Oldsmobile Intrigue

jg28

take your door panel off. You'll see how bad it is. Don't though, it'll just make it more squeaky and worse.

dindak

I like the new Accord sedan. Have you seen it?

I don't think it will handle as well as the Intrigue, but the 240hp V6 sounds good. Should be interesting to see.

vcjumper

I like the coupe and the interior of the new Accord. I'm not huge on the sedan.

Its the front end that concerns me on both of them. But yep <3300 pounds and 240hp must be pretty nice.

The Acura TSX looks promising. Finally NA gets the Euro Accord.

swagled

yesterday, a driver in a Chevy Celebrity station wagon thought he'd get the jump on me at on on-ramp... So I had to remind him with my foot, that he's driving a 80's "Roger Smith" era vehicle!

It's still a strange feeling, though, for the Intrigue to just keep pace with cars like that to around 3500 RPM. You start to think, "Am I really gonna have to back off??"

Then, --BOOM-- that "turbo" kicks in, and it's no contest!

vcjumper

You are lucky it wasn't a "Eurosport" or you would be watching him pull away :-)

dindak

03 Accord is nice, but I suspect a V6 trimmed out nice will cost big $$. Also looking forward to trying out the Mazda 6. By the time I sell the Intrigue (at least 4- 5 years), these will all be old models though.

vcjumper

Topgear really likes it... A quote or two from their online article..
"It feels taut and agile, the firm suspension soaking up all but the worst road imperfections with a sophistication that BMW drivers will recognise and Volkswagen drivers will not."

"In a market sector which is already teeming with excellence &#150; look no further than the dynamics of the Mondeo, the quality of the Passat and the styling of the Laguna &#150; the 6 pushes these levels higher still."

oldsman01

Looks like Honda is starting to get into styling, but it is still an Accord. And it looks like a 4 banger will still be standard. When will they ever get the point and make V6s only. Then I might consider one. Oh well, Caddy CTS is high in the running for my next ride. The new Saab 9-3 is also a pretty good looking car. I've never really liked Saabs much, but this one looks pretty good. Guess I'm not a Saab purist.

oldsman01

Ahhh, you've discovered the Intrigue's 3500 rpm g spot. Many a "lesser" cars have tried to outrun me only until I awaken the beast within, then all they see are the letters I-N-T-R-I-G-U-E getting smaller and smaller. I would say, if a Celebrity ever beat me, I think I'd sell my car.

dindak

Love the new Saab 9-3. Looks attractive and I think it will be in the price range for the next sedan. Heck, they will even take GM points towards the purchase up here! From what I read also, Saabs are getting very reliable and quality is way up.

It's too bad we aren't talking about the up and coming Intrigue instead.

swagled

Today I'm cramming what I can into my Intrigue and moving from Los Angeles to North Carolina. I'm going by way of Portland Oregon first, though, to meet family members.

This trip will be good for 4000 miles, easily! Oil change light just came on this week, time to take car of that, and use up all that new oil on the move...

Incidently, what would be cheaper? Buying a new laptop in Oregon (which has no sales tax) or getting one in Canada (after converting currency)? Are there Candian provinces without sales tax-- which would provide a "double beneficial" effect?

dindak

rjs200240 : That is by far the nicest Celeb I've ever seen. Can't imagine putting that kind of money into a car like that though!

swagled : Alberta has no sales tax and you get the 7% GST back at the boarder when you leave. BC has 7 or 8% sales tax, but you may be able to get that back also, not sure as each province that boarders the US is different. Given the current 1.55 FX rate, it may be cheaper up here, a lot of things are these days (especially cars). Did you get a new job in NC?

lmacmil

Anyone had a problem with this? It causes a little catch when opening the door. It was repositioned by the dealer (under warranty) about 6 months ago and now it's moved back. The front and rear trim strips contact right at the top of the doors.

oldsman01

If you pass through TN on your journey, look for me in my black Intrigue:) Have a good trip.

one2one

The description by that journal is almost exactly the same thing that was quoted by auto mags in early Intrigue info. One was from Car and Driver in March 1997:

"What's genuinely surprising is how the Intrigue's chassis mimics the behavior and feel of the imports; European imports at that. The structure always feels solid and tight. Over bumps and through curves, the suspension keeps a very tight rein on body motions."

