Salutations - suggestions sought

[glowrider]

Greetings. New to the board, just found it this morning in fact. I previously owned a GMC Yukon Denali and I hated how it drove, though I loved the comfortable ride. I now have an '06 BMW M5 but need something for the winter. I'm tossed up between the H3 and the Wrangler, but I'm 90% sure I'll go for a Yellow H3 (bare bones package, just want it for bad weather and getting to some more remote spots [I'm a photographer]).

Anyway, I am searching for some opinions (I'm currently in Ecuador on assignment, will be back next week and scheduled for a test drive, but I'm too damn excited to not ask some silly newbish questions that will probably be replied with 'go test drive one' so please keep that in mind).

1) Is the H3 tighter than the Denali? My Yukon was a pig in slush. But on the same note, does it ride as smoothly, or more harsh? Mostly going to be on the streets in NYC and out to Jersey or LI sometimes. Frequently to upstate NY though.

2) I HATE Potamkin in Manhattan. I feel dirty when I walk in there. Anyone have a great Hummer dealer in the tri-state area? I don't mind using Potamkin for service as it is 20 blocks from home, but I don't want to lease from them.

3) Is there any point in trying to negotiate beyond what a GMID would get me on a lease? I'm looking for an '06 or '07 in Yellow with black and a manual tranny, hope they're easy to find.

Thank you guys for understanding that I'm just too excited at this point and in no position to actually go call or visit a dealer (although it would be great to have one here at 12,000 feet in the Andes)...

David

[glowrider]

No one has even an inkling of a comment?

[wordstew]

Ok I will attempt to answer a few of your questions. I Have driven the two afforementioned vehicles in your post only once or twice. In my opinion the H3 gives a much tighter ride then both of those, floats less. Not as much engine power as the two but certainly sufficient. The H3 beats them hands down for parking in tight spots, turning radius is incredible. When you go for a test drive I would strongly suggest pulling to the side of the road cranking the steering wheel to the max and pulling a U turn. In-fuc#$ing-credible was my reaction. Oh yeah, you also gotta bring a CD of your favorite music pop it in and krank the Monsoon stereo it will make you feel 16 all over again.

In my opinion GMID is the way to go. No haggle no hassle. Just negotiate all the with the dealer for add ons like side steps ect. ect. ect.... or add them aftermarket. Half the fun of owning the H3 is personal customizing.

Good luck

[deserth3]

Haven't driven the danali or the jeep. But here are a few thoughts.

My H3 turns tighter than my daughters Scion XB. It also turns tighter than the s-10 Blasers I've owned. Also has less road noise and better ride.
It's quieter and gives a better ride than the Cadillac CTX.
If you plan on doing any offraoding add the adventure package. Gives you a locking rear differencial in 4 lo.
Monsoon sound system beats the tar out of the stock.
Good Luck and post some pictures.

[K9sH3]

Originally Posted by wordstew

Ok I will attempt to answer a few of your questions. I Have driven the two afforementioned vehicles in your post only once or twice. In my opinion the H3 gives a much tighter ride then both of those, floats less. Not as much engine power as the two but certainly sufficient. The H3 beats them hands down for parking in tight spots, turning radius is incredible. When you go for a test drive I would strongly suggest pulling to the side of the road cranking the steering wheel to the max and pulling a U turn. In-fuc#$ing-credible was my reaction. Oh yeah, you also gotta bring a CD of your favorite music pop it in and krank the Monsoon stereo it will make you feel 16 all over again.

In my opinion GMID is the way to go. No haggle no hassle. Just negotiate all the with the dealer for add ons like side steps ect. ect. ect.... or add them aftermarket. Half the fun of owning the H3 is personal customizing.

