Welcome! Introduction
Well after three years of owning my 2006 Hummer H3 I have decided to do an upgrade. I absolutely love the truck that I have, but this summer I started to do some more difficult wheeling. I found myself getting high centered and stuck since quite often since I am at stock ride height and don’t have the ADV package. Here are a few pics:
I planned on doing a lift, lockers, and engine swap, but it was hard to justify because I would be putting a ton of money when I could just buy an Alpha ADV at lower price. This way I can put that money towards other accessories that I have been wanting to do for a while. So I began to search Craigslist in all 50 states, eBay, and Auto trader.
Why Did I Buy This Specific Truck?
These were my main search parameters that the truck needed to have:
· An Alpha H3 – the I5 just dosen’t have enough power, especially if you want to put a lift and bigger tires
· Rancho Lift Kit – Hard to find these days and will cost a total of ~5K since you need new shocks, off road tires,and wheels.
· Adventure Package – Having a truck that comes with lockers is always better than having to spend $600 to $1200 on a locker and then another $500 to have it installed. Borg and Warner 4:1 is also nice too
· Decent Wheel to Tire Ratio – I definitely did not want to buy a truck that that 22” KMC rockstars and 35inbald mud grapplers. Basically non-mall crawler
· Anything like lux package and other accessories are a bonus.
After searching for 6 solid months this is the one I chose:
OEM Features
· Lux Package
· Adventure Package
· Tow Package
· Backup Camera
· Navigation system
· Sunroof
· Monsoon
I think it has every option except the OEM Rooflights/Marker lights and OEM fog lights accessory.
A Bit of Background On The Truck:
Previous owner travels the country for work and tows this vehicle everywhere he goes. That explains the miles. He is the second owner. Bought it at 11k miles at auction. About 3 years ago he got a new truck and this one has just been sitting at his house only being driven short distances. The guy said he hasn’t had the time to fix it so he is selling it stands. Plenty of things that need to be fixed but this were definitely the best H3 Alpha I found after months of searching that was loaded and had tons of aftermarket features (For a reasonable price).
All aftermarket accessories:
· Road Armor Front Bumper (Painted gun metal gray, will be painted black)
· MileMarker 8k lb winch (Broken)
· PIAA 510 Fog lights (36w)
· ARB Snorkel
· Chrome Runcool hoodlouvers
· Electric cooling fan (OEM fan has been removed, this thing is loud)
· Rancho 4in lift w/ rancho shocks
· GEAR 18in wheels &34.5in (295s) Nitto Terra Grapplers - 70% tread
· Gobi roof rack w/ ladder& sunroof insert
· Low profile lockable Pelican case bolted to Gobi roof for extra storage
· N-FAB side steps
· Color matched fender flares
· LED lights on all sides(None are connected)
· Aftermarket tow braking system
· Aftermarket Third External Brake light (Doesn’t Work)
New in last 50k miles:
· Front differential - AAM8.6 (Even though this is an early model 2008!!)
· CV axles
· Hubs
· Transfer case
· Front & rear drivelines
Even though this truck is fully loaded, I must admit that the overall condition isn’t great. Not complaining but these things will take time to fix. I did know going into this purchase that it had 250kmiles so it wasn’t going to be perfect, but there are just a bunch of little things that you don’t think about that are out of whack.
Important Things To Address
O2 sensors code
Leaky sunroof
A/C Doesn’t Blow cold
Transmission code
Heat doesn’t work that well
Windshield has huge crack on driver’s side.
Small Things That Need To Be Addressed:
Backup Camera screen works but does not display an image
Navigation system screen is really dim
Horn is blown out (Fixed– Hella Amazon horns installed)
Hood release is broken(Fixed)
Left windshield wiper pump does not spray onto window
Serpentine belt is cracking (Fixed)
Wires under the driver’s footwell is a mess. The guy had an aftermarket car remote installed and then took it out.
