H3 reliability and overall ownership

I am going to be finally finishing grad school in about a month and am planning on getting a mid sized 4x4 shortly thereafter for all the times a lowered sports car isn't the most practical vehicle for Colorado driving. Mostly I have been looking at imports like the Toyota 4Runner and Landcruiser, since I have grown up around those trucks. However, lately the H3 has been catching my eye. If I get one it probably would be one with the 5 cylinder, manual transmission, and the off road package (locking diffs FTW).

If you guys don't mind, I would like to ask people that already own them a few questions. How is the H3's reliability? Any specific problems or quirks to keep an eye out for? Overall how do you like the ownership experience? Are they as tough and capable off road as their image and hardware projects?

thanks,
Matt

I've got an 08 Alpha so I have the V8 auto with the offroad package. No service issues at all in 10K miles. I've had it in deep sand, mud, rock, etc and no performance issues at all. I have not been in snow yet but lots of forum members have and they have performed very well. Some of the 06/07 models had a sterring shaft issue but there is a TSB/fix out for it. In my experience the H3 is a great 4x4 vehicle and drives/rides very nice on pavement also.

I liked the ride, level of power, and handling of the H3 when I took a test drive of a I5 powered one the other day, so the Hummer's design looks really good. I also liked its low crawl ratio and general off road setup. However, I really don't want to get one that will be a struggle to keep running well over the years.

After doing some reading one thing that really concerned me was the apparent faulty cylinder heads in some of the I5s. Have any of the H3s with VINs after 68287591 had the head fail? Though I know that it is being covered by warranty for the effected trucks, it raises concerns about the long term reliability after the warranty wears off. I want to make sure that whatever SUV I buy will last me a lot more then just 5 years and 100k miles.

The head issue was only on the 05s and early 06s.  The 07s had a steering shaft issue that was corrected. Other than there have been no major problems.  I have the later model 07 with the I5 engine and it has plenty of power.  I've been to numerous off road events and have never needed more power.
Buy it, you may have to order a manual transmission there are rare.  The Adv. Pkg. gives the locker and that low gear ratio, any other questions please ask.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Trey124

The head issue was only on the 05s and early 06s. 

Ah, that's good to hear. I will double check the VIN on any H3 I look at to make sure it isn't one with potential head issues. Comparing prices for new and low mileage used (like under 20k miles) H3s I probably would be looking at an 06 or so with the Adventure Package since those few miles of use cut about $10k off the purchase price. Yeah, I know that finding a great condition low miles used one with the manual and the options I would want will take a bit of looking but I'm not in a big hurry or anything so that's fine with me.

Be patient and you will find the right deal.

FWIW: When I was buying (new) there wasn't a Manual Trans / Adventure package on a lot in the country.  If you hold out to find a used one, you may be waiting a while.

We've had plenty of snow this season, especially late heavy wet snow all month on and off. The H3 is a bit disconcerning in the slick stuff...it doesn't even move around!!! It's almost spooky how stable it is. No slipping, skidding, fishtailing, quirks, tweeks, NOTHING. Sometimes I wonder when it's just going to go out from under me but no way. I tried to get it outta shape and it's very hard to do. Better to just sit there and drive. We have an 06 with Adv, Lux, Chrome pkgs. Love it.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Steve #1

FWIW: When I was buying (new) there wasn't a Manual Trans / Adventure package on a lot in the country.  If you hold out to find a used one, you may be waiting a while.

Well, actually I just checked autotrader.com and on that site alone there were 11 used H3s with the manual and the Adventure Package when you search nationwide. So maybe finding a good one with the right options combination after I get out of grad school won't be as hard as I initially thought if I am willing to take a little road trip to get it.

edit: went through that list and a few of them were miss-listed auto H3s but most were actually manual H3 Adventures.

http://www.hummerforums.com/m_153833/tm.htm

Might have one for sale, and i'll even deliver it! I personally haven't had any issues. I really like the truck, but with a baby on the way, I'm cutting costs wherever possible. 20k and it's yours.

Sorry for the shameless plug!

I've got a 2006 H3 with the I-5 engine.  I've had no problems with the engine, reliability, etc.  It now has approximately 30k on the clock, and still runs great.  I'd buy another one.  My only doubts for your situation would be the power in mountain driving.  The V8 motor might be a little better for you, especially in situations like trying to hold highway speed on I-70 through the mountains.  That being said, I've been very happy with the I-5.