If the 6 doesn't run into quality issues to detract from the driving experience as the Intrigue did, it may be a serious contender.

dindak

At least people will know it's a Mazda. People still ask me all the time, "who makes that car"?

redline65

Imacmil: Make sure the dealer gives you the "permanent" fix. The first time it happened to me the dealer just hammered it back. There is some kind of glue they are supposed to use to hold it. I haven't had a problem with mine since.

jg28

I think the Accord looks very very ho hum, especially the front. I like the back a lot though. Love those CLK looking taillamps. I think the 6, by contrast, is very handsome from all aspects. The only thing I don't like about it are the clear taillamps and the ones I've seen that look boy racerish.

ricechex

I'm trying to sell a 90 olds cutlass ciera sedan and can't figure out a price. Kelley blue book says one thing and edmunds says another. it only has 28,000 miles on it and is in great condition, one owner, always did all required maintenance.

Some people tell me $3-4,000 and others only $1,000 - any suggestions or help? I think considering the miles, it's worth a little more...

lmacmil

Very few people are going to want an 12 year old car, regardless of mileage. My opinion is that $4000 is too high but $2500-$3000 is probably reasonable given the low mileage. Run your ad and see what happens. I had a 1990 minivan with 138K miles and I had to donate it to the local homeless shelter. I didn't get a single call with it priced at $1250 (KBB was $1900).

swagled

I'm actually still in the LA area taking care of minor things after selling the house. My car is so crammed I don't even know if I could fit a new computer in it... But maybe I'll still try. Getting that 1.5 exchange rate and no sales tax on a fancy laptop might make it worth a pass through Calgary when I leave Portland.

With all my stuff, the shift points spread out more, and 1-to-2 gear is at around 2750 RPM under light throttle. It still has plenty enough power to get up to speed and take hills. (But I'm sticking to the right side, though. Too much weight in there to be darting around lane-to-lane, and I don't wanna tax the brakes too badly.)

dindak: I don't have work lined up in NC yet. I simply "had my fill of California" and felt like being closer to my roots for a while.

But I sure made a killing on the house sale! CA housing is an intense seller's market. I sold a 1100 square foot, 3 BR 1 BA 1950's home on 1/12 of an acre, for $254,000.

I think that's just completely nuts, and I'm glad to "get out". Kinda how I felt when I sold all my stocks in the summer of 1997. I was ahead of the curve... but ultimately right. Better to just take the safe profit, and move on to the next investment.

ian18

Just replaced my original Goodyear RSA (H-rated) tires after 63,000 miles. They were not quite down to the wear bars but getting pretty close. I did a lot of research and went with Firestone Affinity LH-30. Decided to get these based on reviews, visual examination, dealer recommendation, mileage rating, and price. Initial impressions are very positive. Nice ride, good road feel and very quiet.

dindak

You are the man!

Toronto area real estate is similar. We made 20% on our condo in less than 2 years. Our 3 bedroom house 35 minutes out of downtown is worth another 20-30% more than what we paid 2 1/2 years ago. The way I see it, we may be one of the last generations of middle class to be able to afford homes around here. Unreal!

As for Calgary, it's a neat place. It's basically a smaller version of Dallas if you have been there. Lots of cowboys and oil. I'm a big fan of western culture and country music so I like it. That said it's a pretty modern cow town and the fastest growing city in this country right now.

Good luck with the move. NC is a beautiful place and based on visits, prefer it to CA.

dindak

I finally decided on a Karcher 2200 psi gas powered washer yesterday. Man does it work well. Washed down our deck and the Intrigue is next.

Anyone have any power washer tips? I know one has to be careful as they have the power to strip paint. The Intrigue is still filthy from our vacation last week.

