I have been glancing at the H1 for the longest time (I think all guys in the world have)

I know it is far from the most sensible car to own but that is why I like it and is very tempted to get one, the question is how high and hard the maintainance is on them I am fully aware of fuel consumption etc but what about stuff that gets worn out?

The reason I ask is that I live in Sweden and Hummer techs don't grow on trees over here so is there a lot of mechanical problems that need a lot of special knowledge or can a skilled regular mechanic handle it?

 

They will require more maintenance and spend more time in the shop than any car you've ever had. What may be challenging for you is getting the parts in a timely manner - if it's a AM General specific part, even in the states it can take a long time. I wouldn't recommend it if you didn't have alternate transportation when it needs to go in for service.

 

I was afraid of that but still tempted by it

When did the H1 get the Duramax?

 

The Duramax was only installed in the 2006 model. The most important thing is to buy a truck that is current on maintenance and then maintain it regularly. I have had a quite few H1s. Some required a lot more maintenance than others. Wear parts will depend on how you use it. If you wheel it a lot you will need tie rods, ***** joints, idler and pitman arms. It ISA good idea to carry an extra pmd and fuel pump. If you don't wheel it hard and often the maintenance isn't that bad. Most maintenance and normal repIr work can be done easily by anyone that is even somewhat mechanically inclined.

 

19 year old’s work on them in the desert. If one abuse any vehicle its going to need repair. The H1 is far over built under normal driving conditions it will last five times longer than a regular vehicle. PERIOD

“Buy it you will like it”

 

I am now getting closer to making my decision the question what is the difference between the different years. The Alpha is clearly out of my budget.

There are some very nice affordable (if you can say affordable in the content when discussing the h1) from arround 2000. How big is the difference between 98, 00, 01 and 02 or should I go with even more rescent?

 

If you Google Lynch HUMMER (I believe it is LynchHUMMER.com) you can find a lot of information on the H1's, there is a nice breakout of model differences for the various years. There is also information on how many were made of each model for each production year.
Good luck on your hunt! Everybody of course wants to 06 Alpha for the Duramax, but even 3 HUMMER's admits they are so confident they're not alot of fun to off road because they take the challenge out.

 

Thanks for the lynch hummer tip, will check it out

 

98 is considered to be the best year for H1s by many people, particularly offroaders. It is the most refined of the pre ABS and TT4 trucks. 96-00 had the potential #8 cylinder issue so check and see if the block has been replaced on those models. 99 was the first year for TT4 and many people avoid that year. Later years had a better TT4 system. 2002 are generally considered good trucks. No engine issue, TT4 issues worked out, etc. I would say to stay away from the 04 model due to the Caterpillar harness and control module. It never really got debugged.

 

Thanks for the very helpful information, looks like the 02 is the way to go for me then. Even if the HMC4 is my favourite and I doubt I canfindthe only onemade for sale
Anybody know how the open top is during the winter?