Proper maintenance as with any vehicle any you will find that an H2 is dependable. Like others have stated- the drive line on these are pretty much common GM parts.
I would also venture to say catastrophic failures would be very very rare - if something is failing you typically have prior indications before complete failure.
not selling you on an H2 just trying to give you real world experience. This is my forth H2. They were not sold because of issues, they were sold because I thought I was over the H2 experience.....I have come to realization that I will die with one in my possession. Coming to that realization it does not matter if I put a grand or two a year (or hundreds) into her a year- why?? How much is a new Denali, GMC or Chevy truck.... Hell, how much is a new KIA??!!
H2 is paid for, I could care less if I put a new crate engine, transmission, transfer case in her over the next 5 or 10 years.... I will still be WAAAAAAAYYYYYY ahead of ownership in a plain boring chevy, gmc, etc... with the fact I am still driving a very unique dependable vehicle...
off topic- I agree with super unleaded (90+ octane) gasoline, all mine I have had, including past to current exhibit noticeable difference regarding idling & running.

 

Lol yeah I just priced a new Yukon AT4.... 80k... And they're failing lifters under 10k miles.... Oof.

I do want to stick to the 06 07 though, the 08 09 gives me anxiety over super duper rare parts.

 

Driven 3 now, one has a failing(failed) ball joint.... One had mud terrains but drove great, just loud, had other questionable mods too and the stereo had bad grounding whine... And a third also drove well but had water in the roof.

Hunt continues.

 

Thats probably a really smart move, having had an 05, 06 and now the 08 has really educated me about the gen 3 version. While it is true the upgraded interior is nice and all the interior parts are 100% in construction and quality. No more broken plastic and door panels that are nearly impossible to remote with cracking. Especially if your H2 has lived in a warm dry climate all of its life. GM fixed this one. Some feel though the newer interior took away from that rugged off road military look. That's one of those personal preferences.

Now for the downsides GM decided to kill the hydraulic Hydroboost system that ran of the powersteering pump in favor of a fully electronic ABS system they borrowed from the Toyota FJ Cruiser. This wonderful piece of hardware is not used in any other GM vehicle I know of.

On top of that It's actually a modified version used in the Toyota FJ cruise which has also been discontinued and not interchangeable. Replacement units are over $1000.00 and difficult to find. And always out of stock on Rock Auto and no longer available through GM.

The old Hydroboost system was bulletproof (except for leaks usually after about 130k) but are easy to fine and not that expensive. I thing GM wanted to get the load of the engine and use a electrical replacement for fuel economy.

A plus for the 09 was the introduction of E85 Flex fuel. Unfortunately that is in such limited supply in most of the US that it probably doesn't help much. Call this one a draw.

Another upgrade that can create some grief was the upgrade to the new high speed GM Canbus. This presents some challenges for electronic items used. Just about all major electronic components need to be programmed with the vehicle VIN to work properly (which means a visit to your local GM dealer if you have a Tech 2, TIS2000 or a MDI-2 and a subscription of Techline Connect) For those purchasing a H2 for a Duramax conversion this will limit you to using Duramax drive trains prior to 2011 thus removing the more powerful LML and L59 engines.

You also loose the rear seat climate controls (GM cheaped out and deleted it in 08/09 but least in 09 they gave you a rear drink holder, BFD) They also dumped the headrest monitors and moved to the display to the roof. Personally I liked the Headrest system better because it didn't clutter up the ceiling and the munchkins in the back liked there own monitor better. Again not a big deal.

The new 6.2 liter L-92 stolen engine from the Escalade now requires Premium fuel. The new 6 speed trans helps and is a little stronger then the 4L65 used in the 07 and earlier. GM also got rid of the 410 axle ratio and moved to a 373, I imagine they did this for fuel ecomony but honestly considering my 08 mileage over my 06 it didn't really help. Another mistake IMHO. One final issue the rear Air Suspension system used in the 08/09 is different and specific to these 2 years which will make replacement more expensive to purchase.

Bottom line in all of this, there will be more part available for the 07's and earlier H2's. Many consider the 07 to be the best choice for parts availability plus by that time all of the gremlins had been worked. Generally you will pay a premium for an 08/09 money that could be piggy banked for an earlier model which is a smart move.

