Have not been around much for the past couple of months due to being quite busy with work and my car finding hobby which truly takes up most of my spare time when I'm working on it. I am quite dedicated, what can I say.
Anyhow, I do not plan to leave my forum buddies high and dry.
Jesda convinced me recently that it was time for the Range Rover to go due to increasing mileage, and in addition to this, niggling issues with the Gator began to get overwhelming. After owning all of the mainstream luxury 'utes except for the G500 I can make a semi-qualified analysis that the Navigator had the most issues of all of them. In addition, with fuel economy the way it is I needed to have at least one fun car in the stable, but definitely wanted to replace one or the other with a big-old American-iron SUV (I've pretty much discovered that my loyalties are split 50/50 between German cars and SUVs on the American side), fuel efficiency not being an issue because my mom who will primarily drive the SUV, works all of a mile and a half away, and doesnt really go anywhere else except for the occasional Barnes and Noble run a little up north of here.
So after *ALOT* of HARD searching, negotiating for my trades and pounding the pavement I found two more cars that were on my list to cross off... a 2002 BMW M3 (in this case a Convertible SMG car, but I didnt really want a convertible, didnt matter much either way), and one of the craziest things I've EVER come within 10 feet of, a 2003 Hummer H2. For a while there a 2005 STS4 V8 1SG had been the next prime candidate, but the blokes in the STS forum convinced me to pass after coming across some unknowns (it already stunk like coolant, the temp gauge was not rock steady and the main problem was a groaning noise at around 2k RPM...
Northstar, we're through I thought to myself) with the steal of a car I was looking at. Next in line after the STS would have been another Escalade, either an ESV, or my favorite, an EXT. Honestly? For nothing else, the Cadillac truck leather smell... it is intoxicating.
Well, as it turns out, the H2 had the best book value and the one I found had an INSANE price, so it was easy to roll over the GDP worth of negative equity I had from the Depreci-gator. Seriously, Lincolns depreciate faster than Camryn Manheim's (no pun intended) rate of descent after a suicide jump off the Petronas towers. The M3s value proposition was even better, but I didnt have much to unbury from the Range Rover... people scoop those up like hotcakes and they retain their value. To an extent, I regret getting rid of that truck, but there is not room in my stable for two gas hogging piles of metal, especially when one drinks enough for two, and that's where we'll begin...
The H2 was rushed to market in 2003 within only 18 short months of GM's acquisition of the HUMMER brand from AM General Corp. A not-so-well known fact by the way is that despite the H2s direct descendance from the T800 Tahoe Platform, it was actually built by contract at AM General's Mishawaka, IN plant. It's place in the market was ill-defined at it's launch, yet not even midway through its first year of production, GM had already managed to offload over 19,000 of these bricks to the general public. It was well on target to make it's initial 40-50k per year sales goal, and sales remain consistent to this day, even given the current fluctuations in the economy and the soaring price of fuel.
Unfortunately, many reports that I have read, and even the occasional blog or forum post by GM Employees agrees with the fact that the extremely fast turnaround time resulted in ALOT of problems with the 2003 model. Indeed one poster who I read at Carsurvey.org mentioned that his RF and LF coilover springs had been incorrectly installed on the WRONG sides. On my particular truck, the first indication of this was an incorrectly functioning seat adjustment switch. It seems to work just fine, however pushing the switch forward makes the seat go BACKWARD and pushing it backward makes the seat go FORWARD! Not a big deal, but quite an embarrasment for a sub-50k vehicle. The switch does not appear to have ever been taken apart, so I suspect this truck came this way from the factory.
My Alpine White (Glacier White, Stone White for Chrysler fans, whatever it's white) H2 was produced in August of 2002, so I'm going to have to learn to forgive it for some of these failings that I'm inevitably going to come across. I can only cross my fingers that similar mistakes were not made with driveline components
It drove out wonderfully and was a great highway companion on the way back from Lake City in northern Florida where I picked it up, so we'll see how things go from a long term standpoint and the mechanical perspective.
What I CAN comment on after my short day's jaunt with this truck is that it is unequivocally, without question, completely and utterly POINTLESS to own one of these. You are probably keenly aware that if you don't want to be, or are uncomfortable with being noticed, this is not the vehicle you buy. It is bar-none about the most ostentatious vehicle you can plop a houseboy's salary on this side of a Bentley Continental GT. It exudes excess and an aire of disconcern for all things of middle eastern origin that arrive here in liquid form. There is NO REAL cargo space despite it's GINORMOUS proportions, it's supposedly supreme offroad capability is hampered by it's sheer mass and girth, it's NOISY as a construction site on the highway with wind making a massive amount of noise when hitting the front windshield, and the most curious aspect of all is that due to it's lack of clear market placement, it is not particularly luxurious. The H2 manages to get away with some SURPRISING omissions for a nearly 50k MSRP vehicle. For the 2003 model year there was NO XM option (yet the Cavalier had it), there have to this day been NO Xenon headlight options, there was NO Navigation system for 2003, and interior materials left alot to be desired.
However what IS available works well, the (optional) 6CD in dash changer with BOSE audio is more than up to the task of sonic pleasure within the confines of the H2s cabin. The Climate Controls will freeze you out of the car and the rear passengers have their own, as well as their own dedicated heated seats and controls for their own radio settings that can be heard via headphone jacks. The seats are comfortable and supportive for long trips, though they don't extend up far enough for shorter people like my mom, who is just barely able to see over the dashboard in the fully extended position. This truck also had a myriad of options, including the self leveling air suspension, the rear cargo compartment air compressor, and several dealer installed accessories.
