[Cheap Guy]

I needed something to carry my stuff in plus have better gas mileage than my other vehicles. It came down to either a Malibu Maxx, a Dodge Caliber or a Chevrolet HHR. Finding a Maxx in good condition was going to be a task, especially up north where the salt just eats cars up. The Caliber scared me off with the CVT, plus good ones are also hard to find. I read up on the HHR and it seemed to be a decent ride, plus I had a Cobalt in the past and it was a reliable, cheap car to drive and maintain, plus there seemed to be nice ones available nearby.

So far...I love this little thing! It's a little slow but still has a little pep to it, plus the gas mileage is great! I can put an eight foot ladder in it with the hatch closed since the front passenger seat completely folds down. The interior is nothing to write home about but it's durable and easy to clean and very functional. It actually handles and rides pretty good too. Working on it is a breeze - the shocks can literally be changed in about 20 minutes, and the front struts aren't too bad either. It had 135k miles on it when I bought it and the engine ran fine. It had a bunch of little issues like the airbag light, key fob, and TPMS but all easy fixes. Some people complain about the visibility out of it, especially at stop lights, but heck I have a Camaro, lol.

So far I've slapped some Saab wheels on it, new head unit, replaced the shocks and struts, debadged the rear and added black trim pieces and exhaust tip.