There are many places to check for the age or residual value of a vehicle.

Start with VIN number. You can get information from CARFAX. It's well worth the small fee they charge.

Start the engine. Black cloud behind a smoking diesel means that valve guides and piston rings or fuel injection pump have done some mileage at least 50000 miles. Check oil level to see if oil stinks (mix of carbon plus diesel fuel cocktailing in the oil; a white foam inside oil cap means water contamination) this being signs of no preventive maintenance.

Then go under and look at damage at the driveline guard or rocker panel, as well as at signs of impact of skiding over rocks with the lower A-arm (suspension)

Check the quality of the bolts on the U joints of the propellershafts. And obviously possible welding on items such as exhaust; leaking transfercases or differentials.

Check the diskbrake rotors with finger. If there are signs of wear and/or rust, ask at which interval brake pads have been replaced and when the last was done?

Measure the height from the floor of the chassis beams both front and back. Any difference could mean distorted frame or worn suspension springs. Accident and repair.

Body repair are less easy to detect if properly done, but hood alignement check on the sides for variation in distance with body, the same for doors.

If the examination of these items gives you satisfaction, you should ask why the speedometer is not working and for how long. Then ask for a test drive on road and on a track where you can test HL and LL and BTM. In doubt, you are never obliged to waste your money.

RenE

Be careful and don't take someone else's word for the condition of the HUMMER that you are buying, make double sure yourself to prevent a world of continuous heartache after purchase. A well and regularly maintained HUMMER will have only minor issues that can be handled as part of ownership. A mistreated HUMMER will leave you without a vehicle for many times in repair. When I read statements like "just serviced" I cringe, as that usually means that it has not been serviced for a while and someone decided to service it for the sale, to get it running. Check for rust, leaks, poor cleanliness in the engine compartment, all signs that the vital components of the vehicle were not maintained regularly. $50-$60K can buy a HUMMER with near new performance and reliability, but it can also buy you a junker, as there are many junkers being sold at that price range, so BE CAREFUL and welcome to the world of H1s.

RFGURU

Get the VIN Number and get a hummer dealership or call AM General to run the vin to see if there is any work done on the engine or if it has been replaced.

Other stuff:

• Check for cracks/holes/chipped paint. Easy to do, take your hand and pretend you are washing the truck.
• Check CTIS pump for proper operation, inflate, deflate, front and rear selection.
• Check all exterior and interior lights
• Check all switches, electric mirrors, check power locks and windows, monitor speed of all windows.
• Check operating temperature, should be at 190 after driving for a few minutes.
• Look for any wet spots under the hood, or in the undercarrage, especially around any seals, [geared hubs / shaft interface, differentials, transfer case].
• Check transfer case for proper operation, H
• >HL you can do while driving, You'll have to stop for LL. It should engage within 50 feet [T/C lock light comes on].
• Check A/C/heater for proper operation, check all vent modes. Split upper and lower heat A/C can blow week on our trucks but full feet and full upper vents should blow hard. Properly working heat and a/c should be nice and hot and ice cold.
• I'd check ball joints for wear with a pry bar but thats something I'd pay a dealer to do for 100$, a full inspection.
• Check parking brake and brake pads. Make sure parking brake engages and disengages, you can look at the assembly at the rear differential of the truck, You'll see a large coil spring with a lever hooked to a rod on the rear end, it will extend against the metal when at rest/off, and will pull forward when the brake is on.

Kurt

Kurt has already given you a pretty comprehensive list.

I would also ask for the service history and find out which garage does the servicing. Call the garage and talk to the shop manager or better still, the mechanic to get their opinions.

Take a good look at the motor. If it's really messy and covered in crap it's not a good sign but not the end of the world. Look for signs of fluid leakage; oily frame/steering box, oily transfer case, oily engine pan.

Some other things to consider:

What accessories are you getting? The typical factory options are winch, under carriage protection, rocker guards, CTIS. A spare tire and holder is really good to have.

Some improvements that may have been done: relocated PMD (read about this), extra rear cooling piping.

Rick