Here is the dillema:
I want an H3, but after test driving the standard version I was dissapointed with the power and acceleration. True, I am not looking at a Hummer for speed, but it's nice to have some extra horses when passing etc.
So, I am considering the Alpha, but I don't need all the extra fluff, plus can't get zero pctfinancing on the 08.
What to do...

Is the Alpha worth the extra bucks?

Options:
1. Finance a standard 07 with zero APR and trade it in with an Alpha after a few years when the right deal comes along
2. Lease a standard 07 and upgrade to the Alpha after 3 years, hoping there will be some good deals at the time
3. Lease the Alpha

I don't intend to tow anything or go off roading (who knows maybe I will), so I find it hard to justify the Alpha.

 

I chose the Alpha after driving both. At first, there wasn't that much of a difference except on the highway were the difference was huge. Now after 1500 miles, mine feels like it is starting to loosen up a little. Engine pulls a little harder and smoother throughout the rev range. Truck really scoots on the freeway. Got 17 mpg on last trip. I just wish hummer would have offered the V8 with a package that had rubber flooring and cloth seats. I feel kinda guilty climbing out of the muck and getting into the luxo interior. Didn't want to get mud and dirt everywhere. Got the weathertech floor liners, so now need some seat covers. If you want it as a daily driver, go with the alpha. It is more effortless in the way it go's about doing things than the I5. if you wanted it as an of froad toy, i would go with the I5 due to the gearing and cloth interior availability as well as price. Keep in mind though that some dealers are really dealing on Alpha's(got mine for 1000 under invoice). Either way, its a win win......you're in a HUMMER!

 

If you aren't going off-roading ( sure about that ? ) or towing you probably don't need the Alpha. Only problem is lots of people start of thinking that way and come down with dirt fever or one of the closely affiliated diseases ( rock fever, mud fever, etc. ) Like Josh says, either way you are going to like it.

 

If you are going offroad, forget options 2and 3. You don't want the leasing liability for trail damage, minor or major.

Think about an I5, buy it, put in the pcmforless tune, intake and maybe exhaust. It really helps the responsiveness of the H3. I came from a pocket rocket and I'm happy in my I5. I'm not racing anyone but it gets me where I want to go and quick enough. And, if you aren't happy in two or three years, look at a new or used Alpha.
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Have you considered the I5 with manual transmision? The problem with the I5 isn't so much the motor but the motor paired with the slushbox tranny.

 

for what its worth, noc, im in a similar situation. though, i actually owed an 07 adv pkg for about 8 months (i absolutely loved it), then lost it in a car accident about a month ago. so, now im looking to replace it w/ either the same thing or an alpha off-road. i plan on purchasing regardless. but, i, too, am hung up on whether the additional features are worth the extra price and interest. ive driven the alpha several times and absolutely LOVE the thought of a v8. however, it has all of the bells and whistles that i just dont care about (ie josh's leather & carpet concerns). ive asked for advice from just about everyone (forum friends included), and im still open for more...so please keep sharing, my forum buddies!

i know i cant go wrong b/c im still getting a hummer. its just a question of getting what's right for me...

lil d

 

Well if you lease the Big A then you have to worry about upgrades etc.... I would literaly sit down and write out the pros and cons to include lease or buy, available aftermarket and what could come about i.e. superchargers, headers,exhaust.Us, we never lease because its like renting and you don't gain anything at anytime. We got the H3 with I5 and its fine and will upgrade slowly. Hell, my wife wants an H2 after just sitting in it waiting for the H3 whenwe bought it and she had to pick it up. So who knows, I might come home and find an H2 in my driveway, just to surprise me.

If you want an 07 with the rebate or zero percentyou better hurry, we had a hell of a time finding the one we wanted.

 

Hard to beat the current financing available from GM on the 07s. We looked at both and the Alpha won out. I didn't care for all of the extra stuff on the Alpha either( rather didn't want to pay for it ) but am happy with the decision to go Alpha. Back in 2006 AMG was working on a "Wilderness Ready" H3 concept that sounded perfect. Unfortunately it never made it to the market. Imagine building a Hummer specifically for the off road type buyer. Some marketing genius decided it would never work. Guess thats why we all spend a fortune with the after market guys making our trucks more capable. Hello GM...anybody listening??????

 

aren't most of the buyers the on-road type? thats tough to make a vehicle just for a small percentage of people, unless its really really expensive

 

Sounds to me like you answered your own question "but after test driving the standard version I was dissapointed with the power and acceleration". Why would youget something that disapointed you. Did you get the wife that way?

Get the Alpha. Buy it, don't lease it. Lease it and you will be upside down until you turn it in.