None of the Gobi roof rack lights are connected. All need to be replace
Doesn’t have the tailgate plastic cover that hides the OEM jack or the jack
Grille mount clip on one side is broken (Truck was in a small accident) (Fixed)
HVAC Bulbs are out
Sunroof drain tubes are not connected (Fixed)
Aftermarket external brake light is out
Mirrors don’t fold
Everything aftermarket with wires is jerry rigged.
o Example the guy used twist on wire connectors to wire the PIAA bumper lights (BTW the lights are burnt out)
Well after three years of owning my 2006 Hummer H3 I have decided to do an upgrade. I absolutely love the truck that I have, but this summer I started to do some more difficult wheeling. I found myself getting high centered and stuck since quite often since I am at stock ride height and don’t have the ADV package. Here are a few pics:
I planned on doing a lift, lockers, and engine swap, but it was hard to justify because I would be putting a ton of money when I could just buy an Alpha ADV at lower price. This way I can put that money towards other accessories that I have been wanting to do for a while. So I began to search Craigslist in all 50 states, eBay, and Auto trader.
Why Did I Buy This Specific Truck?
These were my main search parameters that the truck needed to have:
· An Alpha H3 – the I5 just dosen’t have enough power, especially if you want to put a lift and bigger tires
· Rancho Lift Kit – Hard to find these days and will cost a total of ~5K since you need new shocks, off road tires,and wheels.
· Adventure Package – Having a truck that comes with lockers is always better than having to spend $600 to $1200 on a locker and then another $500 to have it installed. Borg and Warner 4:1 is also nice too
· Decent Wheel to Tire Ratio – I definitely did not want to buy a truck that that 22” KMC rockstars and 35inbald mud grapplers. Basically non-mall crawler
· Anything like lux package and other accessories are a bonus.
After searching for 6 solid months this is the one I chose:
2008 Hummer H3 Alpha 5.3L w/ 250K Miles - Techno Gray Metallic
OEM Features
· Lux Package
· Adventure Package
· Tow Package
· Backup Camera
· Navigation system
· Sunroof
· Monsoon
I think it has every option except the OEM Rooflights/Marker lights and OEM fog lights accessory.
A Bit of Background On The Truck:
Previous owner travels the country for work and tows this vehicle everywhere he goes. That explains the miles. He is the second owner. Bought it at 11k miles at auction. About 3 years ago he got a new truck and this one has just been sitting at his house only being driven short distances. The guy said he hasn’t had the time to fix it so he is selling it stands. Plenty of things that need to be fixed but this were definitely the best H3 Alpha I found after months of searching that was loaded and had tons of aftermarket features (For a reasonable price).
All aftermarket accessories:
· Road Armor Front Bumper (Painted gun metal gray, will be painted black)
· MileMarker 8k lb winch (Broken)
· PIAA 510 Fog lights (36w)
· ARB Snorkel
· Chrome Runcool hoodlouvers
· Electric cooling fan (OEM fan has been removed, this thing is loud)
· Rancho 4in lift w/ rancho shocks
· GEAR 18in wheels &34.5in (295s) Nitto Terra Grapplers - 70% tread
· Gobi roof rack w/ ladder& sunroof insert
· Low profile lockable Pelican case bolted to Gobi roof for extra storage
· N-FAB side steps
· Color matched fender flares
· LED lights on all sides(None are connected)
· Aftermarket tow braking system
· Aftermarket Third External Brake light (Doesn’t Work)
New in last 50k miles:
· Front differential - AAM8.6 (Even though this is an early model 2008!!)
· CV axles
· Hubs
· Transfer case
· Front & rear drivelines
Even though this truck is fully loaded, I must admit that the overall condition isn’t great. Not complaining but these things will take time to fix. I did know going into this purchase that it had 250kmiles so it wasn’t going to be perfect, but there are just a bunch of little things that you don’t think about that are out of whack.
Important Things To Address
O2 sensors code Leaky sunroof A/C Doesn’t Blow cold Transmission code Heat doesn’t work that well Windshield has huge crack on driver’s side.Small Things That Need To Be Addressed:
Backup Camera screen works but does not display an image Navigation system screen is really dim Horn is blown out (Fixed– Hella Amazon horns installed) Hood release is broken(Fixed) Left windshield wiper pump does not spray onto window Serpentine belt is cracking (Fixed) Wires under the driver’s footwell is a mess. The guy had an aftermarket car remote installed and then took it out. None of the Gobi roof rack lights are connected. All need to be replaceDoesn’t have the tailgate plastic cover that hides the OEM jack or the jack Grille mount clip on one side is broken (Truck was in a small accident) (Fixed) HVAC Bulbs are out Sunroof drain tubes are not connected (Fixed) Aftermarket external brake light is out Mirrors don’t foldEverything aftermarket with wires is jerry rigged.o Example the guy used twist on wire connectors to wire the PIAA bumper lights (BTW the lights are burnt out)
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