I've owned & driven both versions of the H2.

The 2003 as an awesome, yet under-powered vehicle. With a diesel, it would be sweet. I'll always have a bias for it as it was one of the first vehicles I drove & probably put more driving hours on the 2003 over any other vehicle, period.

It did have issues, though. As they age, the interior creaks. I think that's fairly well documented. It's fixable, although it sounds like a tedious project. Earlier models had power mirror issues (I dealt with that), but the newer 2005 - 2007 mirrors work alright & is a more than affordable fix.

Otherwise, it was very comfortable, had an awesome ride (coils only) & just was one of the best experiences of driving a vehicle, period.


I currently have a 2009 H2 w/ almost 110K miles on it (bought with 107k). Like people say, 08/09 model years are very expensive, especially if you try to get one with lower mileage ($60K+ for only 30k miles). I traded a POS Ram 2500 & only spent a few thousand on it.

This one has a lot more suspension wear (long story) than my 2003. As I keep replacing parts, the ride improves so much, it's crazy. I doubt it rides worse, but i can't give an apples to apples as the 2003 was bought "used" with 3k miles on it.

As for the interior, I miss the arm rests. Almost all vehicles have moved away from arm rests & I have no clue why. The center console is an upgrade. The dash / air vents all all interior there is the largest contrast. No more boob/nipple air vents. I honestly miss those. They held up better than the air vents in this one. The bottom vent tabs break & stay down, so when you close the vent, the bottom slot is still open. I never close them, so I don't care, but replacing them will be difficult as time goes on. I can't see the 03-07 vents being easy to find later on, so that's another consideration. The overall interior is nicer though. It feels & looks like a high end SUV. It really is an upgrade. I prefer the look & feel of the materials used.

As for the power train, it's a major upgrade. You're comparing 316 HP/ 325 TQ vs 393/415. along w/ that, you upgrade from a 4 speed to a 6 speed tranny. For me, the mileage is noticeable if you drive long distance. My best MPG for the 2003 was 18mpg @ 45mph. I get 22 to 26mpg (depends on the wind) in my 2009 at the same speed. I get 20mpg at 55. City driving, don't even bother. It's virtually the same. Remember, the 2003-2008 came with a 4.10 gear ratio (2008 had the option of the 3.73). My 2009 only came in a 3.73. Acceleration is better, shifting is solid & the power band is much larger.

The 08/09 has a lot more safety options. Most people never discuss this, but it matters to me.

I upgraded to the 08/09 for the following reasons:
1. Safety features (anti roll over & side air bags)
2. Power train & engine
3. Interior (doesn't creak & really is an upgrade imo)

I'll be moving to a diesel at some point, so it's not as if I bought the 09 w/ a 6.2L vs a 2003-2007 w/ the duramax.

I'd say 2007/2008, if I had the choice (unless you want a limited edition color) & decided the price wasn't worth the power train / interior. I won't get into an argument about safety. I never skimp on that.

 

Lots of good points I hadn't considered, especially noted is the suspension wear. My conversion was done on a 04 H2 with close to 200k miles on it. Since the body had to come off there was no reason not to strip the entire chassis. I had the frame powder coated and replaced every bushing and bearing. I was amazed on the amount of wear on the suspension parts. Even the body mounts were deformed. I used Energy suspension where I could and everything else, MOOG "problem solvers" also a Redhead steering box. It was a major job and hoped it would be worth it. I'm happy to say the ride is incredible. Tight and solid as a rock, it even seemed to quiet the interior creaks a bit. (starting on that project next week, any suggestions on how to quiet the plastic?) I'm curious if this is the case with all trucks or just the heavy H2. I have a 05 SUT with 130k miles and was never bothered by the suspension. Until now that is, after comparing to the converted 04.

 

I've only replaced the jounce / bump stops & tires. That alone fixed a lot of the ride issues. Shocks are next. I get the fronts this week (King adjustables, there'll be a thread on it).

The reason my 09 needs all this work at 110k was the use of the truck. I knew a guy in TX who works for big oil & mentioned that the owner of the truck (THANK YOU CARFAX!) most likely inspected oil fields. You can tell that he always pulled off the road half way, with the driver's side off the road. Everything on that side was warn more than the passenger side. I think that uneven driving for years really wore the suspension out. My 2003 rode like new when it was sold with 120k-ish miles.

I might need to get a master list of what you replaced. I'm still new to working on vehicles, but the feeling of accomplishment knowing that I did it myself, correctly, saved money in the process & learned another skill is just kick ***. I think this guy will need it, especially when I drop a duramax in it.
Despite the differing generations, I think the suspensions are identical. It's just the interior upgrades, power train upgrades & safety upgrades that are the considerations. If I can ever justify pick up a very high mileage 2005-2007 SUT, I'll drop a diesel in it too & use it as more of an offroad / weekend type of truck, unless I need to haul a few things.

As for the interior in an 03 to 07, I have read in a few places that removing each panel & lining the contact points w/ stick-on-felt basically absorbs & stops all reverberation. It's not so much a tightening up of the truck in that you're just eliminating all of the shifting & absorbing the rest.

Back on track...
Care to expands on the differences in ride quality?
Once I get the shocks on the H2, I need to know what upgrades need to be done, in what order.

 

One of the best parts of owning an 04 is NOT having a 6 speed. After shelling through half a dozen 6 speeds, it's sooooo nice to not have a vehicle think for me anymore!!! I can let off the brake and coast down a hill, and it's not jerking my forehead into the dash trying to work out what speed we're "suppose" to be in. To be fair I haven't driven the 6 speed in an H2...but it's made me miserable in every other vehicle. (trucks and cars) I love old school. But thats my opinion

 

Now that you mention it...

