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Comments
Did you get much in trade for yours? I figure I'll just keep mine until something cost-prohibitive fails on it, but I do get the occasional urge for a new Charger! I want to hold off for at least another year, though. It's nice not having a car payment.
I did get $1800 for my Intrepid which was about right considering the mileage. I had owned it for 7 years and one month, averaging just under 21,000 miles per year.
I know that I have a semi-rare car, especially one with this low of miles, and I love the car, so I am loathe to part with it. BUT ---- the past six months it's like a switch flipped labeled "time to fall apart around the engine." I've had to replace numerous and sundry dumb little things such as ignition switches, door lock mechanisms, wheel bearing assemblies, etc, etc. I'm a non-mechanically inclined single lady, so I'm not even attempting to fix any of this myself. It's like being nibbled to death by ducks, and I keep wondering where (if ever) it's going to end. And by the same token, how much $$$ do I want to keep putting into a seven year old car?
I'm just wondering what anyone else's experiences are with Intrepids of this age that have had to spend their life outside in northeast winters. Is my experience typical? Do they just start to fall apart at a point? Would I be dumb to part with it?
Many thanks for your opinions!
Karen
Well, I hate to say it but that whole thing about the body falling apart around a bulletproof engine has been a bit of a Mopar trademark since 1957! :P There was an old joke going around that the Dodge Dart was the worst car ever inflicted upon humanity, because they tended to leak water around the base of the windshield and fresh air intake, and get the front seat passengers' feet wet. But since the drivetrains were so indestructible, people would drive around in these cars, suffering with the water torture, long after most "mortal" cars had had long since blown an engine or transmission.
As for the Intrepid, well I bought a base model in 2000, and now have about 127,000 miles on it. It started having some minor issues when it was about a year and a half old. Stupid stuff, like the window seals shrinking, power adjust to the passenger mirror failing, the little cover to what would normally be the ashtray in the center console getting loose, etc. Now that I think about it, the power lock actuator in the driver's door went bad, and had to be replaced around 35,000 miles, when the car was only about 13 months old. I used to deliver pizzas part time, so I racked up the miles pretty quick early on.
Other than that though, I've been pretty lucky I guess. The car now has about 127,000 miles on it, and the closest thing to an engine problem I've ever had was a leaky thermostat housing, which was replaced around 51,000 miles.
I have heard of the leaky transmission lines running to the radiator being a common problem on the models with the 3.2 and 3.5 engine. I've also heard that power window failures can be somewhat common, although I've been lucky there, too.
I had to replace the front brake rotors around 99,000 miles, but was able to do it myself. Have you had your battery replaced yet? If not, when that time comes it's going to be a pain in the butt, because it's buried down low in the front passenger fender, between the wheel and the headlight assembly. It took me about 2 hours to replace mine, and it was a big enough pain that I swore I'd either trade in the car before it needed another battery, or just pay the mechanic to do it!
I'd say overall though, my car has aged fairly well. Most of the irritating stuff popped up between when it was about 1 1/2 to 3 years old, but nothing significant since then. Oh, around 87,000 miles (just shy of 4 years), the oil light came on. Luckily it was a problem with a sensor getting too hot and was fixed for free under a TSB.
Unfortunately, I can't answer your question as to whether you should get rid of it or not. While the R/T is a fairly rare car (I wish I could've afforded one when I bought mine! And I did come close to trading mine in back in late 2003 for a used '02 R/T the dealer had on their lot), I don't think it's considered a very valuable car. The Intrepid's resale is pretty bad, regardless of the trim level or how well maintained it was. So on the plus side, the car has probably depreciated about all it's going to, so it's not like you have to ditch it immediately to keep from losing any more value.
But if the car is getting to the point that you just don't trust it anymore, it might be time to sell it and get something newer. It's really hard to put a dollar value on peace of mind. But at the same time, don't fool yourself into thinking that a Honda, Toyota, or whatever is automatically going to be bulletproof after 7 years, either. Often, things just start to go on a car once it gets older, no matter how low mileage it is.
Anyway, good luck, whatever you decide!
Any suggestions?
Headlamps do not illuminate
1 No voltage at headlamps-------Repair open headlamp circuit
2 No ground at headlights-------Repair circuit ground
3 Faulty Headlamp switch--------Replace headlamp switch
4 Faulty dimmer switch----------Replace headlamp switch
5 Broken connection between
BCM & headlight lamp relay----Repair broken connection
6 Faulty parking/headlamp relay-Replace relay
7 Faulty body control module----Replace body control module
The ground is the black lead from the headlights.
