Breezy, Former VehiCross Owner

[OIF Marinex3]

Thanks for the tip Schwarttzy! My only problem will be finding all the options I want in one H3 that is reasonably priced.

@ArtHummer, my girlfriend (now ex) who I was planning to propose to lives 5 hours away and on a college budget I couldn't afford the gas to visit her very often like I wanted to in the VX (similar mpg as the H3 I assume), so I sold the VX for my current 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. I could then afford the gas to visit her and take the excess money and put it towards an engagement ring. She dropped everything and left right after I bought the Sentra after selling the VX. So now this is where I am at. Haha.

But I LOOOOVE driving in the snow. I wish I could drive in snow all year round. I can't do that in my FWD Sentra. And I love pulling anyone out of a ditch in winter that I see as I drive by. I love being able to go out and know I can get to where ever I need to be no matter what the conditions are. I love the security of being able to get to any friends or family that need my help in a vehicle that is completely capable to get me there and potentially even recover their vehicle. I kinda want to run my own little side recovery service so to speak. That's why I'm looking at the H3. Because it seems capable of all that, plus roomy and comfortable compared to what I have now and have owned before.

Well here is my 2c, before purchasing my H3 I looked at what current SUV's were geared more toward off-road, to me there are only three options, Toyota FJ, Jeep, and Hummer. the Jeep was the first to go because of the lack of space, cheap build quality, and unimpressive handling.
the FJ was a close second except for one major flaw that the dealer wont tell you, it Only takes PREMIUM gas and 16 mpg, instant deal breaker.
the Hummer H3 offered better cargo room, great build quality, the most comfortable, and best looking, you can also keep up with or exceed any of the other off-road SUV's
I just went on a cross country trip from VA to Utah around 4400+ miles this past June and the comfort was amazing.

When you are looking for an H3 take your time and get everything that you want, I also recommend looking for the Lux/Adventure Pkg with the Lockers. it took me around 3 months to find one, one thing that I found when looking for the H3 with the lockers is to look closely at the pictures for the locker button because there are dealers who wont have the lockers listed on the options.
I would also recommend looking at CarMax I got my H3 with all those options for 19k and a 150k additional mile full warranty

 

[Breezy]

Wow, thanks Marine! Sounds like great advice. So Carmax will give an extended warranty? That's awesome! I have had major mechanical problems with my VX and now my Sentra. Like, enough to double my investment in the vehicles just to make them run as they ought to. I'm done buying privately. I want something with a good warranty so I stop getting screwed over by people's lack of maintenance and sheer bad luck. How does warranty work through a Carmax? I don't live near one, so if would I always have to get my VX to a Carmax dealer for any repairs???

 

[M22KLARS]

Welcome Breezy. I owned an '06 H3 Adventure and it got me through 5 MN winters with no problems.

 

[alrock]

If you buy an H3 that is still within the bumper to bumper warranty (5 years, 50,000) miles you can purchase the GM Protection Plan (GMPP). You can buy that from any dealer and it pays to shop on the Internet for a good price. The GMPP has very good coverage with a lot less BS that tends to come with third party extended warranties. Many owners here on the forum have the GMPP and swear by it.

 

[OIF Marinex3]

Wow, thanks Marine! Sounds like great advice. So Carmax will give an extended warranty? That's awesome! I have had major mechanical problems with my VX and now my Sentra. Like, enough to double my investment in the vehicles just to make them run as they ought to. I'm done buying privately. I want something with a good warranty so I stop getting screwed over by people's lack of maintenance and sheer bad luck. How does warranty work through a Carmax? I don't live near one, so if would I always have to get my VX to a Carmax dealer for any repairs???

first I would like to state that I do not work for and I have no financial interests with CarMax. Good I got that over with, now I have purchased five vehicles from carmax and I have had cars and trucks from "regular" dealers. The way that the CarMax warranty works is it is an all inclusive plan that covers not just your powertrain but also all of your electrical and body componuts if I had an issue with a motor mount, my radio, power seat, or doors ect..., that would be covered. what is not covered is the general wear and tear items like brake pads.
also when you take your vehicle in to get serviced you only pay $50.
one key thing that I like is that you know you are getting a vehicle that has not been wrecked, suffered some kind of damage like being a flood vehicle. they are not just certified through Carfax which relies on "reported" information, all of the cars and trucks CarMax sells also are throughly inspected.
No matter where you buy a vehicle from the bit of advice I have is check out the service department after you purchase the vehicle those are the only people that you will interact with, I love the service department at CarMax they have treated me with the utmost respect and sincerely cared about any issues I have had.

here are some (hopefully) quick examples of some exemplary service I have received.
in 2006 I purchased a 01' Isuzu Trooper and 3 month's later my engine went out, it turned out the oil pressure light was burned out on the dash. the Warranty company told me that it was my own fault and were not going to replace the engine, and then CarMax of Fredericksburg, VA stepped up and purchased a new engine for a total of 6k and I only payed 9k for the Trooper.

The next difficult time came a year later same vehicle (Trooper) my wife and I were travelling from Virginia to Utah where I am from and while we were driving through Colorado mountains the Trooper kept randomly shutting off, I am talking loss of all power systems, breaks, and steering. that was a very hairy situation well we rolled Straight into the CarMax in Salt Lake City, UT and they took the Trooper gave us a loner (always free there) and told us to have a nice vacation. well after five days I picked up the Trooper and they informed me it was a loose wire that was grounding out the computer or some such and I was not charged anything. so no matter where you purchase your vehicle from you can get it serviced at any CarMax those are just a couple of many examples that I personally have.
Oh I almost forgot, you can get your vehicle serviced at any shop that works with warranty companies but it will cost you $100 vs the $50 at the CarMax dealer.

