I am considering buying a 2008 H3 3.7L and I am looking for opinions. Are there and common problems I should be aware of?

The reason I ask is I have a 2001 Blazer and it is nothing short of a nightmare. Front hubs need replaced at least once a year. Blazers are also know for transmission problems which I have also replaced. Now at WOT it looses all power. This seems to be a major problem and no one knows what causes it.

I've always had GM vehicles and I really like the H3 but I am a little leery about another GM vehicle.

I'm looking for some opinions on your experience with the H3. The H3 I am looking at is an 08 with a 3.7L and has just short of 37,000 miles. Any opinions are greatly appreciated.

Dave

 

hi Dave and welcome to the forums....
the later model H3's seem to have had the earlier bugs worked out of them and any new vehicle since 2000 for the most part, are much better in performance than in the past. as long as the regular maintenance is kept up with, your vehicle should last a long time. as far as the H3, its a very good stock off-road vehicle with aggressive looks. i would say that if you like the looks of it, compared to the jeep or toyota, go with it. just do your homework on it and make sure the one you are looking at has a good mechanical history.

 

Kauaineb. I appreciate the information. I really like the looks of the Hummer. Now to convince the wife that this is the way to go. I know she is not happy with the Blazer. Do I understand right that the warranty is 5/50 bumper to bumper and 100k on the engine and driveline?

 

I could never manage to get mine in an SUV until now, she traded her BMW 750 in for a 2010 H3. Was a good trade if you ask me, now we officially have a baby hummer!

 

First of all if you look at some of the forums it is enough to scare anyone off from buying a Hummer. Everyone including myself has had some sort of problem. The great thing is that you have members who can help you or send you in the right direction if something goes wrong.
When you find that Hummer you really like, make sure you really look it over. Turn on the heater, Turn on the AC, check radio and if it has a 6 cd changer bring some cds and make sure it works. Check to see if the low and high on the heated seats work and the other controls. Front wipers all speeds and rear wipers which is a separate control. Don't be afraid of all the rust you see on the underside. GM was stingy on the paint undercoat in this area. Check that all the windows go up and down, and the locks work from the drivers panel and check that things work from the passenger panel. Feel the carpet for grime under the center console it could tell you that water got in the H3. On the engine side check the radiator along the top for any cracks. Make sure that the terminals are not corroded and since you are in that area check to make sure all fuses are in order. Since you are looking for a low mileage H3 there is no need to tend to the fluids until 50K. If you are getting one that is close to 50K see if you can get the dealer to change the fluids before you take it home. On the engine left side midway down look at the baffle cover and make sure it is not cracked or rattling. Pull the air filter out and take a look at that to. It could give you and idea on how the car was maintained. Last, I would make sure that the fobs are in good working order and see how far you are from a service center that knows how to fix Hummers. Good luck in your search.

 

All of the above, and check the radiator for "the crack", test out each speaker channel and look at the cv boots. That seems to take care of most of the common issues. Then come back and ask what size rims and/or tires fit, how to lift it and how come the engine dies when turning tightly. I think that would about cover it. Oh, don't forget the pictures!

 

If buying from a dealership see if they are offering the extended warranty. I have it for mine so I have 6yr 103,000 all around... To me it was worth it.. Good luck on your search, and if you pick one up, we want pictures.

 

Gleamor, I got the wife in her first suv in 2004 and she loved it. Now the Blazer has become nothing but a nightmare, front hubs every year, new transmission, now it won't even run down the road without dieing. We definately need 4 wheel drive in the winter to get up our driveway and the H3 makes a whole lot of sense.

ultraclassic01, You gave me a lot of things to check, I'd have never thought about checking the radiator. I had to replace the rad on the Blazer because the side tanks cracked. Not sure why the continue to use plastic side tanks. I replaced the one in the Blazer with an all aluminum rad for about $75 dollars more. I like the idea of having a forum where you have people that will help you with any problems and are willing to share their experience.

rsc, thank you for also mentioning to check the rad and cv joints.

Pappibri, This H3 one is at a local dealer 8 miles from me who was a Hummer dealer which makes it nice. I like the idea of an extended warranty. I don't mind doing some small repairs but I don't want to get into anything big and spending tons of money to get it repaired. Just want something I can count on and I love the looks of the Hummer.

Dave

 

look around and find a 2009 with offroad pkg and an v8 or youll always say " damn i shoulda got the alpha with the offroad pkg."

 

get the heated seats and the monsoon as well ..its great imho by the way my 3.7 will do the job but i miss the power in my 5.3 check out cargurus.com