Looking for an H1

[bigblacktj]

So I have been looking at H1's for a little while and missed what i thought to be some good deal. This will be my DD thats the bad part about it but I only have a 3 mile drive to work and a 2 mile drive to the farm so wont be putting that many miles on the Hummer.

I would love to find on that has a cummins already in her. But the chance I can find that in my price range is a long shot. So what is the best motor for me? They have the Gas 350, 6.2L Diesel, 6.5L Diesel non turbo, and 6.5L Diesel turbo. Correct me if I am wrong on any of this.

Really dont wont a wagon just because I have a small gooseneck trailer that I would like to rig up to be pulled by the H1.

Here is the tought part my budget is right around 20,000 depending on what I sell my truck for. I know it can be done I have seen a 93 with 100,000 go for 17,000. A 95 with 45,000 go for 20,500. Also saw a 98 with 75,000 go for 20,000.

So for the people who know hummers best what should be the key things for me to look for when buying a used H1. And why are so many of the 6.5L Diesels being replaced or swaped?

[boom harvey]

6.5 without the turbo is weak.

350 gas will make you want to chew on a gun barrel

6.5 turbo does fine

6.2 military engine

[bigblacktj]

So if I get one I want the 6.5 turbo or the 6.2 it sounds like. Why didnt all come with the turbo? What have people been getting mile wise out of these 6.5L turbo's. I know most deisels are good for about 200,000 miles. Also they are getting about 13MPG correct?

[lutz]

The 6.5's had a bad number 8 cylinder wall.they tend to overheat if you work them hard.I had H1's with the 6.5 and didn't have to many problems but now i have humvee's with 6.2 that are slow but cant kill them.Just make sure you get all the service records and its a good thing if the motor was replaced.

[Guinness44]

Lynch Hummer has a great write up "year to year changes".
Humvee.net has a lot more info, also, and a marketplace for sales.
The 6.5 N/A is just fine the lighter weight truck. For travelling or pulling, the TD could be worth it. (98 and up have slightly different gearing, offhighway one hardly notices.)
Watch: badly maintained trucks will bite your bank account. Maintenance is the key to reliability. Maintenace, no corners to be cut, maintenance its easy but often.

[bigblacktj]

The 6.2L has 150hp and 250 lb ft torque.
The 6.5L has 170hp and 290 lb ft torque.
The 6.5L started to be put in hummer in 94. They also switched from a 3 speed auto to a 4 speed 4l80e.

For pulling and speed reasons it looks like I need to get atleast a 95 or newer. A late modle 97 would be great. They have a lot more HP and Torque.

http://www.lynchhummer.com/changes/h...ges.index.html

[boom harvey]

I have a client that has a 98 H1 soft top. He is meticulous with his service and brings it to us for everything so we have all of the records.
32,800 miles
candy apple red
black soft top3
grey cloth
He had talked about selling it next spring , but I can see if he would sell sooner if you were interested.

[bigblacktj]

If its around my price range I would be interested. I plan on buying one in about a month just trying to figure out what I need and what right now.

[BigKofJustice]

Note the prices you listed are rather low [by a few thousand] except for the 93's. Most of the trucks I've seen first had that went for around 20k needed a fair bit of work done to them.

I would budget a few extra thousand and buy a truck that was well taken care of. Good condition H1's are slowly going up in value again, so I think we've seen the bottom of the used H1 market [Alpha's are gone up to over 100k, 04's are no where to be found, good condition older trucks are popping up over 30-40k again]

Better yet buy a Hummer off an enthusist/private party if possible. The $20,000 trucks I see on used car lots have issues.

I know a very clean 96 Turbo wagon which has never seen dirt that has the new engine block and new a/c system going for 30k or less in Santa Monica. The only issues I could find with it is a leaking t-case seal, leaking steering box, and a small rust bubble on the rear wagon window which is common with hard top h1's. Otherwise a very clean truck.

Down the street another lot had a 92 LE red wagon which was a mess, half the things didn't work on it and they still wanted 27k for it.

Regarding engines, I'd stick with the 6.5 with the 4 speed trans with the turbo option if it's an upgraded engine. 6.2's have the 3 speed trans, indestructible, but your max cruising speed is 55mph.

Depending on your resources, I consider getting the cheapest H1 [not HMMWV] chassis you can find, any year and drop in a cummings 4 BT or 6 BT for 10-15 grand at a good diesel shop that knows hummers.

Lots of options to choose from.

As mentioned, you have the 6.2 / 3 speed trucks and early 6.5 non turbos. The big expensive issue on those trucks [92-97] is the HVAC system is non serviceable, and can be expensive to upgrade to the new system [3-4,000$].

Early turbo diesels [96-99] have the #8 cylinder block crack issue, and past that you have TT4-ABS trucks with have no engine/hvac issues but have the really crappy electronic control traction system. If you go with those, I recommend lockers.

Honestly I'd recommend lockers for any year hummer

[bigblacktj]

http://detroit.craigslist.org/cto/1264981210.html

The guy that bought this one collects H1's. He said he will have it fixed for 3,000. Said it was one of best deals he has seen. So just waiting for my good deal.

Keep the info coming

[lutz]

also check out the roll bar on the convertibles it will crack from offroading and even hard top will from heavy use.

[BigKofJustice]

Originally Posted by bigblacktj

http://detroit.craigslist.org/cto/1264981210.html

The guy that bought this one collects H1's. He said he will have it fixed for 3,000. Said it was one of best deals he has seen. So just waiting for my good deal.

