At $10,999, Does This 2006 Chevy HHR ‘SEMA’ Like A Good Deal?

With the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show kicking off this week, it seems a good time to look at one of its past participants. Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Chevy HHR hit the Vegas show back in 2006. Now we’re going to have to decide if its price matches its stage presence.

November is Adopt a Senior Pet month, an important campaign given the difficulties many shelters face in rehoming older dogs, cats, and other companion animals. There are several advantages to adopting a senior pet—they are often calmer and have lower energy levels, are more likely to be house-trained, and have reached their full-grown size. Given the odds are not in their favor, choosing a senior pet can be a win for both the animal and its new family.

That’s not the same case in the automotive world, however. This isn’t, after all, adopt an old Audi week, likely much to the chagrin of the seller of the 1983 Audi 5000 turbo diesel sedan that came our way yesterday. While seemingly in decent shape and showing less than 100K on the clock, the Audi’s slow, even-for-the-’80s diesel engine and likely extremely high repair costs dimmed its prospects. That meant little support could be found for its $8,900 asking price in either the comments or the voting. The latter ended the day in a massive 96% ‘No Dice’ loss.

A quick question: do you miss the nouveau-retro cars that were all the rage about twenty years ago? Back then, our streets were filled with New Beetles, Chrysler PT Cruisers, and ’60s-aping Mustangs. Today, the closest thing one could find to a retro-designed road car is probably Nissan’s current Z car, although that two-seater rides on a platform that can trace its origins back to 2001, so maybe it’s less retro than just plain old.

Back when retro ruled, General Motors took a gander at the scene, focusing particularly on the wild success Chrysler was enjoying with the PT Cruiser and said to no one in particular, “Hold my beer.” The result was the Chevy HHR, or Heritage High Roof, a tall-ish wagon based on the Cobalt compact’s platform, and sharing its drivetrains. Not only was the HHR reminiscent of the PT Cruiser in style, but it also shared the same lead designer, Brian Nesbitt. GM had lured Nesbitt away from its competitor with promises of new, exciting opportunities, only to point him in the direction of the corporate Xerox machine upon his arrival.

Reputedly a SEMA show car, this 2006 Chevy HHR takes its retro looks and, in the parlance of Spinal Tap, turns them up to eleven. Changes to the standard HHR bodywork aren’t extensive, but they make for a dramatically different appearance. In the front, the HHR’s multi-bar grille has been replaced with a simpler, lower design topped with a Chevrolet badge fronting a bulbous hood that even more closely resembles that of the Advanced Design trucks of the late 1940s than Nesbitt’s original. In the back, the bumper has been reshaped for a simpler, smoother look, and the taillamp count has been halved from four to two. This is all topped with a two-tone white-and-tan paint scheme that accentuates the car’s fender lines. New whitewall tires underpin, wrapping a handsome set of five-slot steel wheels. According to the seller, the paint is 9.95/10 and shines almost like new.

The old-school looks don’t extend to the interior, either on the original HHR or on this SEMA-modded show car. Instead, it looks like any generic GM small car from the era. Most all of the plastics and the leather seating surfaces present in a light tan. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is a different shade, but still in the same family. The only major change here is to the entertainment system. That’s been upgraded to a double-DIN head unit in the dash, TV screens on the backs of the front seat headrests, and dual Alpine amps and a thumper under the floor in the load area. Aside from some wear on the driver’s seat leather, everything appears to be in decent condition and looks fairly comfortable.

When new, the HHR could be equipped with either a 143-horsepower 2.2-liter edition of GM’s Ecotec four, or an optional 172-horsepower 2.4 version. The ad doesn’t say what this car has, and it’s impossible to tell from the short video showing the motor running. Regardless, the motor spins a four-speed automatic, driving the front wheels. The ad does tell us that the drivetrain has so far amassed a modest 86,000 miles on the car. The title is also claimed to be clean.

It used to be said, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas,” but as this former SEMA show car proves, that’s not necessarily the case. Now, three owners removed from the glitz and glamour of the SEMA show and the Vegas strip, this HHR is offered in Lakeville, Minnesota, where it seeks a home in a new owner’s driveway and asks $10,999 to do so.

What’s your take on this SEMA HHR and that asking? Does that seem like a deal for a still good-looking extra-retro former showpiece? Or is that $10,999 price tag just the seller showing off?

You decide!

Nice Price or No Dice:

2006 Chevy HHR SEMA Show Car for $10,999

Facebook Marketplace out of Lakeville, Minnesota, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to JimmyTheKid for the hookup!

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