Living with an H1

[kacyk]

We've had our H2 for almost a year now and love it. With the 3rd row custom bench we can seat 8 passengers (we have a large family).

I got the bright idea to buy an H1 and add a 3rd row bench but the real issue is living and driving the beast on a daily basis. It'll be used primarily by my wife for the kids school and groceries. Perhaps long hauls to our cabin but we have a Honda minivan for that.

So, if this were your only car for shopping, commuting etc, would you? Not that it would be for us but it has to serve mutiple purposes other than just off roading.

[kacyk]

We've had our H2 for almost a year now and love it. With the 3rd row custom bench we can seat 8 passengers (we have a large family).

I got the bright idea to buy an H1 and add a 3rd row bench but the real issue is living and driving the beast on a daily basis. It'll be used primarily by my wife for the kids school and groceries. Perhaps long hauls to our cabin but we have a Honda minivan for that.

So, if this were your only car for shopping, commuting etc, would you? Not that it would be for us but it has to serve mutiple purposes other than just off roading.

[kacyk]

We've had our H2 for almost a year now and love it. With the 3rd row custom bench we can seat 8 passengers (we have a large family).

I got the bright idea to buy an H1 and add a 3rd row bench but the real issue is living and driving the beast on a daily basis. It'll be used primarily by my wife for the kids school and groceries. Perhaps long hauls to our cabin but we have a Honda minivan for that.

So, if this were your only car for shopping, commuting etc, would you? Not that it would be for us but it has to serve mutiple purposes other than just off roading.

[ssgharkness020147]

In the last year that I have had my H1 I have put on about 15,000 miles as my daily driver. Its really not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, sure its a little noisey inside, but only on the freeway. Parking is a breeze, even parallel isnt too bad. The only thing that took a little getting used to is the width, which is easily overcome, but you do need to pay more attention as to where you are in traffic lanes, the H1 proves that straight roads are far from straight. Even a 6 inch change in the roads width will require a SMALL adjustment of the trucks position. All and all I love my H1 and have had no complaints about it as a daily driver. My one word of caution; if you buy a truck that is out of warrenty you need to learn to work on it yourself. The dealer will rape your wallet like you never thought possible. A perfect example was my first trip to the dealer: C service, tires, front and rear toe alignment, and one half shaft boot. 4100.00.

[ckhagman]

I second the working ont he truck yourself idea. I have never worked on another car before in my life until I got my truck but I love it.

As for a daily driver I would do it if I had the opportunity but I drive at least 20k a year and the boss woulding reimbruse me if I took it everyday.

BTW it is the most comfortable vehicle I have ever driven or rode in.

[Beastmaster]

My truck is a daily driver. I'm also one of the people that work on their own trucks, and recommend any H1 owner do their own work (within their own abilities) to save themselves some money.

About the jump seats - They will work until your kids get to be in third grade or so. Then they will be far too big to fit properly in them (height wise).

[oma]

I've had my H2 for a year now and just got a H1 a month ago. Although I love the H1, I would not drive it every day if I had my choice between the two. The H2 seats just mold to you after you have driven the H1. The H1 is harder to park and is noisey, although it is a blast to drive.

My kids are 6 and 9 and they like the H2 better for long drives--again mostly for the seat comfort. I have the 3rd row bench in the H2 and it works out well. Although the H2 is more comfortable, even to off-road in, I would pick the H1 for off-roading. Since I have only owned the H1 for a month, I have only had it off-road once, but I would take it a lot more places than I would ever take my H2. The H1 is definatly built for off-roading!

[H1Hummer Owner]

Kacyk,

My situation, is similar to yours. My wife always wanted an H1....so we bought one this summer.

Just as the others have said..in my opinion, either you love to drive it...or you hate it. I don't think there's anything in the middle.

My kids love it....and yeah..it's noisy...just crank the Monsoon sound system and rock out.

[kacyk]

Thanks for all the input. With the 5th baby due any day my wife is in no condition to make decisions on a car. We don't like having car payments at all so this would be a BIG financial decision for us. Something tells me the prudent thing to do is keep the H2, sell the minivan (once the baby is a bit older) and buy a Yukon Denali XL or an Escalade ESV.

I think the H1 will be better off as a toy for me down the road.

