Where have all the Hummers (H2) gone?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Car seats are a valid point. If you haven't had kids, or haven't had kids in the last few years, you have no idea. A rear facing baby seat takes up more room in length and width than an adult male. Forward facing baby seats are better, but still adult sized due to their width and the amount that they move the kid forward away from the seat (so they can kick your seatback). When my wife had a 2003 4Runner the back seat was consumed by the baby seat and child seat, there was no way to fit a 3rd person back there. With my current three kid seating arrangement of child seat, booster, and regular seating, my full sized S8 is just big enough for around town use. No way it would work for a long trip, as the kids are too cramped and there's not enough trunk space for bags and kid junk.

[pavulon]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Don't forget those rear facing seats in some of the old wagons, and my Toyota PU, while fine for the Lewis Craft run-a-bout, can't match my Suburban 2500 for towing the track cars & gear for a weekend at the track..

Those rear facing seats are still out there!! I'd really like some in this MB wagon!!

"The E63 AMG Wagon's five-seat configuration can easily expand to seven seats by unfolding a standard third-row rear-facing seat from the luggage compartment floor. "

[JAR0023]

There's a bunch of them showing up in salvage yards as the parts for H2s and H3 are going through the roof now that production has stopped. What should be a $3-4k repair usually ends up as a $9-$10k repair. Add in the fact that values for the things are rock bottom and it becomes cost prohibitive to repair them. Things like side rear view mirrors are into the $600 ballpark even for aftermarket parts. -J

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by JAR0023

There's a bunch of them showing up in salvage yards as the parts for H2s and H3 are going through the roof now that production has stopped. What should be a $3-4k repair usually ends up as a $9-$10k repair. Add in the fact that values for the things are rock bottom and it becomes cost prohibitive to repair them. Things like side rear view mirrors are into the $600 ballpark even for aftermarket parts. -J

B.S.

GM still sells new parts, and will support the parts infrastructure for seven years past their departure in 2010. So they'll make new parts for four/five more years.

And the values are rock bottom!? What are you smoking??

The H2 would have been $65-70K MSRP when brand new.
About the same as their cousin, the Cadillac Escalade, or their competitor, the Porsche Cayenne S V8.
You can buy 2009 Escalades for $35-45K
You can buy 2009 S Cayennes for $30-40K
2009 Hummer H2s are bringing $45-60K!!!

So the H2s are retaining a significantly higher percentage of their original value than their competitors.
There may not be many out there, there may not be many buyers, but that niche is very strong.

I paid $4500 this Spring for my 2003 Suburban 3/4 ton 4x4..... the mechanical underpinnings are identical to the H2.
I would have had to pay $13,000 for a similar H2. They were the same price new.

My Sub even wears Hummer H2 wheels (forged polished Alcoas from the 2006 H2 Special Edition) with 285/70-17 E-load All Terrains

[Rick Lee]

That looks like a jackbooted thug-mobile. How many miles were on it when you got it for that price?

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

That looks like a jackbooted thug-mobile. How many miles were on it when you got it for that price?

Thug-mobile? It's a bone stock truck, just has the stock Hummer wheels and one-size-smaller-than-H2 tires (285s vs 315s). The tires effectively changed the gearing as they are 2.2" taller for ~10% lower rpm in overdrive for better fuel economy. They also make the truck more stable towing large trailers, and add 1450 pounds more tire load capacity for a better safety margin. They're also much better in snow or off-road conditions.

My Sub has a 12,500 pound tow rating. I don't think any crossover, minivan, or station wagon could come even close. As I said in other threads, it will out-tow a 7.3L Diesel Excursion. And I have four kids (two in car seats) and a 70 pound bully-breed. Thankfully, I have other vehicles for daily use so this just sits until I need it.

I get about 11 mpg around town and 16 mpg on the freeway, fwiw. I average about 13 mpg overall, including towing. This is with the 8.1L (496 cu in) Big Block. The less powerful 6.0L (like the Hummer H2) would be similar, in my experience.

My Sub currently has 246K miles. All original drivetrain. Yeah, I know, GM sucks.

