Arggg! Need help deciding

The wife and I are having a difficult time making our final decision on our car purchase. We need to have our final decision by tomorrow morning preferably. So, the cars we are deciding between are:

2011 White Dodge Avenger Mainstreet (new w/ 100-ish miles)
Pros:

• Sporty
• Nice interrior
• Fast enough
• Big enough to start thinking about kids

Cons:

• At the upper end of the budget (but still affordable)
• Insurance slightly more costly than the HHR

2011 White Chevy HHR LT (used 18,000 miles)
Pros:

• We both love the different retro look
• Rides nice
• Nice features included
• Roomy
• Cheaper price and slightly lower insurance premiums

Cons:

• I know this doesn't matter as much, but everybody I talk to hates the look of the HHR. To each their own.
• Might be hard to resell such a different looking vehicle years from now.

The dodge Avenger I have negotiated down to about $18,000. The White HHR I have down to ~$14,500 (of course, there is still room for negotiation for both vehicles before signing anything).

What do you guys think? I would love some insight/personal experiences with either of the vehicles. As of right now, we like both vehicles pretty much equally.

 

I was going to vote for the chevy, since it seems like you are at least somewhat cost conscious and it seemed like you were getting slightly more value out of that deal.

Then I looked at the chevy. Mind has been changed. Go for the dodge if you're restricted to these two

 

I had both of those as rental cars this year (~500 miles on them). Didn't like the driving position in the HHR or the seats and the Avenger was a boat to drive.

I would take the HHR if I had to choose because it's not as bland.

Look at the Hyundai Sonata, I had that as a rental too and it was a much better ride. Nice steering and interior plus it looked good on the outside.

 

It's kinda hard comparing a wagon and a sedan, but ehh I'd driven both and I'd take the HHR just for the space it has. Have you driven both?

Have you considered other cars? You can get a used Impreza wagon for pretty cheap these days, or a Honda Fit. Honda Fit Sport is pretty affordable brand new.

 

C'mon now, the HHR isn't that bad. I think it looks pretty neat . We aren't really restricted to these two, but after about 2 months of casual looking these are the only 2 we have really agreed on.

Thanks for the comment. I have to agree about the HHR. My wife loves the seating position, but I felt like I was a bit too close to the ceiling. The dealer we are working with let us take the HHR for a day, and it grew on me.

I fell in love with the Avenger when we test drove it. I love the styling of the body (probably because I am a sucker for the Dodge Charger).

We considered the Sonata, but the Avenger hit the max amount I want to spend on a car. Apparently the dealer I am working with wants to get this thing sold before the end of the year (and just make a good sale in general) so it kind of gives me some negotiation leverage.

We have driven both of the vehicles; the HHR we actually had for a couple of days. We enjoyed both of them. The Avenger was a dream to drive, but I loved how spacious the HHR was.

Been shopping car lots for about 2 months, and these are the 2 we kind of settled on. The wife is also kind of interested in a Chevy Sonic, but can't seem to find one we like.

 

James I would recommend a circa 2009 or 2010 Subaru Forester. Since you are in upper Michigan the full time 4WD will be useful. I have an 05, and have had no problems at all. Just drove a 2011 yesterday (while I was getting service) - outstanding experience, it seems every little naggy design feature was fixed compared to the 05.
Best of luck with whatever you choose.

 

If you like the looks of the HHR, it seems like the better buy. It only has 18,000 miles, but it's already taken the brunt of the depreciation that it's going to take. If you went the Avenger route (I like them personally), that $18,000 vehicle will be worth what the HHR is as soon as you drive it.

Just my .02

 

The HHR is more practical but the Avenger is nicer to spend time in.

If you go with the avenger, at least consider the 3.6: in everyday driving it's pretty much on par with the 2.4 for mixed mpg. You can thank the somewhat boneheaded decision of mating the 4 banger with the 4 speed auto instead of a proper 6 speed box.

 

Thanks everybody for the help. I ended up going with the Dodge Avenger Mainstreet. While we did like the HHR, we decided it would be more fun owning something something a bit more sporty. We've had the car since Friday, and I know we made the right choice. My wife and I both love this thing.

Unfortunately it only has the 4 cylinder engine, but the mainstreet comes with the 6 speed transmission as standard. It also has the "autostick", but I haven't played with that a whole lot yet. Plenty of power for us though. I'll post some pics as soon as we get a nicer day in the U.P. of Michigan.

 

Congrats! I didn't know that there was a combo with the 4 banger and 6 speed auto, that's good! It probably looks good in white too.