With all that said I would have to totally agree with previous posts in this thread. For what this vehicle is you will be hard pressed to find anything that comes close. And when you weigh in the overall costs of a new vehicle, an how much you will loose driving it off the lot. Not being able to trouble shoot it at all without going to your local stealership

Personally I will stick with my H2 as many on this forum will do as well. Or at least until Biden or our government outlaws it, then like my guns they will have to pry it from my cold dead hands...

For a different perspective, I can tell you I have a 80K Z-71 2500HD Duramax in my garage strictly to pull my 5th wheel camper and that it. When I sell off my camper the 2500HD is a good as gone. And even though its an electronics marvel and runs like a scalded dog with the Diesel. It a really nice truck and super heavy duty plus it gets superior fuel economy, but I will take my H2 ten fold. In all honesty, I will always have an H2, (no not an EV or some new GM battery powered electric crap but the genuine article, an H2)

 

I've had no real problem with parts. Its all GMT800 and 900 stuff, so parts for suspension, engine, trans, and everything are pretty easily found and cheap. The only things you can't find are some interior pieces and a select few parts around the truck. I cant say that parts availability is an issue though.

 

Common misconception. The owners manual says 91 recommended but "you can run 87." If you're running 87 and hear knocking, then something is wrong. We've ran 87 in both 08 h2s basically their whole lives with no issue. Only exception being after supercharging the second one. Everything else you said is absolutely valid though. Theres more gmt800 trucks and more gmt800 h2s. And who knows what they were thinking with the brake booster. Though I don't think they fail often.

 

I have to completely disagree. Completely different experience. And I can pull stock from any GM warehouse in Canada or USA.

I guess you have not tried much to buy inside or outside trim pieces, seat skins, OEM chrome wheels or chrome trim like bushguard, tow hooks, side steps and the like. Or a fiberglass hood.
I have.
In fact, most pieces that are not pure drivetrain are either very hard to get, or completely discontinued. I would say 80% of the parts I want are long gone.
And you see that here on this forum, people constantly looking for OEM parts that are long gone.

Sure you can keep it running. But not with OEM parts. And it will not look great with corroded trim or broken plastic. Also, a lot of the aftermarket stuff has disappeared. Most of the H2 owners buy a cheap used H2, and as such, do not have the $$ to throw at it to keep it looking nice. So the accessory manufacturers discontinue stuff due to lack of interest.
So the vehicles get basterdized or otherwise modified with whatever is still available.

To keep your H2 in restored stock condition is near impossible. I have done it, but at a few $Thousand per year in hunted-down parts or paying parts restorers.

And for God's sake, never get into an accident. Cause that would mean used junkyard parts to rebuild you H2 (as new is not available), and those are likely in worse condition that what was on your H2 to begin with.

So there you have it, would-be-buyer. A real dilemma.
If you want a pristine vehicle, H2 is not for you unless you are ready to spend thousands on it.
If you do not mind spending a lot of time trying to hunt down parts, do your own work, and do some modifications to keep your H2 on the road, by all means, get one.

Otherwise may I suggest a nice new Defender or Grenadier, or even the cheapo-built-feel Bronco as closest matches.

 

Gavin, Whats interesting Regular Gas has an octane rating of 86 not 87 unfortuntely here in New Mexico. And though it will run and does not knock but my H2 seem to loose some get up and go. Mid grade is a bit better but not as good as NM Premium at 91 Octane. That with the combination of high heat and 0 humidity in the summer Premium really helps. Its just the nature of the beast and where its at. lol

 

I love advice like this. Thank god I don’t listen to it. I bought my 2003 H2 from the original owner for $2700. It had 216k miles on it and two faulty rear window regulators. I drove it home, replaced the regulators and cleaned her up.

 

One of the most difficult parts to get your hands on is the sunroof setups. The person that previously owned my 06 lived in Arizona which was a godsend for the condition of the body and frame but he used the ever loving crap out of the sunroof.

As a result it was worn out, rattled and did not seal well. It took almost 2 years an almost a grand to find a new replacement, on top of that it was a pain to replace. Another one of those watch out for. While I was looking for an 08 I can across a number of H2's that the owner actually sealed the sunroofs closed.

Perhaps us long time die hard owners should create a sticky thread here on this site, a one stop shopping list of things to specifically check for before purchasing an H2 and to avoid costly mistakes.

What do you think Doc? What would be a good name for it? lol