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

RLR said:
No, don't do it. Complaints per 1000 very high. Tie-rods snap like hb pencils. Drivetrain is "sloppy" and they all around suck.
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And for what they cost you get the antiquated GM suspension. A solid rear axle? c'mon. :rolleyes: Even the Ford Explorer has independent rear suspension.

One of the best parts of the civie HMMWV was the incredible suspension and capability. Hanging a Jeep 7 hole grill and some short windows on a Tahoe or Trailblazer doesn't make it a Hummer.

Another thing you'll get that comes with all GM products is a resale value that is in the toilet. Do yourself a favor and check the prices at KBB.com for comperably equiped H3's and Toyota Tacoma 4-door trucks. The Toyota is actually worth something after a couple years.
 
Unless you are buying an early H1, you're not even buying a Hummer (its a GM).

The H1 is the only one worth having. As far as I can see (from personal experience), the only people who need a Hummer (H1) are deep woods mountain guides and people who REALLY get out into tough, tough, going.

Again... The H1 is the only TRUE Hummer ever built and most people don't need one.

(as an aside, other than the H1, the rest of them have TERRIBLE reliability stats).

ON EDIT: Sorry... but if you buy or own an H2 or H3, you are just a "Hummer-owner-wanna-be".:thumbdn::p

SECOND EDIT: When I have the opportunity to speak to a "Hummer-owner-wanna-be", I like to ask them: "So how do you like that big GM rig you drive?" (then the fun begins!!:p:D
 
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blame the federales for the craptastic diesel engines of late, mandating that the laws of physics change and not just fix the "problem" there just isn't enough time for a good development cycle between when the new standards are announced and when they go into efect.
 
Since you are like me and tends to drive a vehicle until it disintegrates, consider maybe test driving the Honda Ridgeline. JMO.

Or better yet, get an 8' trailer with a rack for your bike, and pull it with your Liberty. And save $30K in the process.
 
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If you have alot of cash for gas then go for it, but I wouldn't bother, get a good pickup truck instead. Hummers are wide and they just don't fit the roads or parking lots well, making them clumsy.

However, if your roads are as bad as they are in northwestern Ontario where road maintenance is next to nonexistant, and you have an unlimited bank account for gas then a Hummer may do.
 
How often do you want to haul a motorcycle? If it isn't very often, you might be better off with a small trailer and the Liberty. It'll be easier to get a bike into a trailer than a pickup bed, too, since they're lower to the ground.
 
Just to note... I bought an '08 Ridgeline and I love it... Not to big... not to Small. Carries 5 well. Comfortable ride for me was a necessity (back problems), and I found the Honda to ride better than anything else.
 
I don't give a rat's heinie what other people think about my vehicle--just the reverse. One the the things that appeals to me about Hummers is the existence of HDS (Hummer Derangement Syndrome). However, I literally would be afraid to park it in Seattle.

As far as I can tell, none of the other alternatives (e.g. Ridgeline, crew-cab Tacoma, etc) get more than 1-2 mpg better than the HT3, but as far as I know there is no RDS (Ridgeline Derangement Syndrome).
 
wutitiz said:
I don't give a rat's heinie what other people think about my vehicle--just the reverse. One the the things that appeals to me about Hummers is the existence of HDS (Hummer Derangement Syndrome). However, I literally would be afraid to park it in Seattle.

As far as I can tell, none of the other alternatives (e.g. Ridgeline, crew-cab Tacoma, etc) get more than 1-2 mpg better than the HT3, but as far as I know there is no RDS (Ridgeline Derangement Syndrome).
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An H3?

So how do you like that big GM rig you drive?:D
 
how heavy is the bike? start checking load limits and box dimensions, if you find you need an F-350 long box to haul the bike, that might make up your mind.
 
I don't know if you are crazy. You might want to have a personal chat with someone you regard as having a little wisdom.
 
I would buy what ever you want from a Toyota Corolla to a F350 and get a single axle motorcycle trailer. They are much easier to mount/dismount a motorcycle than a truck bed and you dont have the added expense of ramps. The ramps have to be secured in the bed or they tend to bounce around. A road bike is a bitch to load by yourself and you can use the remaining bed of the truck to haul your other dirt bike gear or spare parts if you have a Harley.
 
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A.W.U.K. said:
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.

Andy.
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Andy hit the nail on the head. His post is worth rereading. ;)

I had my car totalled and needed to buy a replacement. My choices were to buy a frugal model with a market premium that I could never make up in fuel savings, buy a new out of favor vehicle, or hit the used the market.

I purchased a 2007 Toyota Tundra double cab with ~12.5K miles on it. It cost me about what a stripped Honda Civic would have and was half the price of a new pickup. In heavy traffic I get 17 to 18MPG and in my one trip on the interstate I got in the low to mid 20's MPG.