[vash]

i have never ever seen a H2 off roading.

seen plenty of H1 and H3's. no 2's. weird. i helped load a gut shot deer into the back of an H3..i kept asking.."are you sure about this?" he was cool, and we pitched it in. i imagine he regretted the decision later, after the the afterglow of the harvest dimmed a bit.

[kaisen]

BTW, if you look carefully at the photo, we had all four kids and the dog in the truck (see middle windows), plus loaded floor-to-ceiling with coolers and camping supplies (see rear windows). It wasn't towing the 30ft camper in the photo, but did later in the day.

[Scott R]

Originally Posted by kaisen

BTW, if you look carefully at the photo, we had all four kids and the dog in the truck (see middle windows), plus loaded floor-to-ceiling with coolers and camping supplies (see rear windows). It wasn't towing the 30ft camper in the photo, but did later in the day.

A lot of people also do not understand the unique challenges of your geography. Being able to get though several feet of snow safely is worth it's weight in "truck." I know it is where I live.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by vash

i have never ever seen a H2 off roading.

Most of us are forever damaged by seeing tons of "jack-booted thugmobile" H2s like this:

[vash]

Originally Posted by kaisen

Most of us are forever damaged by seeing tons of "jack-booted thugmobile" H2s like this:

agghh..thanks for sharing the pain!! hahahhahahahha..i wouldnt hook a tow strap to that thing.

[vash]

ok..i gotta ask..


is a H2 even off road capable? they are 4x4 right? i dont know squat about them..my rap career never got off the ground.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by vash

ok..i gotta ask..

is a H2 even off road capable? they are 4x4 right? i dont know squat about them..my rap career never got off the ground.

Very capable. Just big and heavy, and expensive.....how many $60-70K anythings are really taken off road?

Around here there aren't quite as many rapper-mobiles, most H2s are driven by soccer parents in the burbs and I'd say more than half have larger wheels. However, there are a few well-heeled hunters and cabin-owners that actually use their H2s off road. We don't really have the rock-crawling terrains around here, but lots of soft-earth, snow, dirt, and paths through the woods to get to that hunting spot or remote cabin.

[vash]

not bad!! i have seen a G wagon waaaaayyy back there. that thing was super impressive. expensive but the owner didnt care.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Scott R

A lot of people also do not understand the unique challenges of your geography. Being able to get though several feet of snow safely is worth it's weight in "truck." I know it is where I live.

You have snow, altitude, and grade/incline

We just have snow

This is I-94 (six lanes here):



This is my driveway (typical, not as bad as it gets):



This is just out of my driveway on the road:



This is my office....I don't think I've ever shared a photo of my facility:


This is the side door of my office when snow slid off the roof and blocked it:





Yeah, a big 4x4 comes in handy some days



YMMV

[Scott R]

Honestly that looks way worse than it ever gets here.

[aigel]

Originally Posted by kaisen

You have snow, altitude, and grade/incline

We just have snow

This is I-94 (six lanes here):



This is my driveway (typical, not as bad as it gets):



This is just out of my driveway on the road:



This is my office....I don't think I've ever shared a photo of my facility:


This is the side door of my office when snow slid off the roof and blocked it:





Yeah, a big 4x4 comes in handy some days



YMMV

And I thought I had it bad, camping in low 20s weather and 5 inches of snow in NorCal!

I would GTFO of that place on the first moving truck south. Not kidding. I grew up in that stuff and want no part of it.

But for some strange reason, people stay in it and find it tolerable, fun sometimes even. (I have to admit, the snow blower looks better than the shovels I grew up with).

Then, once you arrive in CA, you can put 24" rimz with low profile summer tires.

G

[varmint]

in a town of seven thousand there are probably twenty or thirty H2s. a reputation for being good on snow. they started showing up a few years ago when the prices dropped. all seem to be driven by wives. the men all have F-series 4X4s.

[kaisen]

^^ That looks like a great place for this:

[varmint]

Originally Posted by kaisen

^^ That looks like a great place for this:

can't do that. there are teenagers in the neighborhood.


100+ inches of snow last year.

anchorage got 128



whatever other failings the hummer may have, it'll make a path through a blizzard.