H3 potential owner advise!
 

Hey guys.. Looking into a hummer h3. Im seeing some nice trucks out there but the reviews are on both ends of the spectrum.. I know this is the place to get the advise from current owners so dont hold back.. I was wondering exactly how powerful they are (gonna look into a tst drive soon).. Also hows the mpg's?? Im currently driving a Tahoe so I know the idea of mid teen mpgs but ive been reading anywhere from (19-21) to (8-9)? I know how heavy your foot is depends on how bad aswell as condtions but give me a rough estimate? Also how reliable has yours been so far? thanks!

I have the 06 with the 3.5L engine. Definately not the most powerful vehicle but im satisfied considering its an I5. Seems to get winded going up hill but nothing too bad. The 07's have a slightly larger engine (3.7L) and along with that a little more power. Of course if you look at buying the Alpha you'll get a lot more power but less MPGs.
My MPGs are between 15 and 16.5 pretty consistantly. My commute is about 70 miles per day and it is both up and down some small mountains (mostly highway, some "city"). Its my guess that 15-18 is probably the avg you'll get as a response on here for MPGs.

Also, do a search on the forum for info regarding the '06 head issues (if the 06 is a year you are considering). There is a thread somewhere describing what VIN ranges have a higher chance of having the head issue and which VINs should be "okay".

Good luck with the purchase!

i started with an 07 in 09,stock 265 tires.with 38-40 lbs in the tires i calculated actual 19.99. i call it 20,on a trip,indiana to pittsburgh,turnpike,eastbound!
i took it from 37k to 57k in a year,trouble free and grabbed a 10 b4 they were gone.
its an adv with 285 tires and i struggle to get 18 on that trip.
\i didnt but an h3 to beat the 31 i got in my probe!
its for fun,and ask any owner,fun it is,like nothing else.
i almost puke looking at new cars/suv today. the all look alike,boring,the dumb looking pointy grill and wraparound headlites,yukko.
have fun,pay up,get the newest,lowest miles,sunroof=mandatory.
get me outa here

hey,going up hills in western pa,you push the gas,it goes fast,no power problem

I live in eastern Ohio, winding hills are an everyday thing here. I average around 13-15. On the highway its closer to 18 I'd say.

On the power side, I also have the '06 (3.5 L). It is not the most powerful truck I have ever drove, but I feel as if I can go any where in it. I wouldn't let the power turn you away from one of these amazing vehicles!

Good luck with your find and hopefully purchase!

I have an 09 championship with the V8 5.3l and front and rear lockers had it from new. It does 16mpg highway and achieved 20mpg from texas to cali. Absolute dream of a car and stands out amongst all the other boring cars. I intend to run this car into the ground hopefully in 20 years.

I have an 08 Alpha with eight cylinder. It gets 15-16 mpg. Plenty of power. We absolutly love the H3. If you are interested, mine is for sale in the classified section. The only reason I am selling is because I need a heavyduty pick up to trailer my race car now that it is done.

https://www.hummerforums.com/forum/p...h3-sale-26285/

I think 19-20max is possible on a regular basis if you do all the little but important things-
start out with a manual
keep the 32" tires in a more hwy oriented tread, not an aggressive A/T or M/T.
Don't start adding accessories like roof racks or big bumpers and winches
use synthetic fluids
get an airdoc or homemade intake to get rid of the restrictive fender coupler in the airbox
keep tire pressure up and avoid jackrabbit starts
shift to neutral going down hills and coming up to stops to take advantage of momentum
keep highway speeds down, 65 uses more than 55 and 75 uses more than 65.

That said, I get about 17.5 under best conditions on the hwy at 70 in my 07 Adventure on 285 Duratracks with an auto and no roof rack with the a/c on and had a couple bests of 18mpg

First off: Why the H3? OffRoad capablility? Comfort? Looks?

Go on a test drive of several H3s in this order if you can: I5 (3.5l 2006), I5 (3.7L 2007-2010) and the V8 (Alpha 08-10). If you can not notice a difference in the power or it is not that much of an issue you will know pretty quickly. None of them are a Vette. That's not what they where built for anyway.

If you are really worried about MPG, I wouldn't even look @ any of the HUMMER line. Esp. if you plan on doing any modifications (wheels, tires, performance, OffRoad, Etc). If you are they type to get modification addicted plan on not having a savings account!

Not trying to tell you not to get one, just want you know up front and have some real world truth about what you are getting into. We (my wife and I) have been driving and loving them for years now and are looking to adding to our stable again soon.

When I test drove mine I was coming off a V6 F150 and some time with an Explorer Sportrack. Both had about 210-220 hp, lots of torque and similar weights. Felt like the H3 had more power around town but about even on the hwy. You won't go wrong with either I5 when wheeling, but if you are looking for a hwy commuter this may not be the best choice.

Thanks for the insight guys! As far as reliability I havent read anything bad (besides the 06 head) anything else I should look out for? Also I read the company was sold is finding parts gonna be hard in the future?