Hummer H3 SE: Spotted
Considering a small SUV? Why? When for the same £17k you could shock and awe loved ones with a hulking great Hummer
When I say hulking great Hummer, the H3 was the smallest GM Hummer offering; but it's still a rather large and based on a pick-up truck chassis. It's also very thirsty because it was only offered with petrol power, and the styling is a bit brash. However, unlike something like a Seat Arona, it does come with permanent four-wheel drive and excellent approach and departure angles, so there's some genuine off-road ability here.
And, if you think about it, it's one of the few American off-roaders you can get over here with Tonka Toy looks and doors for the rear passengers. Unless you consider the Jeep Wrangler JK, which isn't as refined as the Hummer, and you have to put up with a noisy 2.8-litre diesel engine and a bonnet that rattles at motorway cruising speed. So, in some ways, the Hummer H3 makes a good case for itself.
It is even very well equipped with air con, cruise control, a compass and an auto-dipping rear view mirror as standard. This one even has leather seats to smarten things up on the inside. Some top-spec models could be had with a reversing camera (useful when the spare wheel and thick roof pillars hinder your rear visibility) that would slide out of the rear-view mirror when you select reverse.
Okay, so it's not all a bed of roses. You'll find that the interior is oddly pokey and the rear door is hinged on the left and requires plenty of space behind the car in order to open it. And the looks - especially with that chrome grill - will not be to everyone's liking (to put it lightly). It's also hardly at the dynamic standard of anything you could buy today. Or indeed anything you could buy in 2006, either.
Spare parts aren't quite as easy to source as they would be for a more mainstream manufacturer; Hummer was discontinued in May 2010 so there are no physical dealerships around. However, there are online suppliers who either stock or can order genuine parts and can get them out to you within a couple of days. Odd plastic trim pieces might be more difficult to find, but, on the whole, running a Hummer shouldn't be a complete nightmare. Assuming you live on the side of a motorway and don't want to ever visit a town centre.
Of course, it is undeniably a very Marmite sort of car: it comes down to whether you like it or whether you loathe it - and we like to think that PH is a broad enough church for at least one or two of you to linger at the lighter end of the scale. You'll stand out, no question about it. And the Hummer is not without wanton left field, 'screw-you' charm, something which cannot be said for every SUV rolling off the current conveyor belt.
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SPECIFICATION - 2006 HUMMER H3 SE
Engine: 2479cc, five-cylinder, N/A
Transmission: four-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (bhp): 220hp
Torque (lb ft): 243lb ft
MPG: 19.5 mpg
CO2: 346
First registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 30,000miles
Price new: £28,500
Yours for: £17,500
But a crap engine (it's 3.5 or 3.7 BTW) in a car over 2 tonnes just doesn't cut it, if it were the V8 then it might be interesting enough to live with the crippling fuel economy and £555 a year tax. As it is with barely 100 per ton, its a definitely no from me.
If you want to be individual you can do it without buying this heap if s
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