P.S. I'm afraid to test drive one as I think I'd be writing a check!

[frank6150]

That's why I'm glad I sunk all my money into the house I'm building cause it was screaming at me to go buy an H1. No way in hell am I financing 80k+ so that dream has died for a little while.

[GeneseeMtn]

I drive my 97.5 H1 every day - work & the airport are my most common destinations, but I love driving it everywhere. (It's especially happy when I drive it off-road). It's never been an inconvenience. Once you have one, I'm sure you'll drive it every F'ing chance you get. BTW - If you are going to use the truck off-road in any capacity, avoid the early TT4 trucks (98-01). 97.5 & early 98 are the most coveted trucks because they're a little less expensive, have the upgraded HVAC, Monsoon systems & transfer case cooling loop, but are before the TT4 (which makes it impossible to lock all 4 wheels together (BTM) over off-road obstacles.


PS - I have kept up with the schuled A,B & C maintenance at 3k, 6k & 12k miles. The maintenance is not difficult & keeps you from having 95% of the problems you hear about people having with their H1's. Most "expensive" maintenance fixes are due to lack of regular maintenance, IMHO.

[kacyk]

Here's a question for all of you who have owned both the H1 and H2. Judging by my 10 minute test drive of a 2002 H1, was I dreaming or was the H1 really eaiser to drive?

The rear is just terrible on both trucks but the H2 is very high and it also has a curve on the hood which further detracts from the front view of the road. In the H1, however, I had a more commanding view of the road ahead of me and it was easy to tell where the front corners of the the truck was.

It's very wide but it didn't really feel wider as my front visibility was better. Am I making sense or am I just trying to talk myself into buying one? I'm almost there but please, no air bags or on star? Yikes!

[Harley]

kacyk~

No airbags and no onstar? We did this for years without probs. GPS, seatbelts and a cell phone can acommodate for those issues...

Drive the truck for a few days if you can, then decide. 10 minutes won't help you make up your mind.

K

[oma]

I have an 03 H2 with 36,000 miles. Bought a H1 - 01 open top about six months, primairly for off-roading and to keep my H2 in better shape for my daily driving. They each have their own pros and cons. I love to off-road in both of them, but I will push the H1 much farther than the H2 and I feel safer in the H1. I am kind of in the same spot you are. I have considered trading in both for an 04 H1, and maybe even look at an Alpha, but I just don't think I could make it my daily driver. There is just nothing like off-roading all weekend in the H1, then coming back home to the luxury of the H2.

[kacyk]

Can someone give me some perspective on my previous question about visibility? The H2 has a hump on the hood which makes the otherwise short hood appear vast and it's difficult to see exactly where the corners of the truck are. But when I drove the H1, I "felt" that I could see the road a lot better and the corners of the rig were obvious. Although it is 5"s wider, it seemed easier to drive than the H2 because of the seating position and commanding view of the road.

Was I dreaming or ??? Can someone who has both a H1 and H2 comment? Thanks.

[ckhagman]

I do not have an H2 but you might probably get this feeling because of a couple of reasons. The H2 is taller than the H1 which might give you the issue of seeing the road less.

[Beastmaster]

Here's my take on the visibility issue:

Note - Even though I don't own a H2, I've driven one quite a few times on various trips and trails.

Front view visibility - H1:
If you have the stock mushroom cap with no extension (homemade) or an aftermarket snorkel (Predator, SMA, etc), you'll find that the visibility on the H1 is slightly better than the H2. The A Pillars aren't intruding as much in your vision, and when they do, it's easy to see if there's something there behind them. You do get a broader, more panoramic view of the road, not because of the height (the H2 is taller than the H1, but the H2 was never designed to go into a cargo aircraft with a low ceiling), but due to the seating position and the window placement.

When you've got either a homemade or aftermarket snorkel, the visibility on the passenger side is drastically reduced, making left hand turns harder to see if there is oncoming traffic.

Front view visibility - H2:
The H2 has one big advantage over the H1 in visibility - there is a lot less glare. In Arizona, I find that there is more glare with the vertical windshields on the H1, making angled sun positions a challenge to drive sometimes.

The A Pillars are quite chunkier, making some blind spots possible, but it's not a huge factor with me.

