Buying an H1 out of Town.
#1
08-25-2011, 04:25 PM
Buying an H1 out of Town.
Hey all....
I have my 2006 H2 and love it with all my heart but there is an empty spot in there for an H1. I gotta have one and that's all there is to it.
I'm looking to buy a good, clean, trustworthy, H1 and need some real good advice.
I got a pretty good idea what some of the H1's out there cost. I'm a bit foggy on what to watch out for. I'm not rich, so whatever I get, it had better work for a while. My biggest problem is the H1's are normally not around where I live. It's not like I can drive down the street to my local Hummer dealer in Victoria, Texas and check one out. I want one real bad. All of the H1's I see for sale are somewhere between 800-2000 miles away from Victoria. For me to find one and then pay Big $$$ for something I haven't seen yet is tough to do. I can ask a lot of questions but will I get straight answers? Pictures can be tricky.
How would one of you buy an H1 out of state and far away?
Would you find someone in the area of the H1 check it out for you?
Is there people out there that know the H1 and diesel engines that I can pay to give me the real poop on it?
Once I found the one I want I guess I could fly out there (big bucks) and drive back (if I'm sure everything is on the up and up), or would it be better to have someone truck it back for me? Driving 1500 miles would be a bit scarey wondering if mechancially I could make it back home. If I had it trucked, how would I know it's a good reliable trucking company?
I need to know what YOU would do to buy the one you've always wanted but the dang thing is 1500 miles away. What steps would you take?
Thanks all for your input on this.
Crank
I have my 2006 H2 and love it with all my heart but there is an empty spot in there for an H1. I gotta have one and that's all there is to it.
I'm looking to buy a good, clean, trustworthy, H1 and need some real good advice.
I got a pretty good idea what some of the H1's out there cost. I'm a bit foggy on what to watch out for. I'm not rich, so whatever I get, it had better work for a while. My biggest problem is the H1's are normally not around where I live. It's not like I can drive down the street to my local Hummer dealer in Victoria, Texas and check one out. I want one real bad. All of the H1's I see for sale are somewhere between 800-2000 miles away from Victoria. For me to find one and then pay Big $$$ for something I haven't seen yet is tough to do. I can ask a lot of questions but will I get straight answers? Pictures can be tricky.
How would one of you buy an H1 out of state and far away?
Would you find someone in the area of the H1 check it out for you?
Is there people out there that know the H1 and diesel engines that I can pay to give me the real poop on it?
Once I found the one I want I guess I could fly out there (big bucks) and drive back (if I'm sure everything is on the up and up), or would it be better to have someone truck it back for me? Driving 1500 miles would be a bit scarey wondering if mechancially I could make it back home. If I had it trucked, how would I know it's a good reliable trucking company?
I need to know what YOU would do to buy the one you've always wanted but the dang thing is 1500 miles away. What steps would you take?
Thanks all for your input on this.
Crank
#2
08-25-2011, 05:34 PM
Personally I would find one that suits yours needs, and then call Blair and get him to do the homework.... or buy one from him. He personally states in his eBay ads that you can call him and ask him questions about any H1.
Secondly.... I would buy one near a friend. Friends can do a whole lot of legwork. I can honestly tell you that I would drive within 2 hours in any direction to look at a vehicle... if the seller is legit, they will be willing to give you a complete test drive. I want to know what the vehicle sounds like, smells like, drivers like, etc after a good 45 minute drive, in which I would be willing to pay for the diesel to show the seller I am there in good faith.
Third.... if the deal is too good to be true.... it is.
Finally.... make sure the service work has been done... which walks hand in hand with #1 on my list. If you want a basket case... great.... if you want a truck that is solid and you can keep up with... great... but the truth might take some patience...
That's my 2 cents worth... and most of that can be implied with any vehicle.
Secondly.... I would buy one near a friend. Friends can do a whole lot of legwork. I can honestly tell you that I would drive within 2 hours in any direction to look at a vehicle... if the seller is legit, they will be willing to give you a complete test drive. I want to know what the vehicle sounds like, smells like, drivers like, etc after a good 45 minute drive, in which I would be willing to pay for the diesel to show the seller I am there in good faith.
Third.... if the deal is too good to be true.... it is.
Finally.... make sure the service work has been done... which walks hand in hand with #1 on my list. If you want a basket case... great.... if you want a truck that is solid and you can keep up with... great... but the truth might take some patience...
That's my 2 cents worth... and most of that can be implied with any vehicle.
#3
08-25-2011, 05:51 PM
Good luck! I'm still young (22) so an H1 is out of my price range. However some day I dream of finding a nice clean 06 Alpha and doing terrible dirty things to it out wheeling. 
A kid can dream, but for now my H3 gets the job done.