Good luck

[f5fstop]

I can answer from a photographer's point of view.
I took a few trips in Wranglers with four cameras (F5, F100, D70, D200), along with seven lenses (four pro and very large), tripod, flashes, monopod, and various other misc camera equipment (basically three bags), along with two duffle bags, a cooler, tools, etc., and the Wranglers were bulging the roof, and basically, there is no security in a cloth covered Wranger, even with the small locable truck they offer. (Most of the equipment would not fit into the trunk.)
Now, with the H3 this year, I not only took almost the same amount of photo equipment, but my kid and all his photo equipment. The backseat was filled, could not have taken another person unless I purchased a covered luggage carrier. We had some security with the doors locking and a steel roof, and the ride across country sure was more enjoyable.
The Hummer went everywhere the Wranglers went, so as for off-roading, all I can say is they were both good.

As for riding, the H3 is more enjoyable to ride on the nasty, pot-holed roads of MI, and is generally a comfortable vehicle (for me) to drive. However, hard to beat an open top Jeep in the summer.

[PARAGON]

move on and find something else to drive. It's not for you.

If you hated how a Denali "drove" but loved the comfortable ride, you don't know enough about what you want out of a vehicle for anyone here to help you out.

A Denali is not an offroad vehicle, the H3 is. Two completely different vehicles and trying to draw some comparision between the two is asinine. Besides, about the only reason one wouldn't like a Denali is if they owned one prior to 2001.

[glowrider]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

I can answer from a photographer's point of view.
I took a few trips in Wranglers with four cameras (F5, F100, D70, D200), along with seven lenses (four pro and very large), tripod, flashes, monopod, and various other misc camera equipment (basically three bags), along with two duffle bags, a cooler, tools, etc., and the Wranglers were bulging the roof, and basically, there is no security in a cloth covered Wranger, even with the small locable truck they offer. (Most of the equipment would not fit into the trunk.)
Now, with the H3 this year, I not only took almost the same amount of photo equipment, but my kid and all his photo equipment. The backseat was filled, could not have taken another person unless I purchased a covered luggage carrier. We had some security with the doors locking and a steel roof, and the ride across country sure was more enjoyable.
The Hummer went everywhere the Wranglers went, so as for off-roading, all I can say is they were both good.

As for riding, the H3 is more enjoyable to ride on the nasty, pot-holed roads of MI, and is generally a comfortable vehicle (for me) to drive. However, hard to beat an open top Jeep in the summer.

Thank you, this is very helpful (as well as most of the other responses) and something I had considered as well. Tossing in a load of c-stands and some packs would definitely be a lot easier with the H3 for sure. Personally, I shoot medium format digital and can get all my kit into the back of my M5, but c-stands and packs are another story. Drop the rear seats in the H3 and I'll never need to take the grip gear out, methinks.

[H3 Hummer]

Originally Posted by glowrider

Greetings. New to the board, just found it this morning in fact. I previously owned a GMC Yukon Denali and I hated how it drove, though I loved the comfortable ride. I now have an '06 BMW M5 but need something for the winter. I'm tossed up between the H3 and the Wrangler, but I'm 90% sure I'll go for a Yellow H3 (bare bones package, just want it for bad weather and getting to some more remote spots [I'm a photographer]).

Anyway, I am searching for some opinions (I'm currently in Ecuador on assignment, will be back next week and scheduled for a test drive, but I'm too damn excited to not ask some silly newbish questions that will probably be replied with 'go test drive one' so please keep that in mind).

1) Is the H3 tighter than the Denali? My Yukon was a pig in slush. But on the same note, does it ride as smoothly, or more harsh? Mostly going to be on the streets in NYC and out to Jersey or LI sometimes. Frequently to upstate NY though.

2) I HATE Potamkin in Manhattan. I feel dirty when I walk in there. Anyone have a great Hummer dealer in the tri-state area? I don't mind using Potamkin for service as it is 20 blocks from home, but I don't want to lease from them.

3) Is there any point in trying to negotiate beyond what a GMID would get me on a lease? I'm looking for an '06 or '07 in Yellow with black and a manual tranny, hope they're easy to find.

Thank you guys for understanding that I'm just too excited at this point and in no position to actually go call or visit a dealer (although it would be great to have one here at 12,000 feet in the Andes)...

David

I would not recommend the bare bones package. It is just fine but for the extra money it is a lot better investment. Arguably the tires alone are worth the extra dinero.

[NEOCON1]

i like an Escalade with 26 inch wheels and a whole lot of bling

[H3PAC]

Originally Posted by NEOCON1

i like an Escalade with 26 inch wheels and a whole lot of bling

LOL

[NEOCON1]

Originally Posted by H3PAC

LOL Attachment 33712

freakin blingtastic

[Huck BB62]

As you can see here, we own both, an '05 Denali, and an '06 H3 Adventure, so I for one have my money where my mouth is. The Denali most definitely outperforms the H3 on the road in every single way, except ONE, and that's cornering. It's far FAR faster, far FAR more comfortable, it's far more stable on the slabwork, it's steering is a lot lighter (almost too light for my taste) It has a really decent turning radius (Don't get me wrong here, the H3 has a really GOOD turning radius, it's just that the Denali's not bad, especially compared to any other full size SUV) The H3's cargo capacity is just about half what the Denali's is. Those friggin' non-flat rear seats do drive me bonkers when I'm trying to carry something back there, at times I've wished I would just take 'em out.

Our Denali gets exactly the same mileage as our H3. The H3 really needs the 6.0, because it's so heavy that when you're in traffic, or driving in the mountains, you've got your foot mashed to the floorboards a lot and the Denali isn't even trying.

I drive straight up and straight down the mountain every day. There's not a straight flat section of road the whole 45 mile commute.

Which one do I prefer commuting in? The H3. I shag the krap out of the sucker. To give you an idea of how bad, the stock tires are gone at 20k. The H3 behaves pretty well... to a point. You can definitely feel the ass end hunting around when you cook a corner too hot, but it does pretty well. I went from the Mini S, an amazing street legal go-cart, to the H3, so I'm pretty familiar with what great handling is. The H3 takes me another eight minutes or so to drive to work. My Sierra 4x4 HD extra cab handles as well as the H3 (believe it or not, the cornering speeds are the same). I've drifted our H3, it does NOT like it. The best thing is to never ever EVER hit the brakes when the H3's out of shape, stay moderately in the go pedal and ride it out, you hit the brakes and it gets more out of shape fast. The heavy rear end wants to move around, and it's not in the direction you're likely to want to go!

The Denali IS mushier than both of those. It's also insanely better on a long trip. I can hurry the Denali on the curves, but it's not happy about it. It takes about the same amount of time in the commute, because it's motor is so much stronger. Going back up the mountain, the Denali is much MUCH more easy and fun to drive because the engine's not screamin at over 4k rpm and the tranny's not hunting every single corner (when I'm hurrying the H3, I just leave it in D3, and quite frequently it shifts down to 2)

This summer, I trailered the H3 up to Oregon on our car hauler when we bought our river house and drove our truck back home alone to work leaving my wife to enjoy the new digs, flew back up, and then a couple of weeks we loaded up the H3 to drive back home. We had that thing PACKED. The roof racks were full, the back was packed to the brim. Let me tell you, I've never ever missed our Denali so badly. Our dogs were miserable.

Commuting, offroading, it's the H3 hands down.

Again, on long trips, it's the Denali. By the way, the Denali is an EXCELLENT snow vehicle. The traction control works wonderfully. The Denali is a wonderful machine, mushy handling and all.

What else would one expect?

[glowrider]

Originally Posted by Huck BB62

As you can see here, we own both, an '05 Denali, and an '06 H3 Adventure, so I for one have my money where my mouth is. The Denali most definitely outperforms the H3 on the road in every single way, except ONE, and that's cornering. It's far FAR faster, far FAR more comfortable, it's far more stable on the slabwork, it's steering is a lot lighter (almost too light for my taste) It has a really decent turning radius (Don't get me wrong here, the H3 has a really GOOD turning radius, it's just that the Denali's not bad, especially compared to any other full size SUV) The H3's cargo capacity is just about half what the Denali's is. Those friggin' non-flat rear seats do drive me bonkers when I'm trying to carry something back there, at times I've wished I would just take 'em out.

Our Denali gets exactly the same mileage as our H3. The H3 really needs the 6.0, because it's so heavy that when you're in traffic, or driving in the mountains, you've got your foot mashed to the floorboards a lot and the Denali isn't even trying.

I drive straight up and straight down the mountain every day. There's not a straight flat section of road the whole 45 mile commute.

Which one do I prefer commuting in? The H3. I shag the krap out of the sucker. To give you an idea of how bad, the stock tires are gone at 20k. The H3 behaves pretty well... to a point. You can definitely feel the ass end hunting around when you cook a corner too hot, but it does pretty well. I went from the Mini S, an amazing street legal go-cart, to the H3, so I'm pretty familiar with what great handling is. The H3 takes me another eight minutes or so to drive to work. My Sierra 4x4 HD extra cab handles as well as the H3 (believe it or not, the cornering speeds are the same). I've drifted our H3, it does NOT like it. The best thing is to never ever EVER hit the brakes when the H3's out of shape, stay moderately in the go pedal and ride it out, you hit the brakes and it gets more out of shape fast. The heavy rear end wants to move around, and it's not in the direction you're likely to want to go!

The Denali IS mushier than both of those. It's also insanely better on a long trip. I can hurry the Denali on the curves, but it's not happy about it. It takes about the same amount of time in the commute, because it's motor is so much stronger. Going back up the mountain, the Denali is much MUCH more easy and fun to drive because the engine's not screamin at over 4k rpm and the tranny's not hunting every single corner (when I'm hurrying the H3, I just leave it in D3, and quite frequently it shifts down to 2)

This summer, I trailered the H3 up to Oregon on our car hauler when we bought our river house and drove our truck back home alone to work leaving my wife to enjoy the new digs, flew back up, and then a couple of weeks we loaded up the H3 to drive back home. We had that thing PACKED. The roof racks were full, the back was packed to the brim. Let me tell you, I've never ever missed our Denali so badly. Our dogs were miserable.

Commuting, offroading, it's the H3 hands down.

Again, on long trips, it's the Denali. By the way, the Denali is an EXCELLENT snow vehicle. The traction control works wonderfully. The Denali is a wonderful machine, mushy handling and all.

What else would one expect?

Thank you for this post. One of the few that actually have any relevance. I don't plan on taking long road trips or doing much offroading, I just want a smaller (than full size), cheap SUV that can handle the snow/rain, maybe haul a few c-stands and camera gear, and in general help me to avoid driving my M5 in anything but decent weather, all while looking fairly swish doing it. The Denali never did me wrong in the snow, but the steering was absolute ****e. Took half a wheel turn to change lanes, 3 turns to make a 90 degree turn, etc. The Envoy Denali had much tighter steering, but that thing has bad memories for me. If the H3 has any semblance of decent steering and it absorbs the road well when I test drive it, I do believe I'll get one.

[NEOCON1]

hey Huck , lookin like christmas at your place

[NEOCON1]

This Matthews double riser C-Stand (Century Stand) comes complete with folding legs attached to 40" tall Column, two 40" risers, Hollywood Grip Head and a 40" Hollywood Arm.

[glowrider]

As long as someone does

[PARAGON]

The Buckeyes suck.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Originally Posted by Huck BB62

As you can see here, we own both, an '05 Denali, and an '06 H3 Adventure, so I for one have my money where my mouth is. The Denali most definitely outperforms the H3 on the road in every single way, except ONE, and that's cornering. It's far FAR faster, far FAR more comfortable, it's far more stable on the slabwork, it's steering is a lot lighter (almost too light for my taste) It has a really decent turning radius (Don't get me wrong here, the H3 has a really GOOD turning radius, it's just that the Denali's not bad, especially compared to any other full size SUV) The H3's cargo capacity is just about half what the Denali's is. Those friggin' non-flat rear seats do drive me bonkers when I'm trying to carry something back there, at times I've wished I would just take 'em out.

...

Excellent reply and good info

[westhillsat]

H3's are fun