Well I have been wanting an H3 for a while. I really like the looks of an H3T, but since finding one here in the midwest is like finding a unicorn or leprechaun, I think I'll go with just a standard H3. I found one here at a local dealer that looks ok. It's an '06 with 50,000 miles on it. Other than it looking small with the goofy tires on it, it seems ok. My questions are:
1) Is a price around $18K fair for it?
2) How big can I go with tires without getting a lift? I read where the H3T's would go up to like 35's without a lift? I'm guessing turning the torsion bars up a few turns would get me some nice sized tires on it.
3) Are there anythings I should look for or listen for when test driving it?

Thanks in advance for all your help guys and gals! I appreciate it.

 

I'll jump on #2, since it's the easy question.

The front end of an H3 and H3T are identical and any tire that will fit the one, will fit the other. The back end is less limiting as far as what you can fit back there.

35" is no problem for an H3. A lot of the guys, including myself, run 315-75-16 tires. (That is a 35" tire.)

You probably won't even need to crank your T-bars to fit the 35"s. (But it will make it look better. )

 

Thanks again! Your full of information. You were helping me with my original question about the H3T. The one I found seems to be out of my price range and the dealer won't budge a bit. So the H3 may be more my speed at this point. I have a pickup anyway that's paid for so I guess the H3 will be just fine. Can you wheel the H3's just like the H3T's? Will the 5 Cylinder do the trick?

Thanks!

 

Looked around the net for you the 18k seems to be good!

 

Price seems high to me IMHO. Last year I paid $19,999 for my 08 w/ 32K miles. The same dealer currently has eleven 2008's ranging in price from $17,999 to $20999 with 20 to 35K miles. Just my 2 cents. I honestly would look into a 07 or newer. 07 and up have 3.7's and 16mm tie rods. If you get up to a 2008, you still have factory bumper to bumper warranty.

 

No problem man, glad to be of help!


On tighter trails, the H3 is actually better than the H3T. You can make it around smaller bends in the H3 due to the shorter overall length. The big thing though, is the wheelbase. The shorter wheelbase of the H3 is good for things like cresting hills with an immediate drop off on the other side. An H3T can find itself high-centered in a situation like that if the driver isn't careful.

The 5-cyl shouldn't hold you back at all off-road.

The bigger engine really helps most on the street, getting up to highway speeds when carrying a lot of gear or towing stuff.

 

Thanks again! I appreciate all your input. I enjoy the dealing part, maybe I can get them down a grand or so on the price. :-)

 

U might get better mileage with the 3.5,seems to me they were advertized higher,BUT, u can read on the forum endless stories about head problems on the 06,so at 50000 has it been fixed?, or is it ready to go?.
id go as the guy said,08 or newer. head issue+ warranty,jfwiw

 

Make sure you test drive more than one to find out what options you want and don't want. I did a ton of research and shopped around on autotrader.com before I found the truck that had all the options I wanted. I drove over 200 miles to get it too, but it was worth it, because there wasn't anything like it in my immediate area.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is, don't settle just because it's close. Oh..and don't buy an '06. You can find really good deals on newer trucks with less miles.

 

Personally, I would steer clear of the 06 3.5L H3. You can find an 07 or 08 in your price range and they have the 3.7l and you may still find one with some of the 5 year / 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty still on it.

Most of your dealers don't know krap about H3/H3Ts so you can get the Adventure package (I5) without the dealer even knowing to mark up the price! Ill do some checking on autotrader.com and post some options for ya here within 200 miles of KC, KS.

315s (35") tires can fit and H3/H3T without any modification at all.

Below, 07s and 08s with less miles and more options within 200 miles of 66101 KC, KS and under 24K! Plenty more where these came from! Just keep an eye out on autotrader.com/cars.com/etc!

07 Adventure/5 speed / 32k mi / $19K
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

07 Adventure / Auto / 38K mi / $21.5K
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

07 Non Adventure / Auto / 22K mi / $22K!!!!
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

08 LuX / Auto / 25K mi / $23K
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

08 / auto / 23K mi / $23K
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

08 / Auto / 26K mi / $24K
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

07 Adventure / Auto / 32K mi / $23K
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false