda and Acura) sure are thirsty!
So based on that I was not so encouraged....also fuel mileage was a concern and the car has some vicious torque-steer.
But I was tempted...I'm a fussy [non-permissible content removed]. I'd certainly recomend it to anyone.
Not only that but at least one of those cars was in the process of being rebuilt or having a bigger engine put in.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
In my town you cannot park on the street overnight. Also if a car is parked in a driveway without being moved for an extended period of time or parked on the lawn for more than 10 seconds the city will come tow it away and send you the bill. I think there is also a law about blocking sidewalks.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I think living in an area like that would drive me up the wall and down the other side! Although I can understand about blocking sidewalks...I HATE when people do that!
Still, I guess I can see the rationale for some of these laws. I have a friend who lives in DC, and he has two tight parking spots in the alley behind his house. Barely enough room to squeeze a Prius and a SAAB 9-5. Sometimes when I've gone over there, if I couldn't find a parking spot he said I could park in the alley behind the cars. Parked so that I'm perpendicular to the cars that are pulled in, my Intrepid actually overlaps his property line on either side!
There's a lot of places where having a car is almost more trouble than it's worth. I guess I've just gotten spoiled living out in the boonies. Heck, I could almost get by without a Reverse gear if I really had to! The yard's big enough to just turn around on the grass, and most parking lots I go to have enough empty spaces that I can just pull on through.
That part about a car being parked in the driveway for an extended period of time without being moved really grates me. As long as its tagged, and not dismantled or something, it's really nobody's business.
Well that's okay, I often hesitated to call the xB a "subcompact" anyway. It's really a minivan...or WAS...now it seems to be morphing into a crossever, and soon I guess it will be 3-ton AWD with triple row leather seating and selling for $35K. :P
Say it isn't so :surprise: :confuse: