Confession: I kinda like the H3 Alpha

"Discerning" (discerning2003c5z) 02/08/2018 at 09:41 • Filed to: None

5

35

In 2009-2010 you could get one with a front and rear locker and an aluminum 5.3 LS. Great angles and you can fit 35's stock. What’s not to like? It’s basically a slightly heavier Jeep with a V8 and an IFS. Probably easier to live with on the road between your house and the trail. Pull out some weight, swap out the 4l60e for a 4l80e, get beefier front suspension pieces, and hit the trails.

Sure, the interior is likely junk that will shake itself completely loose and the public’s perception of you and your car probably wouldn’t be great. But they look pretty capable at least.

Nibby > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 09:54

1

Confessor
Of the tragedies in man
Lurking in the core of us all
The last dying call for the everlost
Brief encounters, bleeding pain

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 09:54

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And you should. Screw public perception.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 09:55

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I really like these. And it’s a problem.

Ash78, voting early and often > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 09:56

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I never saw or heard of any stigma with the H3, only the H2.

The 3 is like a better version of the Colorado/Canyon. I love that I still see them around while the H2 has all but disappeared.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 09:56

0

I still like the H3T

Discerning > Ash78, voting early and often 02/08/2018 at 09:57

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I saw an H2 on my drive into work and it got me thinking about the H3.

Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 09:58

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Solution to public perception: never wash it. That way people know you’re using it. Or just screw people

Discerning > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 02/08/2018 at 09:59

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I like those and the Avalanche (99% unrelated, I know).

It would have been fantastic if they had designed the Avalanche’s fold down back seat into an H3T.

adamftw > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 10:00

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I want a H3T tho

Discerning > Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction 02/08/2018 at 10:00

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Public perception has never been enough to sway me away from a car. Just listed it as one of the only cons I could think of, though it wouldn’t be a big deal for me.

adamftw > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 10:01

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The H2 “pickup” has the Avalanche mid-gate. I wish they were cheaper.

Discerning > adamftw 02/08/2018 at 10:02

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H3T alpha is the answer. The bed even looks pretty useable.

adamftw > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 10:04

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No less useable than a shortbed Tacoma I reckon. They’re dumb expensive though.

Discerning > adamftw 02/08/2018 at 10:04

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But then you have the tiny bed of the H2 when the midgate isn’t folded.

Milky > adamftw 02/08/2018 at 10:11

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Maybe the price will finally drop when you can buy a new Jeep pickup. No point on spending $30k for a used hummer.

adamftw > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 10:12

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Yea, its like 34"... and like 5.5' when open.

adamftw > Milky 02/08/2018 at 10:13

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Probably not. Tacoma prices won’t drop. They’re a niche market.

Spanfeller is a twat > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 10:14

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Wait, people actually off roaded these?

I thought these were toys

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 10:30

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The problem with the H3 isn’t the truck itself*, it’s most of the people who drove them. The one person I knew personally who had one was a suburban mom who drove her daughter to school and to the grocery store. Most of them suffered the same fate.

Someone who bought it and took it right off road had the right idea, but that was probably 5% of the buyers, if that much.

* though the early inline 5 ones must be painfully slow

Discerning > Spanfeller is a twat 02/08/2018 at 10:38

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I think they have a pretty tight following. They’re surprisingly capable stock apparently.

Spanfeller is a twat > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 10:42

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The Hummers I see here dedicate themselves to tailgating me... So I cannot find a possitive aspect about it. I must say I have a bias againts it because of the drivers it attracts here in Mexico....Namely Narcos and people that are very scary and asshole-ish

If I had to chose an offroader I’d probably get a JL Wrangler and call it a day.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > adamftw 02/08/2018 at 11:12

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No

BigBlock440 > Spanfeller is a twat 02/08/2018 at 11:44

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Wait, people actually off roaded these?

I thought these were toys

What’s the difference?

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Spanfeller is a twat 02/08/2018 at 12:54

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They’re pretty damn capable, like all Hummers. Yes even the H2. They get a bad rap over the kind of buyers the H2 attracted.

Snowrydr01 > Spanfeller is a twat 02/08/2018 at 12:58

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i bet if you looked at sales numbers vs trail numbers you could say the same thing about wranglers....

ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 13:04

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I had no idea an Alpha version of the H3 was made, so Google brought me to a quick review from Car and Driver , written in June of 2007. It has some wonderful lines in it, like

...we’re going to be stuck with it until the next all-new H3 comes along, which won’t be happening any time this decade.

and

Perhaps when the smaller and potentially more nimble H4 hits the market in 2009 or so, Hummer will finally have a product that makes its drivers just as happy on the road as off.

In 2007, no one had any way of knowing what fate was waiting for Hummer.

functionoverfashion > Spanfeller is a twat 02/08/2018 at 13:24

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A friend rented an H2 when they first came out, and off-roaded the crap out of it. It was VERY dirty, and we got a lot of compliments on that fact.

Spanfeller is a twat > Snowrydr01 02/08/2018 at 13:50

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Very probably, but then again, if I needed an off road vehicle I’d buy the wrangler. if I needed a city vehicle (for flood-prone mexico city) I’d probably get a Kia Sportage.

BahamaTodd > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 14:04

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The interior in my 2004 Colorado is pretty solid so I’d imagine an H3 would also hold up.

Yes there was the V8, but you could also get the 5cyl with the manual. Yes it was slow, but it would make for a good offroader.

I interned for the company that built the HVAC and powertrain cooling so I got to see these up close before they hit the market. It was pretty cool seeing one of the first V8 prototypes before anyone else knew about it. I remember walking past one with the hood open and doing a double take and saying to myself “That’s not a I5".

BahamaTodd > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 02/08/2018 at 14:10

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Yes the 5 cyl was slow. Especially with the adventure package that had taller 33" tires. The 4.56 gears didn’t help much.

Derpwagon > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 14:14

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I had an instructor for a course once that actually got rid of a modified JK for an H3. He said he was blown away by how capable it was off-road.

I think they look pretty good modded for actual use.

jkm7680 > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 14:16

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I’ve always kinda secretly liked them since I was pretty young. I’d never drive one, but I’ve always had something with the H3T.

Discerning > Derpwagon 02/08/2018 at 15:03

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Their only weak point that I found in the limited searching I’ve done is with front suspension bits. I guess they aren’t super durable. It seemed the front diff itself is robust enough though.

HammerheadFistpunch > Discerning 02/08/2018 at 17:29

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You aren’t alone, the value on these is only going up.

Discerning > HammerheadFistpunch 02/08/2018 at 19:23

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Darn. That’s a bummer.