Keep the info coming

I think that was one of the "3" from nevada from a tour group. There was 2 98's and a 99, all soft tops, all close to 200,000 miles. 3 for $50,000 and there's a reason why they were that cheap

A friend here in LA wound up with one of them and they were in .. rough shape. It was in running condition but really needed new shocks, new ball joints new springs, new bushings on control arms, and new injectors/injection pump rebuild. Interior was rough as well if you care about that sort of thing [interior parts for an H1 is hard to find and really expensive due to the limited production run, so finding one with a nice interior is a bonus].

Best deal I've seen lately was a 01 black wagon that sold for $27,000 in Napa Valley, 80,000 miles. From what I gathered, that's all they offered trade in on it at a local non hummer dealer so he turned around and offered it for cash to see what he could get quickly.

[BigKofJustice]

Originally Posted by lutz

also check out the roll bar on the convertibles it will crack from offroading and even hard top will from heavy use.

Well the warning stickers did say they are not meant for roll over protection

They fair well considering the average weight of an H1 is 7000 lbs. I've seen trucks wind up rubber side up [wagons] that were strapped back over with minimal damage.

They're not exactly easy to tip to begin with, that being said most of the bad roll overs I've seen were due to high speed turns on soft soil.

I worked on a film where a humvee did a sharp turn at 50mph on grass, and the big 37" tires just acted like shovels, they dug in deep and the truck flipped over hard [the stunt guy barely ducked under the turret in time].

[ron b]

Originally Posted by lutz

also check out the roll bar on the convertibles it will crack from offroading and even hard top will from heavy use.

never heard of this...wheeled mine for 5 years and no issues, same for the guys I wheel with. Which roll bar, the b or c pillar?

rb

[ZJARCHER]

Found your Hummer
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/cto/1268708144.html

[bigblacktj]

If I find a great deal I think it will have to be on craigs list. ebay there is to much BS that goes on and there is only one that I know of anywhere close to me so none will be going up forsale local.

[actionpaintball]

I have bought decent running H1's for less than 15/16k. It seems they nickel and dime you to death....in my opinion-you should start looking in the 20k+ range.

Also decide if you need AC or not-if its a necessity on your list-you need to make sure your truck already has teh udated AC system or you will be spending thousands.

Honestly-your best bet-sit on your money until after Thanksgiving...you will see asking and accepting prices drop considerably at that time. In the time being-hit up the HUMMER HML (and similar sites) and absorb all the info you can.

[lutz]

Originally Posted by ron b

never heard of this...wheeled mine for 5 years and no issues, same for the guys I wheel with. Which roll bar, the b or c pillar?

rb

The b pillar is where it will crack first.When hummer removed the crossbrace behind the front seat it made the body to weak.

[bigblacktj]

Originally Posted by actionpaintball

I have bought decent running H1's for less than 15/16k. It seems they nickel and dime you to death....in my opinion-you should start looking in the 20k+ range.

Also decide if you need AC or not-if its a necessity on your list-you need to make sure your truck already has teh udated AC system or you will be spending thousands.

Honestly-your best bet-sit on your money until after Thanksgiving...you will see asking and accepting prices drop considerably at that time. In the time being-hit up the HUMMER HML (and similar sites) and absorb all the info you can.

Why thanksgiving? I am looking for one right at 20K

[stjames151]

Originally Posted by bigblacktj

Why thanksgiving? I am looking for one right at 20K

There's gonna be an expected price jump in turkeys (already calculated by those "in the know") which will force a great many H1 owners to reconsider their loyalties. When they have to decide between stuffing and upgrades, owners will try to sell their trucks and the flooded market will precipitate lower prices. Add that to lower temperatures, increasing the mass of air to inflate a tire via CTIS which demands extra fuel, decreasing the efficiency=algorefactor=demand...the price will drop even more. Then, Nanci Pelosi (wicked witch of the west) is gonna fly in on her retarded Franken-monkey and say that all things military are bad in the hands of civilians and ban camo pants. That's when you'll realize that the guy that wrote this......may be wearing a tin foil hat.

[stjames151]

P.S.
Ever notice how 2am logic is usually preceded by 10pm tequila?

[ron b]

Originally Posted by lutz

The b pillar is where it will crack first.When hummer removed the crossbrace behind the front seat it made the body to weak.

the crossbrace has been gone since '94. I'm still confused about the exact location on the b-pillar and is is open tops or hard tops (or both)?. How many trucks have you seen this happen to? I Mentioned this to some longtime owners and they've never experienced/heard of this either (not to say it doesn't happen, but your details are vague). I'll ask Mike Sabaresse about it, not many know more about hummers than he does.

rb

[lutz]

[QUOTE=ron b;10074605]the crossbrace has been gone since '94. I'm still confused about the exact location on the b-pillar and is is open tops or hard tops (or both)?. How many trucks have you seen this happen to? I Mentioned this to some longtime owners and they've never experienced/heard of this either (not to say it doesn't happen, but your details are vague). I'll ask Mike Sabaresse about it, not many know more about hummers than he does.

rb[/Q

Ive owned 5 open tops that have done it. I use my trucks for dune tours so they get a work out you name it ive seen it broken.

[doctoroctos]

I got an NA. It will get you from point A to point B, but on the freeway it sucks. It can barely do 65. I get passed all day long. Not a bad thing, since I haven't had a ticket in a while.

If you plan to do an engine swap get any engine. If an engine swap isn't in your future, get yourself a turbo diesel. Not getting a turbo is my biggest regret. But...I am saving up for a cummins 6bt or a duramax. one day, she will be mine, oh yes, she will be mine.

[ron b]

Lutz,
I'm guessing you were jumping the trucks...I too have seen many issues associated with that kind of abuse. Jumping trucks is a bit outside the realm of the usual wheeling and rockcrawling.

so...again I ask, where specifically did your trucks crack?

rb