TSchramm

In 1999, I bought my mom a used '87 Cierra Brougham, loaded, in great running condition, 79,000 miles , for $2,500 at a dealer. They had it listed for $2,999, and when I offered $2,500, they said "deal". Maybe I should have offered $2,000. I wouldn't expect to get more than $2,500 at most for a 12 year old so-so car, which is what a Cierra is.

dindak

I guess it's a big vacation week.

perna

Well, I've had the Intrigue almost two months now, and it's still running flawlessly. Nothing really to report. :-)

I did unintentionally squeal the tires the other day. A Grand Prix GTP and I were jockeying for the same spot on the road, and he was attempting to cut me off. I floored it, and the car took off like a bat out of hell, tires squealing. First time I'd ever done that in this car. I looked back at the guy in my rearview, and he had an astonished grin.

Great engine.

fgriff1

Hello everyone,
A few weeks back I posted about my 00 GLX hard start/Stall. Everyone pointed to the Crankshaft Position Sensor. Well after the third vist the dealer changed it. Low and behold two days later its still the same. It seems that the fuel is not reaching the engine. Its at the dealer now. It starts hard, then if you press the gas it saves the start. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

akirby

I'm researching for a friend of mine who's looking for a new car. He currently drives a Bonneville. What kind of deals are being offered on the new Intrigues (other than the $3K/0% deal)? He can get the GM Supplier discount. Any info would be appreciated.

lmacmil

...from #2 son for my birthday. Any tips for installing on the rear? I know the holes have to be elongated a little. Is the material removed from the inner side or outer side?

dindak

Best thing you can do is call a dealer up and ask. Is there still a good supply of new Intrigues? I notice the local lot has 4 but I'm not sure if they will be getting more. My guess is not.

vcjumper

More of a widening of the holes than lengthening

winter9

Let us know your driving impressions once you get the bar on.

one2one

I agree. If you get a circular file from Home Depot, you'll be able to file easily. Also, if you have a socket the size used to change spark plugs, you'll have no problems removing the bolts from the screw on the strut tower. Oh, and don't file all 4 holes; you'll only need two. One for the left and one for the right.

akitadog

Well, if anyone is interested, I found out that the 3.5 Liter engine that the Intrigue uses is going to die with Oldsmobile. I was hoping it would be used in other GM vehicles (I really wanted an aftermarket for the engine).
It's a sad situation, considering how much potential the engine had in future products. I mean look at what Nissan has done with their 3.5. They squeezed out over 280 naturally aspirated horses in the new Z! 260 in the Infiniti G35!
The good ol' boys at GM really infuriate me at times. Now, they're throwing away a two-time "Top ten " engine (I don't remember which car mag, though) that only had one direction to go , up.

Oh, well, below is the message I got from Olds customer service:

Thank you for contacting the Oldsmobile Customer Assistance Center.  We
appreciate your inquiry about the availability of the Oldsmobile 3.5L V-6 engine
used in the Oldsmobile Intrigue and Oldsmobile Aurora and we apologize for the
delay in getting in contact with you.

We are sorry about the Oldsmobile Division being phased out.  The vehicle and
the engine are being phaseout together.  We are continuing to improve our
products in future models and will no longer be using the 3.5L V-6 engines.  We
will be suppling dealers with replacement engines for these vehicles for up to
10 years.  We hope this answers your questions completely.

lmacmil

As other have reported, it took less than 30 minutes, most of which was spent in the filing and fitting do loop. Will post my impressions when I get a chance to drive somewhere other than around town.

BTW, one2one, those round things that screw onto the shock tower bolts are called nuts.

aikeda

I have a 2000 Intrigue GLS with 19,000 miles. have had recurrent clunking noises and feel from the steering column and brake pedal beginning at about 15,000 miles. At that time, dealer had trouble locating the problem until i told them about the intermediate shaft. So, they lubed it but didn't replace it. now I have recurrent problems but the dealer denies the problem exists!
Should they replace the intermediate shaft?

