Am I crazy? I'm thinking of buying a Hummer.

W

wutitiz

Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
923
I want to buy a new vehicle now while it is a buyers market. I like my current Jeep Liberty, but I would like something with a pickup bed so that I can haul my motorcycle.

Ideally what I want is something like an Avalanche or Honda Ridgeline that does not really look like a pickup. I'm looking at the new Hummer H3T and is has a lot of what I want.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HseHmaQkBH0

I wish that it were lighter and smaller, but we can't have everything. I have also considered something like the Toyota Tacoma or GMC Canyon crewcab, but these 'compact' pickups have grown huge over the years and get little better gas mileage than the Hummer H3. I like the looks & overall 'envelope' of the Hummer H3T better. With no such thing as an efficient, attractive, compact pickup on the market, I'd just as soon pop for the Hummer (no pun intended).

The real question I have is, am I stupid to buy a Hummer in 2009? GM has said that they are considering selling or killing the Hummer line altogether. I have only seen 1 H3T on the road so far and it appears they are barely selling, even by Hummer standards. Will I be stuck with a vehicle that I can't get parts for?

I recall about 30 years ago, a friend of mine was contemplating either a new Scout II or a Jeep. He went with the Jeep on the grounds that International might go belly-up, which they did. However, 30 years later it is still not uncommon to see Scouts on the road around here, and apparently the owners have no problem getting parts.

I should mention that whatever I buy, I plan to keep it for a long time. What do you guys and girls think?
 
O great, the first reply is a troll. If those with big vehicles are compensating for small 'equipment' does the same principle apply to those who advocate big government?
 
Second reply: you're crazy. OK, not crazy, but ... I think you need to think this through for a while. Besides the situation being really volatile right now, with the auto industry itself in trouble and oil prices unstable, we don't know how the economy as a whole is going to look depending on the new administration's priorities. It will not be encouraging petroleum use. Think about how seriously you need that hauling capacity before going into a new car just now.
 
Here is my trusty transport. Why not look at something like this.

3 litre turbo charged intercooled diesel. Plenty of power and very economical.

Might not look like it in the pic but I think it would be big enough to fit a bike.


car.jpg



.
 
I'm not a fan of the Hummer lineup, but if I were to buy one it would be the pickup model. Never seen one on the road, but they look good in pictures.

Two others to consider, what would be on my short list:
* The Lincoln Mark LT. I'm a Lincoln sort of guy, but I cannot live without a pickup. The answer to my dream, however unaffordable.
* The new Ford F150 has been completely redesigned and is coming out soon. Many of the design elements, based on photos I've seen, are taken from the Mark LT. Looks like a real winner - I wouldn't buy a truck now without seeing these in person.

Many of the GMC/Chevy models are placing near the top in the recent quality rankings. Nothing against Chevy, but I usually prefer the Ford designs...
 
You're crazy! :eek::) I'd never buy a Hummer right now. If something big happens in the middle-east tonight, gas could be $8.00 a gallon tomorrow. And who is going to service it next year? There's way too much going on the world and the country and it ain't likely to settle down anytime soon. Look elsewhere. Don't do it. No. No. No.

(I'll bet you could find a used one real cheap if you look, though.)
 
I've always wanted an HMMWV, but dunno if I'd pull the trigger on a civillian version. Maybe the H1...
 
first off, The H3 is a re-bodied GMC Canyon. don't buy one. They are selling poorly because the suspension cannot handle the extra body weight, so they ride like a cargo van, and they are a PITA to work on. As for the ridgeline, great towing capacity compared to the size, but I've seen one with an electra-glide in the back, and damn if it didn't ride nose high.
Oh and BTW the Lincoln mark whatever is an F150 that has a bigger price tag. if you want leather seats, get an f150 with a trim pack.

Look at Nissan frontier, yeah I know, but I know a guy who runs one off-road, and it out performs toyotas for 10k less on the sticker.

Gajinoz, I WISH we could dream of getting little turbo diesel trucks on north america, but sadly the rest of the planet kicks our asses when it comes to off-road vehicles. yeah its true, the big three don't know how to build an off roader (well, Jeep has the right idea kinda) and no one else is willing to make 'em left hand drive and sell the good stuff. no market, most trucks never see dirt.

And to throw into the brand debate, from working on a great many trucks, fords are the most innovative, usually the worst implementation, Dodges are built just enough, and GMS are over built out the ass, from what I saw, when a GM failed it was due to a part being too strong and not failing when it should have, and doing more damage. that and all of the typical problems people talk about were caused by shop goons like me and not the guys who build the truck.

Look at Nissan, ignore Mazda in North America untill the ford sell off fallout dies down, Toyota is an option, and while I love Honda I just don't know if they have the lengevity in the bigger vehicles, the little cars ran forever because they were proven, and had a long development history, the bigger stuff, I'm not so sure about.

And on the off chance you want a project, I have have scout 2 looking for new home.. :)

IMHO the big north american makers are so far behind the curve that they should be let die. let the market get some fresh blood, some new companies, and have some real competion again.

do yourself a favor and don't buy a hummer. you WILL regret it.
 
gajinoz said:
Here is my trusty transport. Why not look at something like this.

3 litre turbo charged intercooled diesel. Plenty of power and very economical.

Might not look like it in the pic but I think it would be big enough to fit a bike.


car.jpg



.
Click to expand...

