Interested in a Hummer H3T

[RedF]

I am invariably going to need a more family oriented vehicle than my current Ranger, which is essentially a two-seater. We have had some great adventures in our Ranger, and it has been entirely trouble free, it just will not support a third person.

I'm kinda thinking that the Hummer H3T Alpha would be a great family adventure vehicle. I have been looking at the local classifieds, and there are a few nice examples, but I don't know much about these things. I have yet to even sit in one, so I need to see if it even feels right. A few questions and things to feel out before I really commit to it.

I love the idea of the 5.3 Chev V8! It has to have heated seats (it gets darn cold up here!), so that means the luxury package. Really want the Adventure/off road package, not a deal breaker though. I don't want all the chrome, and silly oversize rims.

What kind of easy horsepower did they leave on the table? I'm thinking a tuner, since I will likely change tire size. What else?

Fuel economy? I know, I know... but I have to ask.

"Necessary" upgrades?

Weak links?

Reliability?

Anything I should be looking for or at?

How is the aftermarket? I'm guessing it's floundering, as Hummer has been dead now for several years.

 

[beachbum2020]

Head over to www.clubhummeroffroad.com and post up your questions. No chrome, no "20's", no mall crawlin, no BS lol. Site for just the serious off-road Hummer enthusiast. A few years back due to some turmoil (loooong story lol), www.hummer4x4offroad.com splintered off from it. CHO is actually older and has overall the most serious users, but less activity as of late. H4O does as well but more of a mix from "dirty pavement" to off-road types giving a larger user base. I know a lot of people on both but rarely post on H4O. Haven't been as active on the Hummer sites in the past two years..too many other hobbies and my full size daily driver right now lol.

Both sites have great people willing to help with your decisions and a wealth of information. Recon, Hunner and a few other Hummer guys on here are there. See what you can find with the the old search button and post up any other questions, concerns or comments you might have regarding the direction you want to head in with mods and intended use (that being the most important). Parts too. Some members have one off/low production run aftermarket parts for sale or in storage for the time somebody worthy calls lol, since aftermarket parts are getting more scarce these days. CJ of Thorparts made/makes a few including bumpers and also has done a few solid axel swaps. There are some great builds on both including a few straight axel conversions and some running up to 37"s (user Mutaint will be glad to help with 37" tire size info, tell him I sent you), and what you need to do/know in order to do so, (aaaand then there's Recon with his H3 running 40's lol).

First and foremost make sure of the size (interior room) for your intended usage, plenty of room, but if you have a lot of gear, kids, friends etc. make sure first. Actually a hair more interior room than a H3 (obviously not including H3 rear interior cargo area lol), a hair lol. It is a pickup so you can install a cover for additional gear.

T's are rare and a blast to own so good luck, and are very capable right "Out of the box". You will never get used to how many heads turn when driving them. Most people never knew Hummer made a pickup. Peterson's 4x4 truck of the year once also. They did a lot of things right for their first pickup and a few things that needed improvement, real shame the brand died before any follow up model years could be produced or a full size. Also, if you get the comment "It's the same or built on the same platform as a Colorado", then steer clear, they don't know what they are talking about lol. If you haven't already, search on here as there are a few other T and 3 owners that have made some nice mods to their trucks. Tell them Beachbum sent you at the others and good luck.

 

[Bigunit]

Beachbum is dead on with all of his comments and he has a very nicely modded, very capable H3T alpha. Check out the 2 sites he linked to. Lots of good info and knowledgeable members on both sites. Post up any questions that you may have. IMO, the H3T was/is one of the most capable "out of the box" vehicles made for wheeling, camping and overlanding. You would have to have owned or own one to really understand why, especially the alpha with the adventure package (front and rear lockers with a 4:1 transfer case). I should know, I own 2 H3Ts, an alpha w/adventure package and a base model with the 3.7l in-line 5 cyl. that I wheel for a week every April (right after EJS) in Moab.