Side view visibility - H1:
In my 4 Door Hard Top, side view visibility is hard on the passenger side. The height of the vehicle, combined with the small windows, makes a dangerous partnership unless you either upgrade to the Predator Convex glass, add a 4" wide angle to the mirror, or convert to the 2001 and up mirrors.

In wagons, the over the shoulder blind spot is huge (for 2003 and back units) on the passenger side. In soft tops and 4 Door Hard tops, the blind spot is a bit worse, since you have both the seat and the corner of the top blocking your view.

Side view visibility - H2:
Ironically, I find the side view visibility quite a bit better in the H2. Even though the vehicle has small windows as well, for me, the seat angle and position allows me to see better on the sides.

Rear view visibility - H1 and H2: Both are bad. If you've got the external tire carriers (on both vehicles), they intrude on the rear view mirror visibility to where it's quite useless.

So, it's a toss up in my book. Both give me a great view of the road.

Hope this helps,
Steve

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by kacyk:
Can someone give me some perspective on my previous question about visibility? The H2 has a hump on the hood which makes the otherwise short hood appear vast and it's difficult to see exactly where the corners of the truck are. But when I drove the H1, I "felt" that I could see the road a lot better and the corners of the rig were obvious. Although it is 5"s wider, it seemed easier to drive than the H2 because of the seating position and commanding view of the road.

Was I dreaming or ??? Can someone who has both a H1 and H2 comment? Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[kacyk]

Steve,

Great synopsis! Thank you! Kacy

[Denny Crane]

I too am contemplating an H1 and would like other's thoughts on the difference in the latest 2004 and the Alpha, or which model is most desirable with an emphasis on comfort and driving fun in Dallas traffic. I'm only considering a Soft Top and would purchase the 1st H2 Open Top if ever there is one.

The only thing that bothers me about the O.T. is lack of interior space, no place to haul multiple shotguns & related equip. to sporting events. Does anyone have similiar complaints that has owned an H1 O.T. ?

We have an 03 Lux Adv. w/ supercharger and related engine mods and am really impressed with it's functionality and manueverability both around town and mildly 4-wheelin to the Cabin.

The H1 will be my primary driver and i'm certain the few things I hate will die in time and it will eventually grow on me. I've driven the Alpha and a 04 and really like the improvements but hate the interior colors, hate may be a little easy. I prefer the Pewter/Tan and will likely attempt to change the interior to Tan, feasibly possible or not. The best looking rig in my opinion has always been the Desert Platinum/Tan w/Tan Soft Top.

My biggest concern on the H1 is resale, as the 04's are almost half off original sticker. Will the 06 continue on this path? I think that depends solely on the evolution of the H2. Seriously, even GM has reduced the production to 300 ? units / yr. I think it's only time before it's history, and yet another fear. What would you do with, GULP a $125.02K ???

My .02
Denny

[ARH1956]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by kacyk:
Can someone give me some perspective on my previous question about visibility? The H2 has a hump on the hood which makes the otherwise short hood appear vast and it's difficult to see exactly where the corners of the truck are. But when I drove the H1, I "felt" that I could see the road a lot better and the corners of the rig were obvious. Although it is 5"s wider, it seemed easier to drive than the H2 because of the seating position and commanding view of the road.

Was I dreaming or ??? Can someone who has both a H1 and H2 comment? Thanks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I don't presently have both, but did have. After buying my H2 I kept my H1 for about 6 months before selling it. So I did own them both for that period. I'm about 6'2" & with the seats adjusted as I like them there is little difference in overall visibility when driving the H1, or H2. Both have some "sight challenged" areas for certain. If pushed for differences I found it a little tougher to judge the exact position of my H2's corners while off roading, but found no discernible disadvantage on the roadway. If only the H1 had more interior room I'd still have one of each. And before anyone jumps in concerning interior space, I'm fully aware that the H1's lesser space is necessitated due to its superior drivetrain arrangement. So the "space issue" is a personal need of mine, in no way meant to imply an inferior design to the H2's layout. On another note, I applaud Hummers decision to use the ALPHA-1 moniker for the 06 model, with the new Duramax/Allison combo it is further separated from the rest & is indeed the "Alpha Male" of SUV's.