I found a 30k mile one that's cherry, even has the factory hitch! It's certainly an upgrade from our '06 Lux except that it has bling instead of useful off-road equipment.

Before I take the plunge, since it's just out of warranty, is there anything good or bad about 5,3L reliability/repair costs that's worth considering compared to the I5? The idea is to run our next H3 well past the 150k mile mark too.

 

The 5.3L LH8 is pretty much a tired and true GM small block. It's all aluminum to save weight.

It should outlast the trans, t-case and diffs. The only things I have had issues with are the belt tensioner and exhaust leak on the passenger side.

You may want to hold out for an OffRoad package rig if you plan on wheeling it.

 

If you finance it, most banks will offer a third party waranty. That is what I did for my 2008 Alpha. I had a couple of valve springs break on mine which I was glad I bought the waranty because it paid for itself. The other good thing is I take it to the dealership, and they have all the records on it from the day it was bought new from them.

 

Thanks for the tip on the warranty, I'm going to look into it with my credit union.

We got $16k from our insurance for our totalled '06 lux with 160k miles on the clock, not bad but not enough to cover upgrading model year and mileage for it's replacement which is something that makes a lot of sense to do.

It would be so much easier if I could just go out and buy a brand new gen II H3. Hunting used vehicles is a pain when you need one in a hurry.