 

[Breezy]

Wow. That sounds incredible. I will definitely start looking more at Carmax dealers. That sounds like an awesome experience to have and support to count on. Do all Carmax dealers have the same standards as you described here?

 

[Breezy]

Does the H3 come with a rear AND front electronic locker option?

 

[Bigunit]

Only model years '09 & '10 H3s had the rear and front locker option (Adventure/Offroad packages).

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapataint

 

[H3DONIST]

Wow. That sounds incredible. I will definitely start looking more at Carmax dealers. That sounds like an awesome experience to have and support to count on. Do all Carmax dealers have the same standards as you described here?

I bought my 07 H3 from Carmax in Naperville, IL. They are about 3 hours away. I had the BCM go out on my truck and it only cost me $75 to have it replaced at a local shop here. The shop is a former Hummer dealership and they still have most of the same technicians, so it was basically like having my vehicle fixed by the dealer under warranty.

 

[Can007]

Welcome, nice looking VX, I was actually about to get one before I got my hummer, they are rare & neat looking SUVs.

There are many deals out there especially for the hummer brand as a whole. Based on my personally experience I would recommend a GM dealer; they have deep pockets and normally are really, really motivated to get rid of them. In my case they lowered 6k from the sticker price, I gave 2k cash, they gave me 4k for my trade-in and got the 2 year GMPP warranty. Keep in mind they are not just going to give you the deal you want, u have to engage in hard negotiation and be prepared to walk away from a deal that doesn't work for u (but that’s easier said than done when you really want something). Try not to settle too much, u will be paying this suv for the next 3-5 yrs, so make sure u r extremely happy with it. There are ton of people on this forum that can tell you everything u need to know about the H3 before you buy.

 

[Breezy]

Any suggestions on if it's possible to find an Alpha with Adventure package and Luxury package WITHOUT the chrome everywhere? I can't stand the chrome door handles, running boards, mirrors, grills, skids....Kills me. I want black. Haha. But my searching has been....not so great as far as steering clear of chrome laden H3's.

 

[HUMMERADDICT]

Any suggestions on if it's possible to find an Alpha with Adventure package and Luxury package WITHOUT the chrome everywhere? I can't stand the chrome door handles, running boards, mirrors, grills, skids....Kills me. I want black. Haha. But my searching has been....not so great as far as steering clear of chrome laden H3's.

Most of us have replaced the chrome parts. More importantly is to get the package you want. Chrome can be handled later IMHO with Powdercoating, or some members have bought black parts on ebay.

 

[Breezy]

Thanks. That makes sense.

 

[OIF Marinex3]

Any suggestions on if it's possible to find an Alpha with Adventure package and Luxury package WITHOUT the chrome everywhere? I can't stand the chrome door handles, running boards, mirrors, grills, skids....Kills me. I want black. Haha. But my searching has been....not so great as far as steering clear of chrome laden H3's.

Like Hummeraddict stated your best bet is to black it out your self there is also another low cost option other thank buying all of the parts that would be Plasti Dip the chrome until you can find the black replacement parts.

if you are going for an alpha you are looking at around 5-6k more as an average. also the lockers that are the hardest option to find.

here is a black Alpha with Lux/Adventure pkg but no lockers. http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car...+190+9&Q=915462ae-1198-4f94-ba68-afde968033d0

be mindful CarMax will also ship any vehicle you find if it is within 250 miles of your local dealer it is free after that they charge a shipping fee, I think that if you purchase the vehicle they take the shipping fee out of the overall price, but I am not 100% on that.
a GM dealer may be able to get you a killer deal through negotiation, but a 2yr/50k warranty does not seem worth it compared to my 5yr/150k warranty I have.

Here is a Black 06' I5 with the Adventure Package with lockers, and a hard to find manual http://www.carmax.com/enus/view-car...+190+9&Q=915462ae-1198-4f94-ba68-afde968033d0

If you are stuck on Black know that the fully loaded ones I5 or Alpha go really fast.

 

[Breezy]

Thanks Marine. I'm not so set on black color as I am Black accents. I just don't want the highlighted parts to be chrome. I'm not so picky about the actual color of the vehicle. Just the door handles and such. I'm just not a fan of chrome.

I read some not so joyful things about the I5 though. If I'm gonna buy one, shouldn't I just go all out and get the alpha v8?

 

[OIF Marinex3]

Thanks Marine. I'm not so set on black color as I am Black accents. I just don't want the highlighted parts to be chrome. I'm not so picky about the actual color of the vehicle. Just the door handles and such. I'm just not a fan of chrome.

I read some not so joyful things about the I5 though. If I'm gonna buy one, shouldn't I just go all out and get the alpha v8?

If you have the money sure go BIG get the alpha, and my self and others here still do quite well in our I5's. Ideally though the H3 would work best with a nice turbo diesel that would produce better power and get more MPG.
when my I5 kicks the bucket I am seriously thinking of just doing a body swap with a Chevy Silverado Diesel, I know there will be frame modification involved and ect.. but it will defiantly cost less than the 15-18k people are charging for a 6.0L swap http://www.mashmotorsinc.com/ConversionPricing.html

and dont forget the Plasti Dip its easy and a good alternative there are youtube videos you can find on how to apply it also I am sure there are some threads here on how to.

 

[poncho1965]

I have an '06 H3 and have no complaints. I know its not a hot rod and I enjoy it for what it is. If I had a choice of a V8 at the time I bought it, the V8 would win though

 

[Paladine71]

Welcome to the forum.