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The valve & air path is in the upper right corner of this pic of an upside-down 3.5L TB:
http://www.homestead.com/300N/files/Tb4.jpg
When I last looked at the throttle plate on my 300M it was clear that some dark stuff does get deposited on it.
I was thinking about putting 1 tank of 92 octane gasoline (not additives) in my car every once in a while. How does this affect the engine? Does performance decrease at all? Any recommendations?
I heard somewhere that when you start a fuel-injected engine, you're supposed to turn the key, wait for 5 seconds after the console lights up, and then continue to move the key into the start position. I think most people (or at least many) just put the key in and go. What negative affects might this have? Would this eventually result in lots of carbon buildup?
Thanks.
I've read and heard a lot of conflicting reports on Chrysler products,and read Consumers report a lot.The Toyota has a sterling reputation,but that comes at a cost.The sable was relatively trouble free,and I have no problem with it,and the Intrigue is nice but Oldsmobile is being phased out.The Intrepid is a great looking car,somewhat larger then I'm used to,but still striking on the road.Has the ownership experience been positive for the majority of you all.The bad press Chrysler seems to get reflects on the cr,but I consider the experience of those who drive the Intrepid every day,to out way the bad reviews.
pine7 - I think the LH cars in general are good cars . The Concorde was tops in its segment in the J.D powers awards . The Intrepid came second in its segment. I know I am a little biased but take a good look at the LH cars before you make your final decision . If you want to ask a whole bunch of Intrepid owners about there ownership experience check out this site , they have lots of good things to say.. http://www.dodgeintrepid.net
I got the 3.2 liter in our ES in 99 (that was the only way it came then). I don't know about the 2.7 liter as far as power. The 3.2 is discontinued in favor of a depowere 3.5, but the 3.5 and 3.2 were the same engine basically anyway. If it is hilly where you live, or you fill the car up with people, I wouldn't think the 2.7 is enough. But for 2 people and their luggage, it probably is.
Definitely these cars should be on your shopping list.
Ed Smith
As for the 2.7's power, I noticed that when you load the car up with extra passengers or a lot of weight, there's a noticeable difference in performance. On steep inclines, it also gets winded and needs to rely too much on the lower gears for any performance, which also hurts fuel economy. A few months back, I bought a '79 New Yorker with a 360, and brought it back to MD from West VA. I was driving the '79 and my friend drove the Intrepid. Believe it or not, both cars actually got about the same fuel mileage on that trip back! Mainly, I think, because the NY'er practically coasted up those long inclines where the 'trep had to downshift and scream to keep up.
If you compare a 2.7 to the base pushrod 3.0 that the Sable has, I think the 2.7 is the clear winner. Smoother, more refined, better passing power, better acceleration from a standstill, etc. Now Sable's optional DOHC 3.0 is another story. Same 200 hp as the Intrepid's 2.7, but a lot more torque. But then if you want guts, just go get an ES or R/T!
#2. Acceleration: 0-60 in about 9.5 seconds for the 200 hp 2.7. Better than a Taurus/Sable with the base V-6, but still slower than an Impala with the base 3.4. The Taurus only has about 153 hp, so there's no surprise there, but the 3.4 just simply out-torques the 2.7 from a standstill. You actually get better performance if you only floor it to about 5000 rpm, which puts you at your peak torque curve, as opposed to flooring it, which will throw you to over 6000 rpm, but then will cause it to upshift too soon. At speeds over 60 is where this car really shines though. The DOHC design lets it really breathe, and even at 90 mph you're only pulling about 3000 rpm, so there's plenty of tach left for when you need to floor it. Umm...not that I know that from experience, that is ;-)
#3. Handling: very good for its size. Don't let the 204" length intimidate you. For one thing, it's only 204" at its longest point, which is right down the middle. The edges of this car are extremely rounded, which makes it more manueverable than you might think. The only problem I have is parallel parking, because the car doesn't have good visibility. It also has a wide track, and rides on fairly wide 16x7" rims, so it's very stable.
If you don't want a car this "big" though, you might want to give the Stratus or Sebring a try. As for legroom, they feel about as roomy as an Intrepid to me, although they are noticeably narrower inside and have a smaller trunk. They're not that much lighter though, so the 2.7 V-6 isn't a whole lot quicker in a Stratus than in an Intrepid. Well, good luck...let us know what you end up getting!