As far as fuel economy is concerned, forget it, there is no defending this vehicle. Everything you have heard, to an extent, is absolutely true. On a 175 mile trip back from northern FL, the best MPG reading I was able to get due to SEVERE wind battering the truck around like a ragdoll was 12.0 MPG on the dot. This is HIGHWAY driving, the SAME highway that the Navigator I drove up in managed to squeeze 17mpg out of. The brick-like structure of the H2, along with it's 6400lb GVWR are directly to blame for this. It is so heavy in-fact, that the dealer had to RE-register my plates for an entirely DIFFERENT class of vehicle (this is the loophole taxpayers were using some years ago to write H2s off their tax returns).
I have yet to get a clear reading in the city, but 11mpg seems about the max possible in an urban enviornment.
Yet with all these negatives, the H2 manage to retain some charms. It offers unmatched steel safety-cage construction, a more than sufficient towing capacity, and a visual appeal unlike that of any other vehicle I've ever owned. It announces it's presence and makes itself known, and I like that. For the price I paid for this little (or should I say big) one-owner gem, I feel happy with my purchase, I only hope that enjoyment continues, but time will tell...
M3
The reasoning behind picking up one of these SHOULD be relatively simple. I am a BMW enthusiast at heart, and a long-time devotee of what I believe is one of the 10 best chassis ever produced... the E46. Over the years I've had nearly more E46 cars than I can possibly count, but why not an M3?
The answer is relatively self-explanatory. As much as I loved and DEEPLY respected the E46 3 Series, I had essentially become numb to them... 3 Series'd "out" if you will. I knew I had missed out on the king of the E46 hill, the M3, but I just wasn't tuned in enough to buy one. I had graduated from the ubiquitous 3 series to more prestigious forms of sedan-ized transport. 7 Series, STS, Phaeton, even S Class... but if I was going to get another car, the 3 series was the furthest thing away from my mind.
Then one day an Alpine White (ok in this case it really is BMWs color designation) 2002 M3 Cabrio SMG with Navigation and even backup sensors appeared on my Infiniti dealer's lot. I had been working with this dealer and the Mercedes dealer next door for months looking for the "just right" car to trade my beloved and now dearly departed Range Rover on. Yet nothing worth it's salt was showing up.
Out of exasperation I went ahead and asked to drive the M3, just to see what this hype was all about. Well, all I can say is one of the true definitions of a world-class car is exactly one which takes only one drive to convince you whatever you were considering before might need to take a backseat, and right away.
The E46 M3 is considered by enthusiasts and professionals alike to quite possibly be the BEST M3 ever built, even encompassing the newest E92 V8 car, if for nothing else, because a V8 does little to embody what the 3 series is all about (the 335i is actually a crapton more bang for the buck considering this fact). I haven't driven the previous nor the newer version, so I can't quite confirm this, but something tells me that except for the E30, this is probably spot-on.
However, I had one niggling issue with the E46, and that was that there was *GASP!* no automatic, as there had been in the E36 version before it, making it a liveable daily driven race-car for those of us who live in CONGESTED and traffic laden cities with lots of frequent stops. It was this concern that ended up being the tipping point on my decision to go for the 2002 car at the Infiniti dealer, as it was equipped with BMWs "SMG" or "Sequential M Gearbox" automated manual transmission that featured a fully automated shift mode if the driver so desired. Lest you make the mistake however of simply calling this a "tiptronic" or "automatic with manual shifting". The SMG is a FULL ON MANUAL transmission with an electro-hydraulically controlled clutch mechanism. It is capable of executing shifts in as fast as .18 of a second, or should you so choose, taking a much more leisurely stroll mimicking a traditional automatic. It is NOT however and it still takes getting used to the somewhat harsher than normal shifts, even in the softest mode.
With that preface, I must say that after all the hype, after all the E46s I've owned, the M3 has left me with mixed emotions thus far. Yes, it is the most kickass you can get in a can for the price, and yes it is the fastest E46 available. However, what you are piloting is essentially a plebian body wrapped around a RACE motor. As a result you end up with alot of metallic gnashing, tapping and generally very organic motor noises you don't ever hear with a more pedestrian everyday powerplant. The 3.0L motor may not be as fast, but it sure is a ton smoother to drive everyday, and BMWs REGULAR tiptronic automatics are nothing to sneeze at anyway. They are among the finest automatics on the face of the planet, many of which are produced by BMWs joint partnership with GM France.
This car also requires the upkeep and maintenance that is par for the course with such a specialized piece of machinery. It will certainly go the distance, but you need to stay on top of it religiously. My car is a Certified Pre Owned through May of this year, as well as having the Maintenance warranty through the same period. I am trying to keep on it as best I can, and hopefully I will be able to gain more enjoyment out of it over time. However I must say that for anyone else the 3.0L 330i cars in the E46 body are MORE than sufficient and ESPECIALLY with the ZHP option (Performance Pack) are PLENTY quick. Make no mistake about it however, when you ask the M3 to move, IT MOVES. Press the sport button to remap the DME (engine computer throttle mapping), disable the traction control, and you have one DANGEROUS piece of machinery in your hands. It is a power that must be yielded with great care, otherwise you'll waste yourself right into a pole rather than wasting your competition.
