Question about buying an Hummer H1

OTR

Adventurer
I have a buddy that is thinking of buying an H1 hummer. His budget is around $35,000 or less. I think he's leaning toward the 6.5L turbo diesel, wagon, and one with CTIS

Are there any years that are better than others or he should stay away from?

How many miles is too many?

How is the long term reliability of these trucks?

Is there anything in particular he should look at mechanically or have a mechanic look at before buying?

Anything else?????

Thanks,
OTR
 

Bullsnake

Adventurer
I am currently on my third H1, an '06 Alpha wagon, and as a general rule the trucks are pretty reliable. 97.5-'06 are great years to have, but any year can be made to be a runner. There is a known block weakness issue with a few years of the 6.5 GEP engines, and I would make sure that it has been addressed, as well as any PMD issues the truck may have or had. A good record of repairs is a BIG plus, and if all the right boxes are ticked milage should be a secondary concern. a FANTASTIC place to do a little research is the Hummer Network Forum, or HML, and the Lynch Hummer website. They are two great places to start, and the HML has a ton of very helpful people that know there stuff!

Good, luck, and post up when the new truck hits the driveway!
 

Jeep

Supporting Sponsor: Overland Explorer Expedition V
1997 might be missing some of the upgrades that were implemented at the factory by 1998. Many 97's recieved the updated engine if they failed under warranty. AM General made cooling system changes that eliminated all of the previous issues like excessive cylinder wear and block cracking. The heating A/C system was massively upgraded in 97 I believe and 1998 added heated windshields that made a big difference in cold climates. Brake wear is very common and not a big deal, portal boxes have lube and needs to be serviced so check fluid levels and condition on a used unit. Moog makes replacement steering and suspension parts that are much more stout and warrantied forever. They are stout, 12 mpg is the norm, they will pull a heavy load very well if you have to. CTIS is a pretty good system, I always seemed to have a minor slow leak somewhere but after a while I never cared. I drove mine for 180 000 KM before I sold it, I will have another one soon as I really liked it. The best part of a real Hummer is.....they are wide enough that the kids can't reach each other! Nice quiet drives....even though the vehicle itself is a little noisy.
 

Rovertrader

Supporting Sponsor
I bought a new one back in '02 and the only issue I had was the cost/frequency of the maintenance- made the Rovers look cheap to keep. A great truck otherwise- loved mine!!
 

Ron B

Explorer
I have had my 97.5 open top for 6 years and it still makes me smile every time I get in it. 97.5 is when the newer hvac was put in as well as some other goodies. Most see the 97.5 and '98 and the best yrs for wheeling and simplicity because of the older high bias ratio diffs (the btm works very well) as well as many other upgrades. In '99 abs brakes were added so the bias ratio had to be lowered, btm didn't work as well so the TT-4 system was added -- most hate it and add lockers. Personally if I had it to do all over again I'd go for even more simplicity and get an earlier year truck with the 6.5 na diesel.

here are some of the site listed above -- talk to owners and do your research. Then enjoy it!

Lynch:
http://www.lynchhummer.com/Changes/h1.changes/h1changes.index.html

the HML:
http://www.hummernetworkforums.com/

Hummer knowledge base (from the HML)
http://www.HummerKnowledgeBase.com/H1.html

another informative site:
www.flashoffroad.com

**an added note about maintenance:
very important to get maintenance records with the truck and have it checked out thoroughly. The first year of ownership is usually spent fixing all the crap the previous owner neglected and that can get expensive. The trucks are really easy to work on so most I know do the basic servicing themselves (changing filters, fluids, lube etc...). As mentioned above, there were quite a few bad turbo diesel 6.5 blocks from gm that develop a crack in the #8 cylinder...not fun. Most have been replaced by now but I still occasionally read about one going bad on the HML. There are casting numbers you can check and tests you can have done when the truck is checked out. The #8 problem can be found in '96 through 2000 6.5 td's. The other issue with the 6.5 td is the Pump Mounted Driver (PMD, sometimes referred to as the FSD). They go bad but are a quick easy fix with an inexpensive relocation kit. The PMD problem is with all 6.5 td's and not hummer specific. Not that big a deal and easy to avoid.
 
Last edited:

Humvette

Adventurer
I have had my 2001 wagon for a lil over a year now and still love it. They are a lot of maintenance. Parts are readily avaliable through venders. DEF research what issues each year had. That is why i spent a hair more and got the 2001,
- revised interior
- updated AC (97.5 +)
- FA VIN# designates the heavy block (or fixed design from the factory)
- For wagons it was the first year that the roof was galvanized and has a lot less corrosion issues by the rear side sliding windows
- New updated side mirrors


There are a couple really sweet H1's for sale that are all geared out on the HML market place.
 

romveld

New member
Look at this! The guys from ramsmobile.com make exclusive tuned Hummer H1 Alpha in the form of the own model of the car Ramsmobile. The development of this car is conducted since 2012 under the leadership of Dmitry Shepelev. At the moment released 3 models: RM-series, ART-series, RM-X1 series. Also for the cars of the brand Hummer produces exclusive handmade accessories. If you want, you can can build your own car based on the Hummer H1 with online-constructor web-site. What Rams does is a real piece of art!
 

jeep-N-montero

Expedition Leader
Look at this! The guys from ramsmobile.com make exclusive tuned Hummer H1 Alpha in the form of the own model of the car Ramsmobile. The development of this car is conducted since 2012 under the leadership of Dmitry Shepelev. At the moment released 3 models: RM-series, ART-series, RM-X1 series. Also for the cars of the brand Hummer produces exclusive handmade accessories. If you want, you can can build your own car based on the Hummer H1 with online-constructor web-site. What Rams does is a real piece of art!

Well guys, looks like Russia has hacked the portal, woot woot!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,540
Messages
2,875,670
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top