 

[Bigunit]

Here is a pic of my '09 Alpha H3T

 

[RedF]

Head over to www.clubhummeroffroad.com and post up your questions. No chrome, no "20's", no mall crawlin, no BS lol. Site for just the serious off-road Hummer enthusiast. A few years back due to some turmoil (loooong story lol), www.hummer4x4offroad.com splintered off from it. CHO is actually older and has overall the most serious users, but less activity as of late. H4O does as well but more of a mix from "dirty pavement" to off-road types giving a larger user base. I know a lot of people on both but rarely post on H4O. Haven't been as active on the Hummer sites in the past two years..too many other hobbies and my full size daily driver right now lol.

Both sites have great people willing to help with your decisions and a wealth of information. Recon, Hunner and a few other Hummer guys on here are there. See what you can find with the the old search button and post up any other questions, concerns or comments you might have regarding the direction you want to head in with mods and intended use (that being the most important). Parts too. Some members have one off/low production run aftermarket parts for sale or in storage for the time somebody worthy calls lol, since aftermarket parts are getting more scarce these days. CJ of Thorparts made/makes a few including bumpers and also has done a few solid axel swaps. There are some great builds on both including a few straight axel conversions and some running up to 37"s (user Mutaint will be glad to help with 37" tire size info, tell him I sent you), and what you need to do/know in order to do so, (aaaand then there's Recon with his H3 running 40's lol).

First and foremost make sure of the size (interior room) for your intended usage, plenty of room, but if you have a lot of gear, kids, friends etc. make sure first. Actually a hair more interior room than a H3 (obviously not including H3 rear interior cargo area lol), a hair lol. It is a pickup so you can install a cover for additional gear.

T's are rare and a blast to own so good luck, and are very capable right "Out of the box". You will never get used to how many heads turn when driving them. Most people never knew Hummer made a pickup. Peterson's 4x4 truck of the year once also. They did a lot of things right for their first pickup and a few things that needed improvement, real shame the brand died before any follow up model years could be produced or a full size. Also, if you get the comment "It's the same or built on the same platform as a Colorado", then steer clear, they don't know what they are talking about lol. If you haven't already, search on here as there are a few other T and 3 owners that have made some nice mods to their trucks. Tell them Beachbum sent you at the others and good luck.

Thank you for the input. I Googled "Hummer Forum" and was a bit overwhelmed. I've been reading quite a bit here, there and everywhere. Seems like the only real weak links were some of the early engines (which doesn't concern me, as I'm in the market for the Alpha) and the steering rack sounds like it could be troublesome with hard use. Seems like most of the quirks and problems were resolved for the last few years of production.

I don't plan on going crazy with it. Close to stock height, and stock(ish) size tires. Hopefully a sturdy front bumper. I just want a capable, comfortable and reliable vehicle that we can get out and explore with.

There aren't any local to me, so I'll wait until one pops up at a dealer so I can make sure I like it, and a car seat will fit.

I guess it's lucky that I'm shopping for one in Alberta, as there is more H3Ts for sale in this province than I've found everywhere else combined! Just not the right one, not yet anyway.

 

[RedF]

Beachbum is dead on with all of his comments and he has a very nicely modded, very capable H3T alpha. Check out the 2 sites he linked to. Lots of good info and knowledgeable members on both sites. Post up any questions that you may have. IMO, the H3T was/is one of the most capable "out of the box" vehicles made for wheeling, camping and overlanding. You would have to have owned or own one to really understand why, especially the alpha with the adventure package (front and rear lockers with a 4:1 transfer case). I should know, I own 2 H3Ts, an alpha w/adventure package and a base model with the 3.7l in-line 5 cyl. that I wheel for a week every April (right after EJS) in Moab.

Here is a pic of my '09 Alpha H3T

Nice truck! I dream of going to Moab.

 

[Jaymes_Raye]

If you're looking on Kijiji there's two Blue, alpha, leather H3T for sale, I believe one in Calgary and one in Edmonton, both sound like street Queens. I'm not a fan of the blue myself but there were only 20-25 blue trucks made for 2009 (none in 2010) and fewer than 15 were V8 trucks. Even if you wheel it, provided you look after it, you could still potentially sell it as a collectors piece in 5-10 years.

