HOW TO GET ONE IN YOUR GARAGE*

An expert’s view NEIL MCDONALD, FOUNDER, PARTS USA

“We’re all ex-bauer Millett here [the UK’S first official Hummer supplier, based in Manchester]. When the business closed at the end of 2014, I set up Parts USA near Stockport. They were great days at BM. We sold loads of Hummers to footballers and celebrities. It was an easy sell. They’d order the car. Then they’d buy £6000 of accessories for it. They had to have a better one than their mates. We supercharged a few: an extra 120bhp and 120lb ft was possible. The H2 and H3 still do it for me. You buy a Hummer for the looks and its sheer presence.”

Buyer beware… ENGINE

H2’s 6.0 V8 is tough and simple. Around one in 10 UK cars was supercharged and the engine could stand it but sometimes the auto gearbox couldn’t. Some early H3 3.5s had cylinder head issues. Valve seats could burn out. The only proper fix is a new cylinder head with hardened valve seats. Oil changes every 10k miles/12 months, platinum plugs every 100k.

TRANSMISSION

Early H2s’ four-speed auto couldn’t handle the car’s mass. The later sixspeed auto is much better. Some cars had the Adventure Pack (diff lock, high and low range). Check it all works.

RECALLS

Don’t ignore the current GM recall concerning potential heater motor fires affecting Hummers built from 2005 onwards. Some notices may not have reached current owners.

ELECTRICS

Check the lights work. Some sloppy importers may have fouled them up getting the car through its SVA test.

BODY

You might see surface corrosion of the underside, but it’s tough steel down there and shouldn’t go structural.

INTERIOR

Although they look plasticky and a bit fragile, the switches and buttons tend not to pack up.

PAPERWORK

Left-hand-drive Hummers needed SVA at import but officially imported righthand-drive H3s from 2007 were typeapproved for Europe. Check all the DVLA and SVA paperwork is present.

Also worth knowing

Tyres can be tricky to source. Parts USA gets them from a Europe-based supplier but, when that runs out, it has to go direct to the US, which adds cost and time. Replacement shouldn’t be too often: H2 tyres can do 50k miles.

How much to spend £10,000-£13,495

Mix of cars, including a 40k-mile 03reg H2 6.0 for £10,600, a 107k-mile 06-reg H3 3.7 for £11,999 and a 46k-mile 06-reg H3 3.5 for £13,495.

£13,500-£15,495

More of the same, such as an early 82k-mile 05-reg H3 3.5 for £14,986.

£15,500- £19,995

Later H3s, including a 36k-mile 07-reg 3.7 for £15,995, but also earlier H2s, such as a 49k-mile 04-reg for £16,995 and a 55k-mile 04-reg for £17,995.

MORE THAN £20,000

A 71k-mile 05-reg H2 for £20,995, a 29k-mile 08-reg H3 for £22,995 and a 33k-mile 08-reg H2 for £26,000.

One we found HUMMER H2 (LPG), 2004/54, 55K MILES, £17,995

Its £3000 LPG conversion promises much reduced running costs. Recent £1500 service included new plugs, and discs and pads. It comes with heated seats, leather, air-con, cruise, reversing camera and sat-nav. Dvla-recorded.