Hummer H3 !!!! really off topic

[gilghana1]

I am currently on a extended leave as I was kindly given some extra time from my boss - "take as long as you want!" as things were getting a bit mental for my GF and I in Ghana... Anyway, I digress.

So, after 2 weeks in Andalucia doing a lot of exploring tracks in the beautiful Sierra Tejeda National Park in a Suzuki Jimny (which was great by the way - a real contrast to a heavy HZJ78) we decided to grab a fairly cheap flight to Namibia where I have always really fancied going. After a couple of days of 'net and calls it looked like a new 76 L/C station wagon or 105 series was the go. Sadly today I heard that the only larger sized 4x4 I can get is a Hummer H3
Now, this is not really my thing and I quite regularly ridicule a guy I know in Ghana with a H2, but to be honest I am quite excited about trying one. Anyway the girl I spoke to about it said it is damn comfy and actually pretty good off road. We will see! With traction control and rear locking diff I believe it to be quite a capable vehicle. Oh and with rear leaf springs it's primitive just like my troopy (well, sort off!). Two weeks traveling and mostly camping.

So, has anyone driven one?
Gil

[uk_vette]

Not me Gil,
But I can't wait for the report !

They do look big though.

Are you getting petrol or diesel?

[RogerM]

My one and only experience of a Hummer was towing it off a beach ramp where it had become embedded (to use a US Forces term) with the beach. To add insult to injury I was driving a 1958 short wheel base Landrover with a little 2.25 diesel engine which was just enough to get the Hummer moving and keep it moving. The bloody thing (Hummer) was so heavy that the wooden slats across the top of dunes started to crack under its weight, when it was on the dirt road we watched it literally sink into the ground.

I might add that the Hummer is not the only over priced piece of 4x4 crap that the little Landy pulled off that ramp - Landcruisers, Hi Luxes, Patrol come to mind.

The funny thing is that one of my son's mates in a <1975 VW Kombi (4x2) drove past us on one occasion much to the amusement of the crowd that would gather at these bogged vehicle festivals on Sunday afternoons.

[ChrisC]

Gil

not sure about the Hummer at all - I would rather try a Hilux or other similiar ligt/med 4x4 than one of those things

Just my opinion!

Have fun - where are you proposing to get to in Namibia - know it fairly well and it awesome especially the North of the country

[Graham Smith]

Hi Gil

You will love Namibia. It is lovely as you can really get away into genuine wilderness, a real rarity these days.

As for the car, a Hummer is wider than an 80 series - lots of the bush tracks are about an inch narrower than the cruiser, so it will get lots of scratches and may struggle to fit in some areas. It may also prove to be a real pain when you meet an oncoming vehicle in a single narrow sand track.

I saw lots of Nissan, Mitsibushi, Isuzu and Toyota 4x4 twin cabs all over the place in Namibia. If you are planning to get off the beaten track, I would recommend these ahead of the Hummer, and they are probably cheaper too...

PM me if you would like ideas and or track info..
Cheers
Graham

[tony johnston]

You see lots of them on the road in the UAE where off roading in sand is a passtime.BUT you don't see many in the sand even being driven by expert locals because they are to heavy.

If u r thinking of offroading ie;in the dunes rather than on tracks then get something else

[jljones]

Originally Posted by RogerM

I might add that the Hummer is not the only over priced piece of 4x4 crap that the little Landy pulled off that ramp - Landcruisers, Hi Luxes, Patrol come to mind.

Easy! My 80 series TLC was pulled out from an 'embedded situation' once by a similar vintage Landie. But every day for the next week I pulled him out. On the last occasion he rolled - trashing the cabin and lucky to survive unhurt.

We all make our choices but I wouldn't go with a Hummer -

[38thfoot]

Only experiance is with american military ones in the balkans where the turning circle was so huge they had to do 3 point turns to get round some of the bends.

cool noise though.

38

[stevesawol]

I've no personal experience of the H3, thought it's a whole lot money for something sitting on a Isuzu/ Gm Colorado chassis.
I drove the military H1 for vehicle trials with the NZ Army to replace the aging Rovers and in two weeks we broke 6 axles and 3 wing mirrors... the wheel base is so wide they hung off the track half the time getting an absolute hiding. ( these were Merc Unimog wheel tracks!) And the wing mirrors...well let's just say they are very wide.... . They'll break like anything else.

The H1 can climb for sure, but give me a Nissan or Toyota any time! ( the NZ Army brought Pinzgauers in the end... amazing! The H3 has a few electronic gadgets but it's a shopping mall wagon!