what other vehicles did you look at buying before..

[Jamo]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by GrimReaper:
I've been looking at SUV's for a year. I wanted something with a tuff truck chassis, 4wd, decent styling, and a manual transmission. This is the first vehicle I've seen in a year of casual looking that meets all of those requirements. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Much the same here, except I don't want or need a manual. The 2005 redesign is the first generation of Pathfinder I've ever liked. It's body-on-frame with a boxed truck chassis, has 4LO, 4HI, great styling (IMO) and more power than the H3 - all for about the same price or less after incentives and rebates. It doesn't have a solid axle, but you can't have everything.

If Hummer would let me have a H3 serviced at my local GMC dealer, I'd give them my ~$35K+ (and would even drive 800 miles to Dallas to buy one if I had to). Unfortunately, they want the customer to bend to meet their wishes. I must be old school, because I have this crazy mindset that the dealer is in business to serve the customer and make their life easier.

I don't need a H3 to impress my friends or satisfy some middle-age crisis. I need it for hauling my family around and purely utilitarian reasons, some of those just happen to involve very inclement weather and/or harsh driving conditions. I DO feel the H3 is the best-suited vehicle (in the price range) to meet my criteria, but in lieu of getting a H3, I think the Pathfinder is also in the top ranks of "capable" SUVs and deserves a non-biased look.

Owning a H3 would be sweet, no doubt, and maybe something will change or Hummer will have a revelation regarding service in the near future. Until then, I'm going to start researching more on the Pathfinder (while keeping my hopes up about the H3). It's also American-made (built in Smyrna, TN - a little over 100 miles from my house) and has gotten glowing reviews in the auto magazines. At least I'll only have to take it 12 miles to have it serviced.

Thanks for the input!

J