After a 5 year Hummer hiatus I'm thinking of jumping back in. I see some familiar names still here, I was active here from nearly the start when I got my first of 5 H3's (2006, 2007, 2009 Championship edition - what was I thinking getting rid of that, another 2009, and finally a 2010).

I'm surprised at what the dealers are asking and more surprised when I go look and see the bad shape some are in. I know I'm picky, but I want something nice because this one I'll keep (my wife has heard that before).

Here's what I'm considering now.

2010 Red Rock with Luxury and Offroad package. 182k miles, highway commuting mostly. One owner, looks good in pictures but 450 miles away so it is a bit of a gamble. Guy seems pretty straightforward and has told me of issues and sent pictures. I don't know if he is active here.

Uses some oil but doesn't smoke (quart 1500-2000 miles)
ECT switch likely bad - causes AC to shut off, he has replacement but hasn't put it in.
Has a small dent in fender over gas filler, possibly paintless fixable.
A few small scuffs/scratches from parking lots (never offroaded).
Underside clean (not in ice/snow area).
Newer cooper tires.
Driver's seat has small tear and some wear - looks like replacement bottom covers are outrageous.
Driver's inside door handle broken/mangled.

He's asking $9000, which compared to dealer asking prices appears to be pretty good, but I don't know if they are actually selling for asking prices.

I'd welcome opinions or advice. Any other specific things I should ask (already asked the general runs/shifts/drives ok questions).

Thanks in advance.

 

Looking at Car Gurus there's a lot of nice looking H3s still available with around 100K miles in the $10K-$12K price range. If I was looking to jump into an H3, getting a vehicle with lower overall mileage would be one of my primary objectives. From there I would then look at options/packages, condition, maintenance history and Carfax. 182K miles is a lot of miles and let's face it, one thing is always certain, even with the proper maintenance things wear out over time. Something with 100K miles would give you about a 4 year head start over what you are looking at figuring an average of 20K miles a year.

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=208768484

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=215144375

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/invent...ting=225825529

 

To put it into perspective, I sold my H3 a few months ago for 10.5k, it had none of the issues you described and only had 119k miles, plus many thousands in upgrades. It was however a 2007. I think 9k is a lot to pay for one with 180k+ miles when you could probably find one a lot better for a similar price. Maybe if you knew a history of the engine and transmission it might be worth it. At 180k miles I'd worried every day I drove it if the trans was going to leave me stranded

 

Thanks for the responses. I'm not really finding anything on cargurus with a price/mileage trade-off that seems good to me. Going up to the $15,000 of two of the ones listed above still doesn't get one within 500 miles of me (trying to stay out of rust belt) that seems like a good deal. That extra $6k would cover a lot of repairs to the 2010 that is equipped like I want, a preferred color, and in overall good shape (with a few minor flaws as I've listed).

However, discussion with the owner revealed something that ought to bring out some strong opinions. In 183k miles, he's done no service to the transmission, transfer case, or either differential. Surprising since he's documented regular oil changes. Mostly highway miles and he says it shifts fine but could be a time bomb. I've heard opinions in the past that if the transmission hasn't been serviced in that long it is better to just not service it and wait for it to fail rather than stir up potential issues by flushing it. A gamble either way I suppose.

So, anyone that has high mileage have transmission/transfer case/differential experiences they want to share? I'll do some searching on the forum but thought I'd throw the question out there as well.

Be interested in repair costs for these, as I said above the extra $6k I'd have to pay for a low mileage one should cover lots of repairs.

I'm thinking there is a good chance to get him down from the $9k now, but still evaluating the risk.

 

Another thing to consider is how soon do you want to buy. You may want to hold off until the right H3 comes along. I spent 9 months looking for mine and I'm glad I did. Got everything I wanted and my H3 has been extremely reliable for 65K miles (knock on wood). I've had to replace a battery, radiator, and two brake calipers which was most likely my fault for not servicing my brakes soon enough. I'm coming up on 125K miles and it's still running strong.

 

Well, was going to buy it (price was reduced and I decided to take the chance even with the high mileage). However, went to meet the guy (I drove 4 hours, he drove 2-1/2) and about an hour out he called and said it overheated. He'd refilled radiator and was continuing on and he'd cut the price another $1000 if I still wanted it. He made it the rest of the way with no issues and temperature stayed normal while I looked it over. But, with a 4-hour drive back home ahead of me, I decided not to gamble on it. Considered renting a trailer to pull it home, but pulling into the driveway with a Hummer on a trailer was not something I wanted to explain to my wife.

I'm disappointed, but I think the advice on trying to find one with lower mileage was good and that is my current plan.

 

Where about are you located??

 

 

If I were you I'd pay a bit more and go for an H3 with less mileage.
I realize Texas is big but these should be somewhat close.
Here's a few in Houston:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2008-Hummer...2:pf:0&vxp=mtr

https://www.ebay.com/itm/H3-Base-4x4...4:pf:0&vxp=mtr

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-H3-4WD-4dr-SUV/202456128411?hash=item2f23535b9b:g:zCQAAOSw95Bbs1A M:rk:5f:0&vxp=mtr

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2007-H3-Lux...9:pf:0&vxp=mtr

Webster, TX

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2008-H3/352...8:pf:0&vxp=mtr