New Member: Still test driving Alphas

[rayneraingoaway]

Hi guys,

I'm a new member here, and in the process of test driving some used H3 Alphas. I came back from a local CarMax here in Southern California, and have to say I was quite disappointed. They had 2 2008 H3 Alphas in stock, both under 35k miles, so I thought I would have a good chance of leaving the lot a proud new H3 owner, but was I wrong.

1 of them had scratches all over the side of the vehicle and the engine knock from hell. This thing only had 27k miles, but I guess the previous owner drove it like it's stolen or something.

The second one had 34k miles, and ran a bit better, but you could tell that the previous owner really wore down the breaks, and this also had some major scruff inside AND out.

I'm a former Infiniti FX owner, and I pampered that car before selling it when I moved here. I guess I'll just have to keep looking until I find the right Alpha that suits me.

BTW, I have lost a LOT of trust in CarMax. "The way car buying should be"? The sales person told me he owned an H3 for 3 years, and didn't even know how to open the hood, and was very unfamiliar with the vehicle. I could let that go since he was just trying to make the sale, but when I asked the manager to see if I could have the scratches detailed BEFORE I paid for the vehicle, she was very pushy on me buying the car tonight and setting an appointment at a later date to fix it.

Anyways, if you guys have any advice on any specific areas I should look at when looking into Alphas, it would be greatly appreciated. I already know about the Hood Louver Separation recall and spoke to a local GM dealer who said they could take care of that with no problem.

Well, hope to find the right H3 soon and become an OFFICIAL member of the forum!

[3Hummer]

Hey welcome to the site! I myself have had a base 2007 H3 as well as my current car 2010 H3 Alpha. as far as what you've seen in those two alphas....keep in mind its a Hummer most people who spent the extra money for an Alpha probably actually use it what it was made for, offroading. If that was the case then you can definitly expect to see those exterior scratches. (I dont know where you are in the country but if your somewhere around some offroad sites its not unlikely) My suggestion on this topic would be youll pay for the car if in the deal the scratches are covered by them before you drive it off the lot (works for a lot of people that I know that have bought used cars). As for the brakes 34k seems a little low for those brakes to go. On my base H3 i replaced them around 47-48k miles. I don't know how long they should last on an alpha given the added weight but i doubt it would be a that much of a hit. probably just the way the driver drove the car. As for the engine clunk, ive had it on both my H3's they cant identify it and its caused no further issues besides that annoying sound every now and then but its nothing caustic to your car. As for the hood recall dont worry about that it will literally take 20 minutes at a GM dealer to fix that. Also my advice if looking for a used H3 Alpha, espiacially a good quality one would be to go to a GM dealer. While it may seem a little more expensive (i dont know what CarMax or the dealers are asking) but they for the most part change out brakes and tires and fix most of scratches before they turn around and sell it, plus fix any pre-existing issues. Anyway good luck in your search and hope you find what your looking for