The only real negatives to the car is tire noise can be noticable (I have an R/T, so the tires are big and not designed to be quiet), the low roofline due to the styling can be an issue for some, and you cannot see the corners of the car. As far as size, the long wheelbase needs to be considered when turning, but easier to drive than an SUV
Now the positives: roomy, smooth ride, comfortable, stylish, very reasonably priced, and at least in 2000, comes with a number of nice features other cars don't have for the same price. Gas mileage should be decent with the 2.7, though I have the 3.5 HO that causes me to juice it too much.
One idea, if you can find a 2001 with low mileage, may be a way to go. Basically unchanged for 2002, and let someone else take the depreciation. Of course leases are being subsidized, and an easy car to shop across dealerships.
I had one, been there, did that, now I have something much more reliable, with a dealer network that is much more customer friendly.
Thanks.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
My '00 base model has been pretty good so far. ~57,000 miles and no major problems yet. I'll confess though, I did start getting the incredible shrinking weatherstrips around the 42-43K mark. They haven't gotten bad enough yet for me to get annoyed enough to replace 'em, though. Other than that, I had to get the power lock actuator replaced around 35K (under warranty) and the thermostat housing replaced around 51k. Front brake pads at 39K, rears at 51K.
personally, i'd have absolutley no problem buying another trep. my personal experience with all three (96...98, 00) where all very good. i never said the cars were perfect (nothing is, just ask my buddy with the '01 maxima!), but they are damn good values for the money! and each new model brought incremental improvements. imo, the only real issue they have left on the lh cars is road noise. but, i'm sure that will be fixed with the new lx cars.
fyi...jeffie, the s-crew has goodyear tires. came equipped with the 17 inchers from the factory...
The dealer service I have received from the VW and Nissan guys has been excellent. When the auto has a problem there is no BS from the service advisor such as "well you the first with that problem" or "we cannot find anything wrong with your car" or complete customer contempt as shown by the Chrysler crew ie "my" Decrepit sat in their yard for three days they never touched it, yet when I went to pick it up they told me the problem had been cured.
A s-crew with 17" inchers WOW!!
buying a foreign "job" is no guarantee of an excellent service department, just ask the guys over in the c class mercedes topic. my local toyota/nissan/honda dealership (all in one) doesn't have a great record according to folks i've chatted with. on the contrary, my experience with the local ford and chryco dealerships has been generally excellent.
btw, i thought the passat was the end all be all of cars!!! what happened, relationship sour?
I rate service departments by personal experience not by some information obtained from someone I "chatted" with. The GM Ford VW Nissan dealers that I have had actual experiences with have all given excellent service, something that cannot be said about the persons that promote the decrepit and other whale like products.
btw: When it is time to purchase a vehicle I pick the ones I like the best and then buy the one that I believe to be the best deal. The Nissan gentlemen offered me a good price for my trade in and I liked the extra HP their vehicle had to offer. The Nissan really blows those decripits and 300M away, but of course you know I would never exceed the posted limits.
btw: single / crew cab / would that really be an enviromental friendly combination?
as for envionmentally friendly, didn't realize you were that type...being from greenland and all...!
It is everyones duty to be enviromentally conscious.
Even in base form though, the Intrepid bettered the Regal, Impala, and Taurus models. It came up short in acceleration. (2.7 engine coupled to the heaviest car in the test...big shock, eh?), but still handled the best and was the best all-round car of the domestics. I remember the 0-60 time on the Altima was 7.3 seconds, but their "street start", which is a better indication of what the typical driver would get out of the car, is more like 7.8 seconds. Truthfully, I would expect much more out of a fairly lightweight car with 240 hp. At 7.8 seconds, that puts it in about the 300M/Intrepid RT range. And the Intrepid ES nowadays only has about 7 or 8 hp less than the RT, so I can't imagine that it would be much slower.
Lexus:
Do not be dismayed at the rantings of the post happy dc hugger. It is well worth the effort to spread the TRUE facts about DC products in any forum that is available. Without the TRUE picture folks like Ian mike take the pro DC ramblings offered by a minority as being fact and make a wrong decision regarding purchase.
BTW check the DC huggers history, four out of five posts are in DC topics and he has a Ford, fact or fiction? Perhaps he is on the DC payroll if not they at least have him buried deeply in one of their pockets.
:-)
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
I realize there is a history here, but you are not going to replay here. Take it off-line if you can't leave it alone.
Thank you.
Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board
just saw the truck hemi hp/torque ratings. if dc were to stick an all aluminum 5.7l hemi (345hp) into the next lx, that somebitch would blow everything off the road, including quite a few mercedes. is their still talk at the plant about such a move?? thanks...
Enjoy your fine automobile.