A kid can dream, but for now my H3 gets the job done.
#4
08-25-2011, 07:05 PM
Personally I would find one that suits yours needs, and then call Blair and get him to do the homework.... or buy one from him. He personally states in his eBay ads that you can call him and ask him questions about any H1.
Secondly.... I would buy one near a friend. Friends can do a whole lot of legwork. I can honestly tell you that I would drive within 2 hours in any direction to look at a vehicle... if the seller is legit, they will be willing to give you a complete test drive. I want to know what the vehicle sounds like, smells like, drivers like, etc after a good 45 minute drive, in which I would be willing to pay for the diesel to show the seller I am there in good faith.
Third.... if the deal is too good to be true.... it is.
Finally.... make sure the service work has been done... which walks hand in hand with #1 on my list. If you want a basket case... great.... if you want a truck that is solid and you can keep up with... great... but the truth might take some patience...
That's my 2 cents worth... and most of that can be implied with any vehicle.
Secondly.... I would buy one near a friend. Friends can do a whole lot of legwork. I can honestly tell you that I would drive within 2 hours in any direction to look at a vehicle... if the seller is legit, they will be willing to give you a complete test drive. I want to know what the vehicle sounds like, smells like, drivers like, etc after a good 45 minute drive, in which I would be willing to pay for the diesel to show the seller I am there in good faith.
Third.... if the deal is too good to be true.... it is.
Finally.... make sure the service work has been done... which walks hand in hand with #1 on my list. If you want a basket case... great.... if you want a truck that is solid and you can keep up with... great... but the truth might take some patience...
That's my 2 cents worth... and most of that can be implied with any vehicle.
Good stuff. I'm not sure who Blair is. I'll look around.
Yeah.. I drove almost 3 hours away for my H2. Well worth it! The good H1's seem to be way out West. LA, Arizona and such. They all look pretty good in the pictures but I'm sure those pictures don't show everything.
Thanks again MuddyDawg75.
Hey Draketh. I bought my H3 new at the Hummer dealer back in 2006. Just had to have it. Never sorry. It was the greatest. I told my wife then that this H3 was just the beginning. The H2 was going to be next. After that, it was going to be the H1. Well I bought my H2 back about 2-3 years ago. I still have that now and love it. Well now it's time for the H1.
Got to!
#7
08-25-2011, 09:59 PM
Crank there are many quality sellers but unfortunately there are lots of scammers and less than honest sellers. There are somewhere around 6500-7000 H1s in country so the odds of one coming up for sale in your area aren't good. Most likely you will be traveling to look at or buy a truck. It is crucial that you have someone knowledgable about H1s check out the truck for you. Many trucks are sold when maintenance and worn parts need to be serviced. Also H1s are not as refined as the other Hummer models. Most are 10 years ok'd or older and many have seen their share of hard use. You should really go to Houston or Dallas and drive several to get comfortable with them and set your expectation level. Unfortunately for you the biggest concentrations of H1s are in CA and FL so distance will be an issue for you. If you find any SoCal trucks you are interested in let me know and I will check them out for you. I also have two very nice H1s in my shop in central Texas. If you would like to come inspect and drive them it would give you a good baseline to compare from.
Blair is focusing on buying and restoring former military HUMVEEs and doesn't have his normal inventory right now.
Blair is focusing on buying and restoring former military HUMVEEs and doesn't have his normal inventory right now.
Last edited by 3hummers; 08-25-2011 at 10:05 PM.
#8
08-26-2011, 06:53 AM
Crank there are many quality sellers but unfortunately there are lots of scammers and less than honest sellers. There are somewhere around 6500-7000 H1s in country so the odds of one coming up for sale in your area aren't good. Most likely you will be traveling to look at or buy a truck. It is crucial that you have someone knowledgable about H1s check out the truck for you. Many trucks are sold when maintenance and worn parts need to be serviced. Also H1s are not as refined as the other Hummer models. Most are 10 years ok'd or older and many have seen their share of hard use. You should really go to Houston or Dallas and drive several to get comfortable with them and set your expectation level. Unfortunately for you the biggest concentrations of H1s are in CA and FL so distance will be an issue for you. If you find any SoCal trucks you are interested in let me know and I will check them out for you. I also have two very nice H1s in my shop in central Texas. If you would like to come inspect and drive them it would give you a good baseline to compare from.
Blair is focusing on buying and restoring former military HUMVEEs and doesn't have his normal inventory right now.
Blair is focusing on buying and restoring former military HUMVEEs and doesn't have his normal inventory right now.
Where abouts in Texas are you? Send me a message sometime. I may take you up on the offer one day.
The more I read about the H1 the more I find I need to read more.
TNX
