Hummer for Sale … Highly Negotiable

[paddyk]

Leno Stenpa of Binghamton, N.Y., is offering his 2006 H3 with 19,000 miles and the luxury package on Craigslist for $26,500, and he said he thinks that after a month and a half he finally has a buyer on the hook. “I bought it for my wife, but she says she doesn’t like it because it’s too big for her,” Mr. Stenpa said. “If I can’t sell it, though, she’ll have to drive it.”

Mr. Stenpa said the car isn’t all that bad on gas. “It’s not much worse than the Chevy Equinox she’s driving now,” he said. “People think the Hummer is a gas hog, but it’s not — the H3 gets 20-something miles per gallon. Personally, I think this gas thing is killing our country.”

Another Tennessee vendor, Robert (who declined to give his last name), has a deal to offer on a 2003 H2 with the luxury package, Bose stereo and a sunroof. He wants $20,999, or any reasonable offer, and will consider a trade. “The large S.U.V. market is plunging, and it’s not going to get any better,” said Robert, whose day job is as a manager at a General Motors dealership.

Robert added that, paradoxically, he’s spending his days selling mostly Avalanches, Suburbans and Tahoes. And why is that? “The media drives it a lot,” he said. “They report that big S.U.V.s are taking a beating, so people come in to our dealership looking for great deals.”

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2008...negotiable/?hp

[Ming]

I noticed these deals (not quite as crazy) with full-size trucks as well. I wonder if GM will just keep building them heavily incentivized into the future, or whether they'll actually start manufacturing more Colorado/Canyons (or some smaller alternative that makes sense with $4 gas) and maybe actually give them a decent refresh -- rather than flooding the lots with super-discounted big trucks and SUVs that have Colorado/Canyon intenders (one on this site I know for sure) getting into "more truck than they need" -- a steeply discounted full-sizer instead.

I have to think that with the fabled $10,000 of "built in profit" in the big trucks and SUVs, that GM still thinks it worthy to manufacture more of them than their smaller offerings, but perhaps not in such great numbers, so they aren't stuck with a glut that actually takes them below that magic $10K of profit.

The question is, when will GM offer a small truck for people that NEED utility (but want better fuel economy) in good enough numbers that is both profitable for them, and affordable to the consumer? Right now I don't see that happening with the Colorado/Canyon, for whatever reason.

The S-10 used to sell for very attractive, low prices with great incentives. The Colorado/Canyon? Stinky incentives and low production.

As of now, the heavily incentivized big truck is still where GM focuses much of its "utility vehicle" emphasis, then you drop down into some kind of car or car-like crossover, and the small, affordable, fuel efficient tough little truck segment is put on the back burner.

Must be why I see so many old 90's minitrucks and beat up Ford Rangers driving around here in Texas, especially recently.

[Exploder]

Love the comments that article received.

[mbukukanyau]

Its a window into the soul of Sierra club. Man

[logansowner]

Originally Posted by Exploder

Love the comments that article received.

Me too, the "H3 is really an Equinox" was pretty good. Damn those front wheel drive Hummers...

Also good was the I don't have one, haven't driven one type with "he is a liar when he says he gets 20 MPG highway because the EPA says it gets 18".

Or the ever popular "Hummer drivers are responsible for oil prices, the Iraq war, global warming and our failed energy policy" And that's only the first 10 or so...

[eaton53]

Originally Posted by Exploder

Love the comments that article received.

Reading those comments really makes me want one...

[Smoke]

By the title of the post, I thought Hummer was for sale.. LOL

[skylark68]

Reading the comments makes me want to buy one, drive to NYC, and putting a massive sign on my H2 that says "I hate NYT readers!"

[tholland]

Originally Posted by eaton53

Reading those comments really makes me want one...

Yeah... not too judgmental, are they.

[Z28x]

The public is sick of people buying gas hogs and then complaining about how expensive they are to fuel.

[autofan]

The whole "I bought this for my wife" thing makes me chuckle. I remember when the H2 came out someone said the closest most of them will ever get to going off-road is when someone's wife backs over the landscaping in one. Those vehicles are capable of driving through mountain streams, sand dunes and mud pits but are often doing nothing more than negotiating shopping carts in the Kroger parking lot. Cars are no doubt a fashion statement for many, but the giant, underutilized, blingy SUV craze has to be one of the most perplexing.

[tholland]

Well, I'll wager that many of the negative commenters are people that could stand to look at their own behaviour in other matters.

[tamatt27]

"This calamity could not be happening to a more deserving groups of people. What were they thinking, making, selling and buying these monstrosities? I laugh whenever I see one at a gas station.

— Posted by Andy D."
please........

[eaton53]

Originally Posted by autofan

The whole "I bought this for my wife" thing makes me chuckle. I remember when the H2 came out someone said the closest most of them will ever get to going off-road is when someone's wife backs over the landscaping in one. Those vehicles are capable of driving through mountain streams, sand dunes and mud pits but are often doing nothing more than negotiating shopping carts in the Kroger parking lot. Cars are no doubt a fashion statement for many, but the giant, underutilized, blingy SUV craze has to be one of the most perplexing.

Actually, if I bought one it would be for my wife.

She has a very bad wheel rashing habit. Rashing a Hummer wheel would be quite a trick.
We did test drive an H3 and I had her purposely curb it. No problem at all... sweet.

[Nightshark]

Originally Posted by Smoke

By the title of the post, I thought Hummer was for sale.. LOL

Thats what I thought too....