A full size double cab pickup can be a little challenging to park but, it is a pleasure to drive and is convenient as can be. It sits 5 comfortably (bucket seats up front) and has a nice large bed that can hold any motorcycle I will ever buy. If I still owned my car, I would have purchased a small trailer which really is a lot better for normal tasks like hauling a motorcycle or moving stuff.

As Andy mentioned, the Land Rover "Defender" series are awesome vehicles that we won't see in the USA for another 25 years when it become legal to import them. The Japanese makes produce some very good small to mid-size pickups and SUV's that are seen frequently in Africa, Australia, and similar places. I would love to have one of the European Land Rover Defenders or a diesel Nissan or Toyota off road model but, that just isn't possible here in the USA. The closest we will get is a Jeep Rubicon with the Toyota TRD/Nissan Nismo models running a close second. Our Asian, African, and European counterparts have a much better factory option IMHO then we do.

The 90 inch wheelbase Land Rover Defenders were imported into the USA in the 1990's but, they only have the gas engines and command a high premium since so few were sold on this side of the Atlantic.
 
That bed looks pretty short....will a motorcycle actually fit with the tailgate up?

Personally I'd go for a regular pickup or a trailer as some others have said. I think either option is a lot more versatile than the H3. But if you want the Hummer then go for it....you only have to please yourself, not the rest of us.

If you're looking for a superb off-road vehicle then look past the H3 at a Unimog or a Pinzgauer. You could haul the bike in either of those.

Rupestris said:
And for what they cost you get the antiquated GM suspension. A solid rear axle? c'mon. :rolleyes: Even the Ford Explorer has independent rear suspension.
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It all depends on where you're driving. On the road there's no doubt IFS/IRS provides for a smoother ride. Off the road it's a different story, a solid axle is actually a benefit. It maintains a constant ground clearance, gives better articulation and is a lot stronger than independent suspension. I realize most trucks/SUVs spend 99.99% of the time on road, but for those of us that do drive off-road a live axle is the better choice.
 
Just another GM POS. Not to mention overpriced by management and UAW greed.

Nissan --Toyota---Honda---Hyundai are what you need to be looking at.

Gas is getting cheap now---but you know it will be back to $4 in no time.
 
BlackHills said:
If you're looking for a superb off-road vehicle then look past the H3 at a Unimog or a Pinzgauer.
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Cost of ownership for either of those is pretty high. A nice surplus Unimog is a poor choice if you do any high speed Interstate drives. The Pinz is a little better if you need 60+ MPH. Both get bad gas milage.

If you have $30K plus for a Diesel Unimog, you have a great vehicle but it won't be very practical for a normal daily driver.
 
Best suggestion here is to see if the bed has room for what you want. Check the dimensions at www.hummer.com.

I would be hesitant to buy one now due to concerns about the GM brands in general and the Hummer brand in particular. I am not sure what the dealer and service support will be in the future. However, because of the use of GM parts service should be possible.

I do not buy vehicles because someone else thinks I should -- I buy what I want. For info from Hummer owners on what they can do off-road look at the forums at www.hummerxclub.com. Yes, the H2 tie rods are a weak link and can break under stress, although beefier aftermarket parts are available. The H3 weakest link, or so I have heard, was the front diff but that has been upgraded starting with the H3 Alpha. I think it is in the whole line now but am not sure.

Many people like solid axles for strength, although I know other prefer independent suspension.

A number of the guys at HXC have gone from H2s or H3s to other vehicles including the Rubicon for a variety of reasons, including aftermarket parts availability. Even Jeeps can break at times.

I like the Land Cruiser diesel pickup but you can't get it here, it is underpowered by our standards, and even it has some weak spots.

Good luck with your new vehicle. Buy what you want, but if gas does go back up remember not to whine. I try to remember that myself!
 
I don't want a trailer because I don't have a good place to keep it (I live in an apt). I have seen a take-down trailer, and a carrier mounted on the rear (similar to bicycle carriers) that would be ok for my needs (occasional use only). Also the pickup bed is sometimes nice to have for other uses. I should have said that my bike weighs only a little over 400 lbs. nor will I ever be buying a behemoth bike such as Harley or Gold Wing.

Before I buy any vehicle I would sit down and calculate the cost of fuel over 100K miles and factor that in. (100K/mpg*price of gas). The interesting thing is that the H3 gets roughly the same mpg as anything else out there with 4 doors and a bed. After everyone talked me out of the H3T, I've been looking at crew-cab Dodge Dakotas. They get about the same mpg as the H3T--maybe an mpg or 2 better. Even if gas goes back to $4/gal, that's only $2K over 100,000 miles, which for me is at least 10 years of driving, so $200/yr. So it's a consideration, but not a major one.

It just goes to show how vehicles generally have packed on the pounds over the last 25 years. I had a 1982 Subaru Brat that got over 30mpg, but today there is nothing around like that. I think even the current Subarus get only about 25mpg. Federal safety regs, I think.
 
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