The relays are located in the fuse box accessed by opening the driver door and opening the cover on the side of the dash.
For those having Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler Intrepid and Chrysler Concorde 2.7L Engine Problems
Dodge, Chrysler 2.7L Engine Problems Information and how Consumers Can Fight Back
Dodge, Chrysler Intrepid, 300M, Concorde, LHS Defective Steering, Premature Problems and More
I have a 96 Dodge Intrepid and the air bag light cames on and when it is on I cannot put the windows up or down.. and the dashboard gets really hot.. after the light goes of the window controls will work...anyone out there with any info?
:confuse:
joho4241
Still, the car does have 130,000 miles on it now, and a lot of that is just maintenance crap (brakes/coolant flush/rotate tires), so I guess that's not TOO bad. The mechanic was actually telling me that I could hold off on the coolant and hoses, but I wanted them done. I had the coolant changed back in August 2003, with about 86,000 miles on the car, but they said the hoses should hold out until 150,000 miles. However, back then I drove a lot more than I do now, so 150K miles isn't coming up as quickly as I originally thought it would. And I'd rather err on the side of caution than risk muffing up the engine just to save a few bucks in the short term.
Still, it's amazing how far coolant/hose rubber technology HAS come. Sure beats the hell out of the old days when you had to change EVERYTHING every 3 years/36K miles!
Ed :shades:
The cost to replace them was about $300. I'm not sure exactly how they attach. At the radiator, it looked like they were just attached by a hose clamp, like what you'd see on a radiator hose, heater hose, bypass hose, etc. But at the transmission, they had actually fused onto it somehow, and the mechanic had a helluva time getting the old ones off. The lines are a manufacturer-only part too, so they were more expensive than aftermarket.
I've heard that sometimes the transmission hoses on the 'Trep would practically start leaking on the showroom floor, so I guess if we've made it up over 100,000 miles with my '00 and your '99, we should consider ourselves lucky!
And, hopefully, my Trep shouldn't need anything else for awhile. It's at 130,000 miles now and I figure it'll need new rear brakes around 150,000. It needed them at 51K and 102K, so I guess that should be about right. I'll probably do the belts then too, and the spark plugs. Oh, and the tranny service. But, at the rate the miles are getting put on, that's probably at about a year and a half away.
And one of these days, I guess I'll need new tires. I had a set of Yokohama Avids put on around 76,000 miles, and the two that are still on there look like they have plenty of tread. Two of the tires are mismatched though, because one got ripped off, wheel, lugnuts and all, in a parking garage back in October, and the other got popped and replaced in December. So now I have two Yokohamas with 54K on them, a junkyard wheel/tire off an '02 with an Eagle GA and unknown mileage, and a brand-ew tire from Sears, the brand I forget.
I am surprised to read that you are getting the rotors resurfaced. I put Brembo premium rotors on our car for short money when I did the brakes at about 50000 mi. Did not seem worth spending any money on the old ones. Ceramic pads last well but are a little harsh on the rotors.
I would spend 1000 on my car without a thought of trading it....but when it comes time to replace the battery again I might have second thoughts!!!!!
I thought about getting a set of alloys for my Trep. Back in October, when I was scrounging in the junkyard looking for a wheel/tire to replace the one that got ripped off my car, I saw a wrecked Intrepid with alloys. I think it was an SXT. Unfortunately, one of the alloys was smashed. I thought about just trying to buy the three and then keep on the lookout for a 4th, but decided not to.
Do you have any particular tire in mind- I am not so happy with the Avids, but the price was good.
I really haven't thought about what kind of tires I'm going to buy as replacements. Main reason I bought the Yokohamas was a combination of high treadwear rating (620) and low price (~$250 for a set of 4, delivered, bought from Tirerack.com or Discount Tire or one of those places). The two remaining Yokohamas on the car have about 53,000 miles on them now, and look like they still have plenty of tread left.
I am surprised to read that you are getting the rotors resurfaced. I put Brembo premium rotors on our car for short money when I did the brakes at about 50000 mi. Did not seem worth spending any money on the old ones.
Yeah, I was surprised that the mechanic resurfaced the old rotors, too. He said it was still cheaper than putting new ones on, although they won't be able to do another resurfacing on them. I'll confess though, that I last did the front brakes and rotors myself, at around 99,000 miles, and used cheap parts. I think the front pads and rotors only came to about $84. So I guess I shouldn't complain! My mechanic put factory pads on the car, and I think he would've used factory rotors as well, so it probably would've been pretty pricey. I remember though, getting about 40,000 miles out of the original front pads, so maybe these factory pads will get me about that many, too. So that'll put the next brake job off, hopefully, until about 170,000 miles. Probably at least 3 years, with the mileage that car gets put on it these days.
but when it comes time to replace the battery again I might have second thoughts!!!!!