Where are you located in Alberta? I'm just across the border in Saskatchewan.
Link to mine if you haven't spotted it already: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/152276-2009-Hummer-H3T-Alpha?p=1991369#post1991369

 

[RedF]

I saw those, and those are both Alpha, adventrue trucks. I'm not a fan of the blue either, but the one in Edmonton is nicer and it claims to be a 2010 (according to his ad, less than 10 blue Alpha H3Ts were made). I'm hoping for black, white, silver or grey; something neutral. I don't like the "look at me" colors.

I'm in Lacombe. Part of the problem is that I haven't found one for sale in my area. I would like to sit in one, make sure it's comfortable for me, and make sure a car seat will fit in the back.

I actually emailed you about your truck before christmas, then stumbled across your ad on CHO.

Just out of curiosity, why are you parting with yours?

 

[Jaymes_Raye]

Envision auto in Calgary always has a bunch but they never seem to have any Alpha trucks only the 3.7s. The blue certainly stands out. I'll double check with Nick (Sugarphreak over on CHO) on CHO he did a breakdown of the numbers of how many were offered with which packages, colours etc. I thought blue was strictly a 2009 Colour, either way there's not many of them.
I've had my truck since 2011, back then I was driving truck and working as a safety consultant for various oilfield companies out around Lloydminster, after a year or two of that I eventually burned out from stress and quit, I've been working as a land surveyor's assistant the last three years. After the change my income dropped nearly two thirds of what it was and with all the slow downs and shut downs going on I'm hoping to go back to school and get an education to steer clear of the oil patch from here on out.

I'm actually heading down to Canmore for New Years tomorrow, if you're interested I could poke into Lacombe and you can take a seat, test fit a child's seat and go for a quick spin if you'd like? If tomorrow doesn't work I think I'll be heading back on the second or third.

A lot of people that have come to check mine out have been surprised by how narrow the truck is in person, people keep thinking it's 90% the size of a fullsize truck.

 

[Crazy Schooner]

Good luck actually finding one here in Alberta that isn't over priced or higher up in the kms (95k+). I was looking for sometime at buying an H3T Alpha but the idea dropped out of favor looking at the prices and I just picked up a V8 Colorado instead. 1/3rd of the mileage on a truck 3 years newer and $10k less cost won me over. Still I'm sure you'll find a deal before you know it if you just scour kijiji and used lots. I remember missing out on an H3 Alpha with 60k for $18k. Went up in the morning and sold by 3am according to the gal who listed it.

 

[CurtStyler]

Hummer are great vehicles, I had a 3.7 H3 for a few years, loved every second. Fuel cost ultimately got to me and I had to sell it.

It looks like you've got a ton of great info already. They are shockingly robust compared to what their "mall crawler" image they have attracted over the years. The good news is that you can find many that have never been offroad and have been babied all their life, replace a few parts upgrade the shocks, add a leveling kit and have a great offroader that will take you most places you would want to go.

I used mine for mostly around town stuff and storm chasing. It was easily the most comfortable road trip vehicle I have ever owned. Good luck if you end up getting one, they are awesome trucks. One day when I'm more financially stable I would love to pick up an Alpha H3T, until then it's practicality and student loan payments for me.

 

[beachbum2020]

No need for a leveling kit, just upgrade the shocks as mentioned above, crank the front torsion keys and your good without the extra expense.

One day mine mine will ooze badassness all over the highway like this............one day................err, hopefully.......well, actually not oozing anything "On" the highway per say lol.

 

[Bigunit]

Here are a couple more pics of my '09 Alpha T as it sits today compared to the pic above when I bought it - have since added a BA winch bumper and winch, replaced the chrome grill with a color matched grill, replaced the chrome mirrors and door handles with black ones and replaced the OEM shocks with Fox shocks.

 

[Bigunit]

Here are a couple of pics of my '09 3.7l H3T. Selling this one later next month.

 

[ClickClickBoom]

Another alpha/adventure T Owner here. Love mine, but you'll want to plan on some upgrades as soon as you get one.

Steering rack bushing kit, motor mount bushings, and shocks when you level it. Your looking at about $1,000 in parts to solve the common problems with these.

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