akitadog

I had a problem w/ my 99 GL similar to yours. After mine reached operating temp. and I would turn it off, it would not restart. It would merely crank and would only restart after it was left alone until it cooled completely to ambient temp. After 5 TOWS and no one being able to reproduce the problem, I finally made it happen at the dealer.
It turns out no fuel was getting to the engine. They replaced the fuel pump regulator and I have not had it happen to me since. I have, however, experienced a few hard starts, as many as 3 or 4 a month.
You might want to ask about the fuel pump regulator.
Has this been happening only in the hotter months? That was the case for me.
Good luck.

rjs200240

I think there was some production difficulty with the 3.5 engine or something. The Aurora continues on for one more year, but they stopped offering the 3.5 with it at the same time they stopped making the Intrigue. I think it's a shame it isn't used more too (especially to replace the 3800. Imagine a supercharged 3.5...) However, GM will be coming out with a bunch of new OHC 6-cylinder engines starting with the 2004 CTS. There will be varying power and displacement levels, and they will probaby have variable valve timing and possibly cylinder deactivation. But the main thing is they will be 60 degree engines. That was the only problem I saw with the 3.5 is that it's 90 degrees (since it spawned from a V8). 60-degree 6-bangers are more compact and usually a little bit smoother. So, this will give GM a shared V6 architecture that can go in smaller cars and bigger cars and share development. The 90-degree V6's (3800 and 3.5) are too big to go in cars like the Grand Am or Malibu (the 3100 and 3400 are 60-degree engines). Smaller displacement, less powerful versions can go in cars like the Grand Am and Malibu while larger displacement, more powerful versions can go in cars like (maybe) the Regal, Impala and even the CTS and SRX.

However, given that these new engines won't appear in most of the GM lineup for a few years, it seems like they should keep the 3.5 around for a bit longer. You're right, it is a great engine, I think it would make a great replacement for the 3800, especially if they offered a supercharged version of it.

P.S. It was Ward's that named it a "10 best" engine those times.

oldsman01

I was in Milwaukee all last week and just did not have time to login and post. Was up there on business and upgraded to a luxury car from Avis and got a Cadillac Seville SLS. All I can say is I didn't miss the Intrigue at all. Not that the Intrigue is a bad car, but the Caddy was just so much more. I will say, the Intrigue handles slightly better than the SLS, but what the SLS lacked in handling it more than made up for in ride quality. And the sound of a Northstar V8 at full throttle is ecstatic. I've always liked to rev my Intrigue up to hear it and you can certainly tell it has some Northstar roots, but once you've driven the real thing you'll know what I mean. The Cadillac's transmission also did not downshift harshly like the Intrigue's sometimes does when you gun it for a burst of power. One thing I did notice once I got back and was driving home was that if you hit an expansion joint at say 75 mph, the Intrigue has a bit of a bounce. Not that it wallows, but it will bounce once then settle down. I had never really noticed this before, but after spending a week with the SLS it become noticeable. While the SLS actually has a softer suspension than the Intrigue, it must have better damping because it took the joints and cracks in Wisconsin's winter beaten roads with nothing more than a slight jiggle.

oldsman01

After being parked at the airport for a week, while driving home last friday night my Intrigue had a serious case of the flicker. The entire trip home the car flickered. And it wasn't a slight dim, but the the lights actually went out momentarily and the instrument panel lights did this as well. Temperature was about 75 and the A/C was on a medium speed and the headlights were on, but that was about it. No fog lights, no cd player, no wipers, obviously no seat heaters on so the electrical system wasn't at full load. I had three separate cars in the oncoming lane flash their lights because they must have thought I was flashing at them. I did notice than it didn't flicker while accelerating, but while cruising or coasting it would. And the lights don't flicker the moment you let off the gas, it will start doing it after that. But that's not all, I'm getting a daytime flicker as well. The daytime flciker is the A/C fan. I've noticed on several occasions when the A/C is on high that the fan will slow down momentarily. This will happen several times, very similar to the frequency of the headlight flicker.

oldsman01

Not sure if I mentioned before, but I FINALLY got paperwork from my original service visit back in May. After writing another letter to dealership owner, I finally got the invoice in the mail. Looking at it, they never "officially" checked my car out until they got my letter as the date in was May 23rd and the day out was July 25th(two days after I mailed them the letter. Funny thing, I've been driving the car long before then:) As I mentioned before, when I took the car in way back then, I had mentioned the flicker to them for the second time. And for the second time in a row, their response was "could not duplicate customer's concern." So now that the flicker has come back big time, I'm going to make an appointment with another Olds dealer very soon to see about getting it corrected. Will be interested to see what their response is.