I changed the battery myself, about two years ago. The orignal battery still seemed fine, but at that point I'd had the car for about 5 1/2 years, and was about to take a trip to Florida, so I didn't want to chance it. It took about two hours for me to change that battery, along with some bruises, scrapes, and spilled blood! I swore to myself that I'd trade the car before it came time to put another battery in it! :surprise:
But, I'm going to keep the car as long as is feasible. Now, if the transmission craps out on it, I'd probably ditch the car. And if the 2.7 decides to die, it's definitely outta here! If it was lower-mileage I might consider replacing, but not at 130,000+ miles.
What needs to be done to get this car going again. Battery is dead so I can't start it until I replace it.
Worth fixing up or should I sell it?
Has the coolant been changed? While that car is very low mileage, at roughly 8 years old, if it's the original coolant it's well past its expiration date and should be flushed. You might want to also check the condition of the belts and hoses.
Drove it around for a while.....seems OK. Brakes appear to be rusty and making sounds--fronts only.
Now that I can see the odometer I see it has only 28K miles....
Yeah, especially if that car was driven fairly moderately, the front brakes should have plenty of life left in them. Just as a reference point, I had to change the front pads on my 2000 Trep around 39,000 miles. But that was maybe 15 months after I bought it, and most of that mileage was pizza delivery driving, which is downright brutal on a car's brakes. Lots of speeding up, stopping, etc. Sometimes going 200+ miles in a single night, but usually just 1-2 miles at a time.
I bought some front pads from the auto parts store when the car had about 15,000 miles on it. On a lot of the old battlercruisers I'd owned before this car, I'd often only get 10-15,000 miles out of the front brakes, so I just bought them out of habit. Checked the front brakes, and saw they had plenty of meat on them, so I just threw the pads in the trunk and kept them until it was time. I think I checked again a few more times, maybe every 5,000 miles or so. I think I was rotating the tires at 39,000 miles, and that's when I noticed the front pads were finally wearing thin. Oddly, it was just one of them, the outer pad on the passenger side. It was wearing unevenly, and almost down to the metal on one corner, yet where the wear indicator was located, it wasn't rubbing yet. :confuse:
Symptoms -- happens mostly at highway speeds. When I step on the accelerator, I feel hesitation, lack of power, sometimes almost a shudder down in the engine. Does not happen all the time, but is happening with greater and greater frequency. Engine is also generally running very rough, shifting not well, etc. Have had all scheduled maintenance done on it for the seven years I've owned it.
What's anyone think? Thanks! Karen
At this point, it's more that I drive the car every day, and have done so for seven years and I KNOW something's wrong. I just hope it will misbehave for him so he doesn't think I'm crazy. :surprise:
Seven years and still impressed with this car. Always wondered why sales did not support keeping the LH cars alive. I test drove a 300 and was not really pleased, also RWD!!! just not as practical in winter as FWD.
Hope we can keep this car for at least another 5 years.
tkfitz, I agree
Our '99 has been good, a big comfortable car with a great big trunk and lots of back seat leg room. We cruised it up and down the highway for many years, and it will roll when needed. It had been our main family car until we turned it over to our son, who will be taking it away to college with him in the fall. With the rear seats folded down, his surf board fits in nicely. The only troubles over the 115,000 miles have been with an AC that had to be rebuilt and both radiator fans shorting out and needing replaced.
The main family car is now a 2006 300C. Yes it is RWD, but then it doesn't snow here, so that doesn't matter to us. Certianly it would not be as good in the snow, but there is an AWD version available for that. It is certainly more powerful (we went for the Hemi), but also more gas using. The rides is more solid than the Intrepid's. It has a few shortcomings in the size of the trunk (smaller than the Intrepid's and actually a little less leg room in the rear seats.
Regarding Chrysler going to new models-- I think that they think only new model names sell well. (unlike Accord and Camry). If you ever notice the ad campaigns for the GM, Ford, Chrysler cars--they are always about the new models and the ones that have been around a few years are not advertised at all. Honda and Toyota have good publicity for solid cars (although certainly not as much better than domestics as the majority of consumers think) and kept the basic structure and the name and just keep on improving them.
Yes, keep enjoying the Intrepid. Ours has served us well, and I hope will continue to do so for many years.
:shades: