My Love/Hate Relationship with the H1

[Aubs]

Ok, I have finally started to actually go off-road for real, like on trails where I have to climb rocks which activate the traction system, or require the rear diff, or have deep mud in the middle of nowhere. I have found (at least here in CO) one common denominator for most trails, be them easy or difficult: narrowness. My H2 is scratched to pieces, mostly from a trip down a road that was probably meant for ATV's, where aspens were so tight my mirrors had to fold in or die. The H3 did much better, fitting through everything, and climbing over anything.

So what does this have to do with an H1? Well, there was a time when they were in production. Now, they're not. So there's now going to be a limited supply. Anyway, if I ever had one, I would probably never take it off-road. I mean, it's a collectors item now, how could I damage it? And from what I have experienced, it would be just too darn wide. Tight spots would equal scratches, and forget about passing.

Now I'm sure the H1 has it's place. Moab, for example, where width might be less of a concern, though I don't know since I've never been there... Or the desert, with soft sand, the CTIS is great, and the wide track should keep it afloat. And 16" ground clearance is hard to complain about. But for my intents and purposes (and those in probably most places), the H1 seems oversized. Even my H2 seems too big sometimes, and it's got ugly, deep scratches to prove it.

I bet you'll all call me a sissy for not wanting scratches on my Hummer. But I like to have it look like a million bucks when clean, and on blue my scratches really show up. It takes a lot of wax to make them hide between washings.

However sad I feel that the H1 is now nostalgia, I can understand why it's gone. I also feel that I don't think I would ever want to use one for going off-road. I'd probably just drive it around town! And that defeats it's entire purpose. I would be the jerk who bought it just because it was rare and cool. The thing would probably drive away to trails on it's own at night. I'd be like so many Defender owners I see around here.

I guess my point is that I love to love the H1, and I hate to dislike it. But it polarizes my thoughts about it everytime I go out and imagine what it would be like to have one. So there's my new mindless fodder for this forum.