It is time for my daughter's first car. She loves the FJ Cruiser and the H2/H3s, with preference for the H3. I found 2006 H3 in our budget, with 83k miles on it, but after reading some reviews online, I am really worried about the reliability.

While the FJ Cruiser is just getting warmed up at 84k miles, the H3s seem to be falling apart straight off the factory floor. There are numerous reports on this site, of blown cylinder heads and other very expensive defects.

http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/hum...2845/comments/

Are these representative of the general quality and reliability of the H3?
Can I expect to get 200k miles out of the H3, like most avg. cars these days?

I have to say, that I would like to have one of these in my driveway, but this car has to last her through college, and I have another daughter coming up 2 years after her, so I cannot afford blowing my money on expensive repairs.

I appreciate your feedback.