I bought this car in 2011 with on 52k on it and it was certified by the dealer ... or so they claimed.

There's some minor surface rust on the door seals on both the front passenger and driver. However last winter 2013 the quarter panels where the mold strips are on both the passenger doors became chipped and these moldings became very pitted. There was some minor rust with this. I had to pay 450.00 for it to be fixed however this is not covered under the extended warranty that I purchased with the car in 2011.

I brought this up to the dealer where I bought the car and they told me that they would charge me 750 to 850.00 to have this fixed. I had it repaired in June 2013 by a local body shop and this past winter I had the same problems I'll have to pay another 450.00 to the same body shop to repair it once more.

The first year model, the 2006 HHR had no running boards as it's newer models did. Rocks, mud, slush, road debris would get flung up from the front wheel and cover the front part of the fender flare at the read, which was actually the rear door. The paint would chip and rust after 2 years of having it, there is now a 6 inch by 20 inch section that needs to be repainted on each side as there is no paint left after 70,000km. GM must have recognized this and put running boards on models 2007 and onward to prevent any debris flying up alongside, despite having the HHR molded mudflaps installed.