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Thinking about upsizing to an H2...what should I look out for??

MtnRsqDawg

Well-Known Member
Messages
216
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Hey All,

I currently have an '08 H3 w/35"s, leveled, and absolutely love it and wheel whenever I can! My wife and I are thinking about upsizing to an H2 :thumbs: Before we do anything wanted to check with y'all to see what we should be on the look out for before jumping the gun?

So far we've seen an '05 w/about 75k on it...had a bad wiper motor that could be heard through the speakers every time we turned it on. It was rough and I'm surprised it even worked. Then there was some bowing on the passenger side door panel that creaked every time you layed your arm across it. Of course no spare tire carrie on the back, which isn't a big deal but still...

This past weekend we looked at an '07 with about 49k miles. The chrome hood latches were cracked an peeling, the chrome gas cap was bowed and on the verge of peeling as well. The center console creaked when I did a gangster lean (LOL) which also seemed to carry out into the back when the kids entered/exited the truck. The undercarrage showed minimal signs of rust due to road salt but appeared to have never been off road. Also looked like original set of tires - which didn't bother me because we are going to put 37"s on it.

Any insight y'all could provide would be greatly appreciated...thx!
 

PCH2

Well-Known Member
Messages
222
Location
Park City, UT
We just made the leap, the wealth if knowledge on this forum is amazing. We opted for an 08 because of upgrades on interior and motor. Any questions I had , I would bounce off Zach!! He, Timco, Tomp, and many others can enlighten you. We have wheeled both in Moab, our first was a 06 SUT, and we loved it. The 3 was a little more stressful, but extremely capable of any trail we went on. I think Zach said it right, "the Duece is like wheeling while sitting on your couch", or something like that!
 

LoJac963

Well-Known Member
Messages
491
Location
Surprise, AZ
The biggest difference between the 08/09's and the rest are the drivetrain and interior. I have an 06 I bought 2 years ago with 32k on the odo. I personally don't care for the 08/09 escalade interior, I like the rugged look of the first style interior. However you'll be chasing creaks and noises quite often buts its nothing small felt pads won't fix. That being said if I could trade mine in for an 08/09 I would highly consider it just considering the age mine is now. Although the dealer would have to realize all the mods were coming off lol. Also it seems like the amount of mods available is obviously greater for the 03/07 years as there were many more built.
 

MtnRsqDawg

Well-Known Member
Messages
216
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Thanks LoJac, I told my wife those creaks could easily be fixed by some felt pads strategically placed here and there. In doing my research I've learned that it's just not in the 2s but Tahoe's/Burban's etc. Plus she may be a little spoiled because our 3 doesn't have any (now). The range we're looking at is between '06 and '09...and like you, I too dig the more rugged look of the original 2s.
 

PCH2

Well-Known Member
Messages
222
Location
Park City, UT
Thanks, did you have to look long before finding the right one? What was your biggest concern about stepping up?

We started seriously pursuing the purchase after Moab in April and it took about 5 weeks to find the right one . Our only concern was getting the stock deuce ready for Moab again in October . We still have 4 months to get are mods done. We are actually lucky here in Salt Lake because our Hummer technicians still work at the GMC dealership . We made sure to get the extended warranty just for peace of mind.
 

MtnRsqDawg

Well-Known Member
Messages
216
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
^ yeah, we are just beginning the search now and will not settle unless its better than what we have. Even though I droll every time I get around them...LOL...I'm sticking to my guns. I like that Pewter color y'all got, that's one of our top three - black and maroon/burgundy are the other two. Now I wouldn't pass up a white one, great now there's another color. We too got the extended warranty when we picked up our 3. Haven't had to use it and we're going on 21mos. Always better to have it and not use it then need it and not have it...hmmm, sounds like some other essentials I can think of.
 

Jwy1966

Member
Messages
11
Location
North Carolina
I've had an 08 H2 since October only had 36,000 on it and still has factory warranty. Did have to replace the original tires a few weeks ago went with the Goodyear MTR 37". Absolute joy to drive and the updated interior is a plus as well.
 
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MtnRsqDawg

Well-Known Member
Messages
216
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Jwy1966 - that's awesome and actually saw a few in NC. So far it has mostly been 05 - 07s with way too many miles on them and of course the lower the mileage the higher the price. Thankfully I'm in no rush since my 3 is perfectly fine (for now) an keeps gettin-R-dun. Bet those new shoes look really good...any lift?
 

autumn walker

Well-Known Member
Messages
707
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
I went from an '08 H3, leveled, 35's to an '07 H2 and absolutely love it. We wanted more space for hauling gear around (camping) and more towing capacity for our camper trailer which has now become car trailers as well :)

The original interior will squeak / creak, but it is not that bad - as you said you can remedy with a few strategically placed felt pads.

Watch for the rear suspension - the air bags in the back have a tendency to rot and crack (thereby failing). The coil spring rear suspension does not have issues and can be swapped over in place of the bags if need be.