If I'm hard on the gas, it will jerk, but really, I only have that symptom in a park to reverse or drive situation. It's pretty smooth otherwise, unless you're heavy footed. If you just want to go, then it'll get you there sooner, but if you drive like gas is $4+ a gallon, then you won't even feel it.

As for the coasting, we don't have hills here, so I can't really say anything about that, but I have yet to be jerked around while coasting "downhill" on an elevated interstate. Next time I do, I'll watch for it & see if it does that.


I do agree though, I wish it just shifted & didn't learn.
Is there a programmer that can force the tranny to shift a certain way (mostly always smoothly vs harshly) & disable the "learning" feature?

 

I'll be the first to say that any offroad vehicle from GM to combat the likes of the new bronco & jeep will be inspired by the hummer line, but won't be "hummer."

The brand is dead as it's name has been ruined by the mass media. Bringing back the name coincides with gas guzzlers (to the uneducated masses who think the only inefficient vehicle was a hummer).

Now, if you can get people sign a petition... idk, 100k people, then maybe you'd have a shot, but a few letters won't make a difference to GM. The fad is electric / hybrid / green / super efficiency cars. It also makes sense in the short run, albeit, batteries are horrible for the environment due to production methods, so electric cars are not realistically a future unless tech wildly changes.

All that said, get a petition & I'll sign up instantly.
This issue is not unlike what's going on in Baltimore or with any other issue involving demonstrations. By that, I mean, it takes a LOT of people to grab the attention of the powers that be. One or two letters won't matter, but a political drive that catches momentum does.

Build an efficient Hummer, market it as a direct competition to the above brands. Beat them on quality, durability, efficiency, etc... The H3T would be a very good start, considering the success of the Colorado (that name makes me cringe, but that's off topic). Imagine an H3 like the CO that out performs it in effiency & tow ratings due to that nice 4.5L diesel GM won't release. That about a beast on & off the road.

While what I'm saying sounds good, it's a pipe dream. GM, Toyota, BMW, Porsche & many other companies (15 and counting) are pushing legislation to make working on your own vehicle illegal as it's a "safety concern." The companies are not for the consumer & will follow trends that lead them to money, more power & control over our choice & the limitations of those, as such.

We were all very, very lucky to live in a time when hummers were introduced, gas was affordable, at least until the end of the Bush era, & they were still being produced. The H2 only existed for 7 years. H3 for 5. H3T for only 2!

Want to really generate something big... have GM revoke legislation on the outrageous taxation on biodiesel & make all hummers diesel (we'd all love to get our hands on that 4.5L duramax in an H3 or a stock 6.6L LMM duramax in the H2). That would be both green & a positive incentive as the vehicle can be marketed to compete with trucks in terms of hauling capabilities while being a full fledged SUV that is easy to park (since H2s are so short). Tack on a hybrid option for either just to appeal to the green movement. Mind you, I'm not anti-green by any means, but a lot of efficiency is bogus for niche categories.... heavy duty hauling/towing, off-roading, the need to combine those two, along with room to carry 3, 4, 5, 6 people comfortably.

I'd love to see this happen, but GM is desperate to make the Hummer brand a forgotten "mistake." By all means, it was no mistake.... but try convincing that to the public.

 

Unfortunately I did them all at once so difficult to say which was the best bang for the buck. On my 2005 Gas SUT, my first upgrade many years ago was a new steering stabilizer. I run 37" BFGoodrich T/A and they are very heavy tires. No noticeable difference over stock. More recently I replaced stock shocks with the Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks with remote adjust. I'm not sure I noticed a big difference here either. Soon after Cognito front end parts. Alloy Tie Rods, Sway bar links and Pitman & Idler support. FINALLY, bang for the buck. I spent time and money and improved the ride. The H2 with Duramax has had all replaced at the same time but if I had to guess then it would be the new steering box near the top of the list. It isn't an aftermarket box but it is a ReadHead rebuild of an OEM. If I am to believe what I read on their site then it is an improvement over stock. On my SUT, I notice a clunk in the steering wheel every time I hit a bump and the suspension seems very loose and shakes. Having now compared to the H2/Duramax, I don't like to drive the SUT. It's time to park it and make it my next project.

 

08+ are nice refined hummers . The titty vent delete was a fail . I have always loved my vents lol classic..The quality of the interior I'm sure is a plus . New tranny and almost 400hp is what these rigs should have always had .At the end of the day thou you can add hp to your h2 by way of supercharger or conversion . Cosmetically on the exterior no difference that the average eye can't see.

As for them bringing the h2 back . I'd rather at any moment be driving a vehicle that is not so saturated . I hate pulling up to a light and there 5 cars like urs sitting there or pulling into ur neighborhood and all ur neighbors have there's too (5th gen chevy camaro for example .which I sold for my ls3 vette). So with that said I'd rather them not resurrect nothing . As long as I can get parts which we will always be able to do cause of the compatibility to all the other gm suvs. I'm good. Plus there's always a hummer for sale somewhere . In 20 years I'm sure it will be fun cruising down the road in a rare h2 . He'll I love it now .

 

Thank you for some very thorough responses; I'm looking--not yet in the market--and trying to decide what I would be focusing on ... I've already conquered the H2 vs. H3 question (H2), and then it came down to which model year. Frankly, I get tired of posters' personal preferences being "marketed" as guidance ... each of your posts provided a great amount of information and appropriate comparisons with a little bit of opinion; I don't need to be told what to buy, only things to consider ... you've helped me make up my mind. Thanks!

 

The cheap plastic door panels and dash in the 03-07 years alone makes buying the 08-09 the best choice and to go with a nicer dash, 6 speed trans and 6.2 liter engine makes this a no brainier. Just my opinion