dindak

oldsman : To be honest, I've never driven a Seville of any kind. Not sure why as I generally like the looks of the car. I have considered a used one as a second car, but our garage is small and 2 big cars won't really fit so I canned the idea. I think the CTS is a more likely replacement for the Intrigue in a few of years.

akitadog : The 3.5L was expensive to make and production was too limited. It's a great motor and there are still lots of Intrigues and Auroras around if you want one. GM has a new series of DOHC V6's coming, but they won't arrive for about 2 years. Like "rjs200240" said, they should have kept them around a little longer and dropped it into the upcoming 04 Grand Prix.

oldsman01

The CTS is more in my price range as I simply cannot afford an STS new nor will I be able to in a few years(unless I get a BIG promotion) and I do like the CTS alot, but something about the plush interior of the Seville and it's Northstar motor make me want one and willing to buy one used. Size wise, the Seville is not alot bigger than the Intrigue.

dindak

Ya, it's a price thing also. I would love to test a Seville, but no new cars for at least 2 years so no rush. Used ones can be had at good prices so that's definitely the way to go, especially if you can's afford new.

I really like the new Art and Science looks so the CTS looks better than Seville IMO

oldsman01

I do like the new "art & science" look of new Caddies like the CTS, Escalade, and XLR but I also think that the current Deville and Seville are still sharp looking cars. The Seville still has a very crisp and upscale look to it. The interior is better than that of the CTS, although it probably should be as it is a more expensive car. BTW, have you seen the small XLR review in the latest issue of C&D? They show the engine and that Northstar looks right at home in a RWD application.

dindak

XLR looks way cool. Nice to dream.

Realistically, the only Caddy I will be able to afford new anytime soon is a base CTS and hopefully with the stick. I personally don't see myself spending much more than C$40K on a car or truck. That's just me. Even if I was obscenely wealthy, I doubt I would drive anything more lavish than a Envoy or a CTS.

vcjumper

I can see myself having a exotic car if I was extremely wealthy (not for a daily driver), but not crazy estates/mansions. Just some smaller ones spread out around the world :-).

My boss had a Jag XK8 convertible on lease, drove it 16,000km in 3 years. Talk about a waste! Has a 745i now.

fgriff1

akitadog,
well I picked it up last night from the dealer(4th Trip, second time they were able "to replicate sound". On the 3rd vist they update the PCM after a NEW TSB just came in. One day later same story, back for vist 4. This time they replaced the FPR - fuel pressure riser. It started fine., but will have to see. And yes it has been very hot the past month in NY. But this is the 3rd summer with this car. On a side note, during the 3rd visit the mechanic did something to the door. It clicked like a torque wrench when opening/closing. The service writer had the balls to call me and say that the noise was from the weather stripping, even though I told him that sound was not there before the 3rd visit. I called the manager, and she promptly looked at it, and ordered new hinges. The hinges must have been bent by their mechanics. I hope the FPR is it, its very annoying to worry if you will start.

jr45

Hey, I wonder how many are getting hard shifts from their Intrigues. I have a 2001 GL with about 27k on it. After it warms up, I often get a fairly hard shift from 1st to 2nd if I accelerate hard from a stop. I have noticed this mostly in hot weather with the a/c on. I remember reading some posts up the thread about hard shifts. I wonder if this is something symptomatic with the tranny or just due to the extremely hot weather. Maybe the tranny is heating up too much in this weather. BTW, I've pretty much concluded that the temp "gauge" in the Intrigue functions basically like an idiot light. No matter how hot it is outside, the needle always stays just below half way. I just can't believe the temp doesn't creep up more when I'm sitting still with the a/c blasting in 100 degree weather. I had a '99 Camaro and the guage was the same way. I think GM is afraid we'll freak out if the needle heads toward the hot side.

JR