While somewhat derided when it was new, Chevy’s HHR is a wagon that can haul, and, here in SS form, can haul ass. Today’s Heritage High Roof adds a five-speed to the fun, but is its price as high as its roof?

Hi everybody! Remember me? Yep, I’m back from my trip — tanned, rested, and ready to tee up some shenanigans. Woo hoo!

When last we met — all the way back last Wednesday — we all looked at a cool Canadian. That crazy Cunck was a with a bunch of visual mods (and supposedly some additional poop) added by way of German turner, RUF. With a decent presentation, modest miles, and an asking of just $22,900 Canuck Bucks, that Boxster boxed back all the naysayers, winning the day with a 56 percent Nice Price win. Thanks for sending me off last week on a high note!

Speaking of high, how many cars and trucks have that word referenced in some aspect of their model name? I mean, there have always been “high-performance” engines. You’re also very likely to have come across some frugal offering positioned as a “high mileage maker.” It’s not all that often, however, that you find a model named with “high” in reference to its roof.

That’s just what Chevy did with their retro-styled HHR, which naturally stands for “Heritage High Roof.” I mean, duh. The HHR was kind of Chevy’s answer to the Chrysler PT Cruiser which sold like plasticky pancakes when it originally launched. Chevy’s response, the HHR, was based on the corporate Delta platform. That also spawned Chevy’s Cobalt, the Pontiac G5, Saturn Ion as well as the Opel Astra. Yes, that’s a group that’s more DC than Marvel, but there were some pretty interesting models sprinkled in amongst the dross.

This happens to be one of those interesting models. What makes it so? Well, first of all, it sports the venerable SS, or Super Sport, badge. Chevy has been applying that badge to the fire-breathing editions of its mainstay models for years, identifying them as something above the run of the mill. Does this SS fully live up to its ancestors and that badge? No, it does not.

However, for a car based on an FWD econobox platform, it does alright. Here the SS gets some serious equipment stuffed under its retro-influenced bulbous nose. That equipment includes a 2.0 Ecotec direct-injection four and a turbocharger. Together, that combo makes a serious 260 horsepower.

Ensuring that this SS brings its A-game, this car’s also equipped with a five-speed manual. The ad doesn’t mention the optional LSD, but with that, these become even more fun.

The ad does tout the car having a modest 110,000 miles and a clean title. By the pics, the paintwork looks to be in decent condition. Plus, the black hue sets off nicely against a set of polished factory alloys and some subtle SS badges and HHR stripes. The plastic headlamp covers are appreciably un-yellowed too.

It’s much the same inside. The front of the cabin features aggressively bolstered sport buckets with SS embroidery on the seatbacks. Leather wraps both the steering wheel and shift knob, and while that doesn’t seem to have worn out, the same can’t be said for a couple of the buttons on the spokes. Amenities include power windows and locks as well as cruise control and A/C.

This is a dealer-offered car and has already passed California’s emissions test so the title transfer upon purchase should be both easy and peasey. That is, of course, if you’re willing to part with the dealer’s set $9,999 price for the car.

What’s your take on this hot High Roof and that $9,999 price? Does that seem like a fair deal for so fun and utilitarian a car? Or, do you think that price is nothing more than a low-down dirty shame?

You decide!

San Francisco Bay Area, California , or go if the ad disappears.

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