AM General began building the Hummer H1 for civilian use in 1992. I remember seeing new Hummer dealerships spring up in the Detroit area, and the galvanized steel architecture and half-Quonset hut look made the military-like vehicles stand out even more. The XLC2 2-door pickup version of the Hummer was one of the rare models that you didn’t see all the time. This example is available here on craigslist in Vancouver, British Columbia, for $72,000. The ad doesn’t have CDN next to the amount, so I am going to assume US dollars, since 72k Canadian would be $50,000 US. Thank you, Curvette, for the tip on this one!
Normally, I would show you a picture of the vehicle’s engine. It should be under the hood here. The seller has decided not to show the engine or describe it beyond the fact that it is a “V8, Turbo Diesel, 6.5L”. This year was the first year the 6.5L turbo diesel was available in the H1. With 194 rated horsepower, 430 ft.-lbs. of torque, and a curb weight of about 7,000 pounds, you can understand why this truck got 8-15 MPG and did zero to sixty in 20.1 seconds. But you really didn’t buy this for the fuel economy or speed, did you?
I have sat in a few sports cars in my life and felt the trans tunnel on the right and the door panel on the left. Small spaces are expected in a two-seater. However, when I first sat in a Hummer H1, it felt cramped yet spacious. The huge center doghouse separates the 2 seats into separate zip codes. This XLC2 has an enlarged cab and is bigger. This interior looks to be in perfect original or restored shape in gray. According to the seller, the glossy black paint job was $12,000 alone. The truck underwent a 12-month restoration and features many new parts and countless hours of labor.
This Hummer appears to be rare, since only 89 XLC2s were built in 1996 and only 432 total XLC2s were produced over the eight-year span. I could only find a VLC2 price guide after looking in several places. However, the more basic VLC2 showed a high price of $139,000 and a low of $115,000. The $70,000 price for the XLC2 value-added model here may be just what the H1 pickup buyer is looking for. Are you the one to take this rare Hummer away?
If a car is advertised on Canadian Craigslist the price is in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. That makes the price on this truck $50500 in US dollars at current exchange rate. It looks like they spent a lot of money getting it in current condition. I’ve always thought people that bought these wanted to play army but not really be in the army.
Thanks Curvette, that makes sense, I will pay attention better in future tips! Yours are always great to work on.
I remember back in the day when the numbers of these started to pick up. Mostly the 4-door version out west. Too rich for my blood but we got a good dozen run through the shop to rectify the same problems we encountered with the GM trucks with the 6.5.
Prematurely worn out advance pistons. Glow plug circuits, while working well on the military vehicles, left some to be desired with these.
Some people told me that they actually rode fairly well. My SIL had lots of experience when he was in the army, and sort of confirmed it. But he didn’t like riding around in them when he was in Iraq. I can’t say as I blame him; I’d be constantly worried about an ambush or IEDs, or both.
A customer of mine in about 2010 bought a used fully enclosed SUV station wagon version of this Hummer. We went for a ride in it and the passengers seating area there was hardly any room which I get for the drive system and going down a two lane road the right side tires were off the pavement because it’s so wide and it was the civilian version and rode rough and noisy inside. And it seated 4 people!