Hi all,

I'm a new H3 owner, as a result of my wife wanting one to replace our aging 2wd Montero. I figure anything would be an upgrade considering the problems we've had with it, and so far I've been right.

06 Red w/ 101,000 miles on it at time of purchase. Bought it wholesale, so I got it for a really nice price, and figure, even if I drop 5 grand into it, it will still be cheaper than retail that I see on this same level locally. I've put about $1k so far into it and am about to deal with the cracked radiator issue.

Dealing with the big snow we just got here in Virginia, I am in love with how it handles the snow and ice. This is the first 4wd I've had in about 7 years, and had forgotten how nice one could be.

I'm in the process of tuning it up, and we're currently getting about 12.5 MPG (non-highway driving for about 95% of it). It's never had the plugs changed, so that's my first task. I've been cutting my teeth on home maintenance with this guy, as it seems to be a relatively simple engine design compared to some of the others I've owned lately.

I'm hoping to be able to use the forum here to help with finding ways to keep it running as long as I can (I estimate that I'll be willing to shoot for about 4 years before I give up and say we have to get a 2010 to 2012 vehicle for her).

John M>