Take a look for corrosion around the cooling array up front (under the hood) - my power steering cooler let go without any warning one day and I lost power steering and brakes. There is also a known issue where the transmission and radiator fluids cross and the lines can corrode and mix the fluids thereby ruining your transmission. I'm not sure how you could look for that other than checking the fluids, but if the fluids are bad it is already too late. The fix is relatively simple - separate the systems so the pipes never cross.

I love my H2 - it's great in the dirt, even better on the street.
 

MtnRsqDawg

Well-Known Member
Messages
216
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Thanks Autumn (love the name, my daughters name is Autumn too :) ). Thankfully whenever we go checking deuce's I bring my daughter's BF with since he's a mechanic. The first thing he started doing was checking fluids etc. so I'm confident we are headed in the right direction. Love my 3 but need the extra elbow room of the deuce because my son (who's 13 and has a size 15 shoe :whaa: ) and our dog who's 150lbs+ have outgrown it. Thanks again, all this input is extremely helpful.
 

mudbug

trail blazer
Messages
232
Location
Brighton,Co
Ideally look for a soccer mom one. Those are normally in the best shape. When we bought ours it was all stock. The only problem it had was th cup holder area was loose but I live with it and a crack in one of the door map pockets. Look for leaks around the front diff and the power steering pump esp. if it has 37s already installed. Also if it has larger tires look around the steering mounts to make sure its not bent or cracked. Check the exhaust manifolds to make sure they are not leaking or cracked as well.
Good luck on finding a deuce.
Even though my h3 was our first hummer and I really like driving it. I LOVE to drive the h2 the ride is so nice and smooth in fact it spoils me when I drive it. None of my other vehicles can compare.
 

twinmill28

Spilled Milk
Messages
1,545
Location
El Centro, Mehico (Way So Cal)
Before we bought our deuce I'd set my sights to look for a low mile '07 (preferably) SUV in white with tan inerior, air suspension and DVD players if at all possible. I just really wanted that combination. While searching, our dealer called and said they had just taken a really clean deuce in that I should look at. It was that dirty sand color with black interior, no DVD's and no air susp. This was the absolute last color combination that I wanted, both interior and exterior. But it was really clean with some 60K on the clock, a little more than I wanted as well. We took the truck home overnight for the test drive to see the fit in the garage and if we wanted to live with it.
We went back the next day and started negotiating on the price, which was just too high with our H3 trade and had a hard time making numbers work. We had a conflicting appointment at the time and had to leave before closing a deal. That was the best thing that happened to us---we were really willing to settle on absolutely the wrong truck for us. We called the dealer and said we needed to pass but asked that they keep looking for us.
Eventually we found the exact deuce we wanted 600 miles away, with half the miles, all the extras and at a much better trade deal than our local dealer was willing to give.
Bottom line is---don't be willing to settle, it took another month or so of looking but has lead to years of enjoyment in a great truck.
 
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MtnRsqDawg

Well-Known Member
Messages
216
Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Bottom line is---don't be willing to settle...

Oh I know, my wife is like there's no way I'm going from what we have to something that is less than. Like you we too have specific criteria that must be met in order for us to entertain any kind of deal. Plus it's a given that the wheel/tire combo will be upgraded for offroad usage along with a host of other goodies :) Plus one could always hold out hope to run across an H1...now that would be the ultimate.
 

Big2dabank

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,216
Location
Central Florida
I have my 05 H2 for almost 7 years, she has 161,000 + miles and is just as much fun to drive today as it was the first day I bought it. Hands down, the best all around truck I have ever owned. I think she'll be staying in the family for quite sometime and hoping to get well over 250,000 miles out of her. If you really want one, look hard and don't settle, good trucks are definitely out there.
 

twinmill28

Spilled Milk
Messages
1,545
Location
El Centro, Mehico (Way So Cal)
Yeah, H1 would be cool. But I've done enough reading up on them and test drove one that a local guy had bought not knowing what he was getting into. They seem to really enjoy regular routine maintenance that can add up financially, even if doing the work yourself. The one I test drove the guy had bought was a nightmare as none of the maintenance had been done and he ended up rebuilding the engine, trans and a bunch of other stuff to get it up to speed.
Don't get me wrong, it's the coolest freakin' thing on the road and even better to be seen in. Just be ready for more maintenance than even my wife demands!!
 

bigbadt

Well-Known Member
Messages
139
Location
Socal
If you don't mind me asking, What are you looking to spend ? I'm debating on selling my Duece if the wife doesn't want to keep a extra 4x4 around. And no I'm not leaving the Hummer family I added a H1.
 

PCH2

Well-Known Member
Messages
222
Location
Park City, UT
Oh I know, my wife is like there's no way I'm going from what we have to something that is less than. Like you we too have specific criteria that must be met in order for us to entertain any kind of deal. Plus it's a given that the wheel/tire combo will be upgraded for offroad usage along with a host of other goodies :) Plus one could always hold out hope to run across an H1...now that would be the ultimate.

Any update!?!? Have you found anything yet??:thumbs:
 
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