Been debating my next purchase and I am pretty set on an H3 now. What should I look for when looking at them? What are the pro's and con's between the I-5 and the 5.3V8? Any info you guys can give me would be awesome. Im gonna spend some time going through some threads here also to see what i can learn.

thanks

 

My wife and I just picked up an '08 H3 Luxury last Monday and we love it... The only real "con" is the MPG, but thats to be expected... I'm not very well versed in the vehicle yet, but I haven't found any down side to it...

 

Bought a 2008 Alpha a couple of months ago and love it. My mpg runs from 16-19 but will drop much lower if you keep your foot in it.... They do want to go!! I looked for months before I found this one. Looking back, the only mistake I made was passing up some well cared for H3's because they didn't have big tires, looked low as far as the lift or not enough accessories. Found out later that these were easy fixes. Good luck and you won't be disappointed.

 

Look for anything you would look for on any other car. Check the oil, all the fluids. Inspect underneath for corrosion. Ask to see maintainance records. Ask if the radiator has been replaced or if they have had any problems with cracks in the radiator. Look for leaks. A Huge one for me is looking how the vehicle was kept. You can tell how it was cared for by looking at the carpets for stains and dirt, look at the seats, the plastic for cuts. You can tell pretty quickly if it was well taken care of. Any signs of uncleanliness is a red flag for me. Make sure the motor runs smooth with no knocks or tics. Make sure the transmission shifts nice and smooth through all the gears. I'm sure there's more but I like to go through them with a fine tooth comb especially on a vehicle like these, spending this much money is a big investment. Good luck.

 

no hurry,tell the guy you will be gone for a while,give your keys and license!.
check gauges,drive 5 10 miles ,warmed up and check gauges.
coast to a stop,no brakes in neutral,then see if it moves in gear at idle. if so,no brakers dragging,,yet.
let it idle in gear with e brake on and quickly check all 4 wheels for hot brakes ,then and pull the hood to look and listen and smell,check fluids.

look under for dripping juices like coolant,oil,tranny,steering,brakes,differentials. look under for mud,scrapes from hard off roading.
check lights,turn signals.
plug in your obd2 reader and do a complete check out for anything you can find.
release the e brake and see if it still moves at idle. another good brake check is to stop on a grade,shift to neutral, it should drift immediately,do this a few times, recheck e brake too.

I like to let it sit running for 10 minutes to check for overheating. I never saw an i5 with a temp gage up to 1/2 under any condition.

tranny shift?, steering ok?. a light touch on brakes should be felt.
windows go up down?. remote lock unlock doors?

as a new h3 driver watch for the blind spot driver side "a" pillar as you make left turns it blocks your view,i hit a low post once and scraped off my mirror on a 4 inch tree on my own property! laugh if you want.

 

What do you plan on doing with the H3 you are shopping for. Daily driver, Driver and Wheeler, towing, how many passengers most of the time, slow and steady driver or a power guy?

Those will determine if it's the I5 or the V8 for you and what other option packages you will want to look for in a good used H3.

 

I agree, but I have no clue why all H3s didn't come with a V8.

 

DD, weekend wheeler maybe 4 times a year in northern MI, tow small pop up camper(less than 1000lbs.), and 1-2 car seats in the back.

 

If you are going to tow I would suggest going with an Alpha. Wheeling...they both do very well.

With a good amount of highway miles I would also give the nod to an Alpha for keeping highway speeds up hills. Around town, I5 would be a good choice due to the Alpha liking fuel a little to much in the city.

It all comes down to what you want, need and fits in your budget. I can say you won't regret buying an Alpha. If you do go with the I5 get a stick it changes the driving experience and you have better control of the power band.

 

thanks guys, a lot of good info. I am leaning towards the Alpha, my dad has the 5.3 in his Trailblazer EXT and his 1500 work truck and it has proven to be a great motor and pretty decent on mpg for what it is.