I put thousands of rough miles on Marine HMMWVs in the early 90s in Camp Pendleton, 29 Palms, and the deserts in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. I own an H2 now. I had the luxury of driving the old "H1s" very hard without worring that I would have to pay for anything I broke. I was not able to break anything (except for a large military radio mount inside). I think the H1s are cool. Maybe the civilian ones are different, but they were also extremely high-maintenance. While I never damaged the H1s in the desert/mountains, and we drove them through chest-deep water (to clean them off before coming back), we had to regularly replace/fix various engine parts. Maybe the civilian ones are more reliable. I assume the Alpha is a significant perfomance improvement over previous years from what I've read. From my experience, the primary things H1 can do that the H2 can't are: (1) deep water and mud fording; and (2) driving the mid section over a 16" obstacle without putting your wheels on it or on some other high ground. The first one might be an advantage if you plan on doing that sort of thing or you expect a Katrina-style flood where you are. In my experience, the second once rarely comes up because, when off-roading, you generally put your tires on the high ground. Perhaps the H1s suspension is a little less prone to breaking under extreme forces, but I don't know for sure. If you want the "real deal" in terms of exclusivity, the H1 is probably for you, because very few are made. If you want extreme performance in a large vehicle that is also very exclusive by most peoples' standards, and don't plan on driving through a lake, you can spend about $60K, which includes a discounted 2006 Adventure Series, a 6" lift, front lockers, and some 38" tires. Check out some of the videos of what PhilD has done with that type of setup -- especially Tim's Rock, which hear has never been climbed successfully by an H1. Also, check out these videos:
http://www.hummer.com/popups/h1/h1_ditch.html
http://www.hummer.com/popups/h2/h2_ditch.html
The H2, IMO, actually does it better. Both vehicles have their advantages. The H2 is about $80K cheaper.
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Originally posted by raptor2ride:
Im very interested in moving up to the real deal.
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