Yes that looks like what they call the 'tacoma' here--Toyotas compact pickup. I don't think that the diesel version is even available in the U.S. I have thought about the crew-cab Tacoma (I want 4 doors) but they are huge. I saw one in a parking lot a few weeks ago, and looked at it, and could not believe how big it was. Fuel economy is on a par with the Hummer H3T.

Part of the problem I think is that there is just not much demand for the kind of vehicle I want. I really want something like the the Hummer H3T or Ridgeline, but shrunken by about 25%. Subaru had the Baja, which would have been an option, except that they are no longer made, and were butt-ugly.

By the way, I don't really care if gas goes back to $4, which I don't think it will anyway. My commute is only a couple miles, and I use my motorcycle a lot anyway. Fuel cost is not much of a consideration for me.
 
wutitiz said:
Yes that looks like what they call the 'tacoma' here--Toyotas compact pickup.
Click to expand...

My toy is a Mazda BT50. Have a look on their US website, (I'm assuming they sell them there), and see what you think.

You can get a 4 door version but that will decrease the length of your rear tray.

Mine is what they call here a "Freestyle" Cab. It has two small fold up seats in the rear but the cabin is shorter than the 4 door door, giving more room in the back, let's me get a few extra bales of hay in there. :)
 
gadgetgeek said:
first off, The H3 is a re-bodied GMC Canyon. don't buy one. They are selling poorly because the suspension cannot handle the extra body weight, so they ride like a cargo van, and they are a PITA to work on. As for the ridgeline, great towing capacity compared to the size, but I've seen one with an electra-glide in the back, and damn if it didn't ride nose high.
Oh and BTW the Lincoln mark whatever is an F150 that has a bigger price tag. if you want leather seats, get an f150 with a trim pack
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, gadgetgeek, that was really the type of advice I was looking for.
 
I'd say it's unlikely that the Hummer brand will survive in its current form. Most likely it will be mothballed, possibly with a licensing deal for a small shop to build luxury H1's. If the brand will survive, it will probably be sold off to an oligarch type in the Middle East, Asia or Russia. Market conditions are not very good for most of those types right now though, so most likely even that won't happen. And it almost goes without saying that such a sale would also make Hummer a boutique brand. So almost any way you slice it, the H3 is probably doomed.

Also it's by no means universal experience, but the two people I knew with H3's had horrible experiences with them until they got rid of them at a loss.
 
gajinoz said:
My toy is a Mazda BT50. Have a look on their US website, (I'm assuming they sell them there), and see what you think.
Click to expand...


Nope. Mazda's only truck in North America is a re-badged Ford Ranger. :rolleyes:

My wife drived a Mazda5 mini van and loves it and its all Mazda. Not a Ford with Mazda tags.
 
Top Gear did a comparison test between the H3 and the Land Rover 110 and the H3 did not come out too well. In particular it was a lot smaller inside than the Landy.

A recession is a good time to buy a thirsty car though and if you don't do many miles you will be better off overall than paying full price for a more frugal vehicle.

I wouldn't worry too much about the vehicle going out of production, I expect many parts are common to other vehicles and other parts will be manufactured by third parties as long as there is any demand. I owned a Ford 100E once, which had ceased production over 20 years before but I could still get brand new parts without too much trouble. That was before the days of the internet too.

Andy.
 
The H3T is a POS - I had one for a few days while my Tahoe was being worked on. It simply could not get out of its own way. Felt like driving a BUS> In addition to what everyone else has said.. Wait a bit till the market adjust...settles. ... or just buy a fullsize truck all of which will get you what you want and more.
 
No, don't do it. Complaints per 1000 very high. Tie-rods snap like hb pencils. Drivetrain is "sloppy" and they all around suck.
 
Thanks for all replies. It appears pretty unanimous, including from the knowlegable posters like rlr above and the first hand account of muttman.
 
If you think you need a truck get a truck, these little cute looking grocery getters are a compromise all the way around and don’t do anyone thing well. Out of the big three full-size trucks I have a lot of seat time in them in rough terrain. The front ends on the Chevies will not hold up and the interior layout is poor. I have never understood how you can get into a ¾ ton truck and sit down like you are in a car, Chevies have tiny front window with poor visibility. The Ford ¾ tons had the best seating position and visibility out the front until that bulbous hood on the 08s. The Ford drive terrain held up great, the 6.0 diesel sucked, horrible mileage and ever y30k miles they were in the shop for head gaskets and egr systems. Now the motors on the 08 are holding up, but they went to plastic radiator ends and those are breaking every 15k miles. The Dodges did the best overall, the least drive train problems and no motor problems. The interiors are pretty nice and hold up with good visibility out the front. I would go with a quad cab ¾ 4x4 Dodge, then you have a real truck with some interior room.
 
gadgetgeek said:
first off, The H3 is a re-bodied GMC Canyon. .... They are selling poorly because the suspension cannot handle the extra body weight, so they ride like a cargo van, and they are a PITA to work on. .....
Oh and BTW the Lincoln mark whatever is an F150 that has a bigger price tag. if you want leather seats, get an f150 with a trim pack.
Click to expand...

And the H2 is a Suburban. Same issue w/ the weight to suspension ratio.
I've got a video showing an H2 on Bill Moore lake trail (moderate off road w/ large boulders) where it breaks the Tie Rod and the wheels toe in. I've been on that trail many times in my S10 Blazer w/o problems.
 
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