Custom exotics: The pros and cons of owning and pimping out a Hummer H1 -- to sell or to buy

July 1, 6:07 PMExotic Car ExaminerKae Davis

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 Would you like to own this custom exotic Hummer H1? What's your take on auto fun?

Looking for a heavy duty exotic car? How about this custom made vehicle --  a heavily modified Hummer H1 that's been for sale in the private sector on eBay. We're nicknaming this one "Big Red", not for the color but because it looks like it's been eating Scuderia red Ferraris for breakfast with an aggressive grill chomp.

CUSTOM EXOTIC CAR IN THE NEWS

When looking for a vehicle that screams excess, a road modified Hummer always manages to pass the ridiculous but cool tests.

Carscoop.com was first to comment on this H1 sale news, and it was immediately apparent that the auto news reviewers had strong reactions to the colossal 4x4 vehicle. They say,

"Aside from claiming that the re-modeled H1 'gets more attention than all other exotics' (wonder why...), the seller mentions that more than $185,000 were invested on the vehicle that is powered by a tuned V8 diesel cranking out 195 horsepower and 430 lb-ft (583Nm) of torque... Still interested? Our condolences for your lost of taste but if you insist, the eBay 'Buy it Now' price for the [custom exotic] Hummer H1 is $89,000."

- READ MORE ABOUT CHINA IN AUTO NEWS -

China's next import exotic car to be sold is the American built Hummer? How fortunate.

China to overtake Italy as second largest Lamborghini buying country behind United States

PROS AND CONS OF OWNING CUSTOM EXOTICS

The Hummer H1 pictured has some very specific design modification features, including:

• interior with the ostrich leather dashboard
• LCD screens surrounding the driver

The pros of customizing any exotic car are that it truly becomes your own. The cons are at the time of resale, it depreciates value of the automobile and puts limitations on the buyers pool. During ownership, you also have increased insurance rates, and should you wreck or damage the vehicle, custom cars (whether exotics, muscle cars, or whips) are seldom eligible to make a claim for the amount invested in the car. Insurance companies will tend to replace the cost of the base model you started with, leaving the owner responsible to eat whatever time and tech they have invested into it should they need to make a claim after an accident.

As an American company recently purchased by a private Chinese investor corporation, the marque is still going strong in sales for military applications. The next phase of sales and marketing will be for the company to continue to produce vehicles on American soil, with luxury road models set to become China's next "exotic car" import as a U.S. export.

LOOKING AT BUYING AND OWNING A HUMMER H1: FIGHTING AN UPHILL BATTLE

If one forgets the fact that the vehicle is a custom and strictly looks at brand value alone, there are some challenges that come with the purchase of a Hummer H1.

Drawbacks of owning this sort of machine tend to include an extremely high fuel bill if the car is used as a commuter or daily driver vehicle and the stigma of owning a car that so conspicuously consumes fuel. Nonetheless, fans of beastly cars and extreme off road motorsports still tend to have a fundamental level of respect for the Hummer trucks, as they are multi-purpose in nature and tend to be the most successful at taking passengers to and fro on varied terrain and during inclement weather conditions.

Owners who live in more remote areas or where forces of nature tend to bring excessive snow and ice tend to report they would never choose to be without one in their garage. As a truck able to climb steep hills and inclines, folks with "billy goat" driveways think the cars are the most reliable to get them back and forth up their steep and winter icy drives. To that end, residents of cities like Asheville North Carolina, Boise Idaho, Salt Lake City Utah, or Denver, Colorado might have a need for a vehicle that helps them shuttle safely while also having ample room in the car to make only one trip out and one trip in to town to pick up supplies and such. Having the rugged aspect of a truck blended with the comfort and convenience features of a luxury car or elevated limo can be a cool plus; since the terrains of rural China being developed by corporate executives can benefit from the use of a vehicles that meets many business needs and functions, it is likely that the few who can afford the Hummer H1, H2, and H3 as an exotic import will really buy them up.

Folks who tend to live in more metropolitan areas of the United States (and most of the industrialized paved world) are not as impressed. The emissions ratings on the Hummer are so poor, it makes an ethically notable contribution to pollution indexes even when going for a casual drive. In addition, due to the vehicles massive size, parking becomes problematic. In cultures where folks frequently use cars to make errand runs on a daily basis, have to travel down crowded and narrow streets, or where an inordinate amount of time is spent sitting in rush hour or commuter traffic, the big SUV cars are really not much of a pleasure to drive and create no treat for other drivers to be near on public streets. As such, cities like Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Miami have no real need for the cars to be taking up space on city streets -- at least in most neighborhood residents minds. Buying a Hummer for the Saudi Arabian peninsula might work fine, but affluent owners won't be shuttling the car home to drive on the streets of London England, Rome Italy, or Paris France any time soon, that's for sure.

HUMMER BUYERS MARKET

Ultimately, Hummer buyers tend to have very specific purposes for the cars in mind when they buy. Owning one is seldom an impulse buy, as details like parking space in home garages and, again, finding justifiable surplus funds for the gasoline bill are considered by most when it comes time to purchase a vehicle that is both pleasing to the eye, comfortable to the seat, and ready to make driving on the owners local streets, roads, and highways fun.

As green movement folks are heavily promoting the use of eco-friendly automobiles and gas prices have soared in recent years, pre-owned H1 vehicles have come on the market and used car prices have declined. This has left a surplus of the vehicles on the market in the United States, with former owners taking a bath on depreciation price. As new car sales from the Hummer brand have also declined for urban use vehicles, the brand has shifted gears; the new international ownership and marketing plan is sure to move forward with the vehicles models designed as is, and it's likely that the cars will eventually have  more feul efficient and lower emission ratings as all car makers strive to find winning combinations of after-market technology that will allow retro-fitting of the bodies. At that time, it's likely hybrid custom shops will be on the rise, and that the H1 body might at that time be a really good investment buy.

TASTE: THERE'S NO ACCOUNTING FOR IT

Now, what the real purpose of the custom aspects of this particular H1 showcased actually were, remains more humorous as pure speculation. Beyond who did the custom exotic work on the car, what kind of person created the designs for this Hummer H1 and what was it's purpose is a question worth ruminating on...

Feel free to leave guesses -- and any interest in bid or follow up reports -- in the comments section below.