Thinking of buying a 1999 H1
 

What should I look for when driving or just looking over the whole H1?

Thanks, Chase
EDIT:

Sorry forgot to add the link to show you guys https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ctd/6086893678.html

There are to many things you need to check to type. I would have someone who really knows hummers to do a prepurchace inspection. A good PPI will let you know whats wrong with and any issues it may have. I service Hummers (H1 & Hmmwv's) and have a shop near austin if you need any help.. I have a few clients in the dallas area. I would try and get as much history on the truck as possible. The 99 is a great year but its in the #8 cylinder time bomb engine year range. I would rather pay more for a stock unmolested truck than less and get a truck with aftermarket electrical nightmares or worse. If you need any help finding or servicing a hummer we are happy to help.

As Ian said there are many things to check. First would be to see if the engine had been replaced. A PPI can save you a lot of money. Look for maintenance history. I check everything possible. Drive test, look for corrosion on the body, rust underneath, crawl under the truck and check everything, look for leaks, check to make sure everything works correctly. Many of the used car dealers that sell H1s know nothing about them. Ian is a very knowledgable H1 mechanic. Not being in Dallas I do not have contact info on anyone more local than Ian but there are a number of local owners that are very knowledgable also.

Things to check:

-Full function of everything


Warning signs/things to look for:

-Does the CTIS system work? Many people disable the system, especially if they use aftermarket wheels. System should inflate [compressor hums, no pop off noises], and deflate [hisss sound]. System can run a few hundred to a few thousand to replace/fix/recondition.

-Is the heater core bypassed? Fully functioning and serviced HVAC systems on an H1 should blow ice cold and hot when needed. There's two systems, the one on the console and the aux system driven by a off/lo/high switch.

If the heater core is bypassed, the heater core may need to be replaced/serviced which is usually a $1000+ job.

Heater/AC tends to get neglected on these trucks and people pass it off as "Eh.. they always sucked".

That being said it's not uncommon for the Aux HVAC to blow colder/hotter than the main unit, that's normal, and the aux system will blow cold on any mode that uses defrost settings even if the main console is set to hot.

-Has the engine been replaced? By who and by what? Lots of info out there on this.

-Check for rust on hard top models around the seams [go all around]. Check for wagon rust inside/outside along the rear quarter panels [if its rusted/bubbling, its a big big repair unless you are into doing your own body work, lots of labor].