There's a component of ownership never addressed by Consumer Reports and other consumer media; passion. Our H3 is just loaded with personality and my wife and I absolutely **love** it! Are some other SUVs easier to get into or see out of? Yep. Are there some other SUVs with a smoother ride? I imagine so. Do other SUVs elicit the excitement of ownership that the H3 does? Not for us. The only other SUV with personality that we looked at was the Jeep Unlimited, and it didn't have the safety equipment that comes standard on the H3, nor did it feel as substantial as the H3. 
We only have about 2,500 miles on our '08 H3 and we haven't had a single problem with it.
I can't speak highly enough about the H3!

The H3 is a little Tank imo, plenty of room, simple interior, parks great, turns on a dime, decent gas mileage, full size spare.

I love my H3.  The only thing i can think of is when the exessive wind noise to the fron windshield but after a stop at my dealership they fixed it. 

you should definitly consider the H3 i just bought an 06 with the I-5 and offroad pkg and it by far the best vehicle ive ever owned. mine has 74000km and it runs like new.

Well, to be honest I think I have decided I'm not going to buy an H3 after getting out of grad school. I loved the test drive I did of a H3 and definitely wouldn't mind owning one. However it is just that after talking with a bunch of my friends that own 4x4s, all the ones who owned really nice ones never felt comfortable pushing them off road for fear of breaking something expensive. The guys who were out each weekend were all the guys owning trucks cheap enough they didn't need to make payments on them. Maybe in several more years when a used H3 would be about $10k I would feel comfortable wheeling in it, but as of right now I think that something tough yet a little less expensive would serve my needs better. It doesn't really make sense for my utility/offroad truck to cost nearly ten times what my very nice Miata daily driver did.

I'm thinking that a decent condition FJ60 Land Cruiser or similar would work better for me, because even after adding lockers, lift, body armor, winch, and all that other stuff to make it a beast off road it still would be cheap enough that it wouldn't bother me when it gets scratched and dented while off roading. Not to mention that if I somehow rolled it I could just shrug and go do something else or do a home brewed repair instead of continue making payments on a wrecked 4x4.

Well you should be able to get an FJ60 fairly cheaply. If you want something you cab beat up and not worry about then a new Hummer probably isn't right for you. Sounds like you want something very cheap that you can just walk away from if you need/want to. Good luck.

Yeah, at first I was thinking I wanted something nice and pretty new, but I think cheap and old is more of what I am looking for now.

Good luck with whatever path you chose. It sounds like you know what you need to do.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi There- I stopped into the Hummer Dealer last Tuesday and was surprised to find no-one there waiting for the service dept except me. Of 12 lifts, there were only 2 H2 models in service. I traded in my Land Rover and am used to a backlog of service issues with them. The wait times were extraordinarily long. The Service Manager at Land Rover is friends with the Manager at Hummer and they agree that the I-5 is an impressive trouble-free product. I am very excited to find that the h3 gets much better mileage at 87 octane and there are few problems with the I-5 engine. The finance rate and warranty are exceptional and I am so glad I bought the H3....

Welcome to the forum intensity. Several of my employees have had/have Land/Range Rovers. One is on his second one. The others have said they will never have another. Maybe quality will improve under Tata/

Hey Intensity!!

We own a couple of Range Rovers as well as an H3 and the service you receive at the Hummer dealership doesn't compare to that of the Land Rover dealership(At least here locally.) I can't even get anyone to call me back on a part we ordered when we bought the h3. On the other hand the Land Rover service department HAS to be excellent because you have to deal with them every other week lol...especially with 2 rovers

My guys say the service department customer traetment is very good. You are right though, they know the service writers way to well and normal maintenance is very expensive. They tell me not to ever let one get out of warranty.

The H3 is my favorite truck in the market, hence why I bought it. I have always been a fan of the Hummer brand, and the H3 is a really good truck. I have had it a few months, but what I read up on it GM was able to correct the major problems. I have an '08 and the ride is just perfect. The Alpha is definitely the way to go, I just couldn't afford anymore, but I wanted that H3. The regular H3 has power and can get you onto most highway situations without a real problem. I noticed that inclines and hill climbs with fast speed can be a problem, but that is about it. I tested the H3 and the Alpha and was very close to the Alpha, but like I said couldn't go anymore.
 
As for the service..
 
The service department where I am is good. Not great, but certainly I have seen worse. I work with auto dealers and have seen some REALLY bad dealers before. The Dealer I am at is pretty good at customer satisfaction. They also host off-road events and teach you about off-roading towards the fall. I know other dealers do this too.
 
If you want a big truck, mountains of capabilities with a decent rating MPG the H3 is definitely the way to ride.