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RIP Olds, it was a good hundred years.
How on earth GM could squander the resources poured into the 3.5 engine, the design of the Intrigue and the still-born OSV is beyond understanding. As has been mentioned in numerous postings, Ford sells the Taurus and Olds can't figure out how to get a handle on the Intrigue.
I talked to a friend of mine at GM in Michigan today and he echoed many of the same sentiments that have been posted here. Lousy advertising throughout the General's product and poor understanding of what motivates buyers.
Does anyone remember when motor-heads actually built cars and there wasn't a collection of bean counters and focus groups that determined what we'd like? Remember the original 4-4-2? I drove a '67 for quite a while and that thing hauled. I really believed Olds was going to get a hold of the brass ring with the direction they were heading. Someone here mentioned that the suits at Olds should have taken a look at this message board a long time ago and paid just a little bit of attention to it.
The upside of today is that the Supremes made 5-4 decision and the downside is that GM made a first-class bone head decision.
I think that is three cents worth of ramblings.
but having CNN show the Intrigue only, when telling today's tale, doesn't help! I am the "local" car guy here at work and elsewhere, and provide lots of car/industry info to folks, so having an Olds certainly won't help my credibility.
No flames please, I bought the car as it was/is one of the best in class, and is recognized as such by experts, but Olds dropped the ball in
properly targeting this car. I am hanging onto mine, not because I have to, but because I want to.
Well GM is probably satisfied that the AARPS have converged on Buick and sucking up the Impala. Can't argue; for its reliable transportation..
Going back in time::::::my good teenager friend's father bought a new 1949 Olds 88 powered by the Rocket V-8 teamed to the Hydra-matic trans and this car back in 49 was a screamer--big time performer and creamed virtually everything in sight. Flathead V-8s and the 6 cylinder offerings in that era couldn't hold a candle to the Rocket 88.
My favorite dealership didn't open yesterday because of snow, some 16" of it; however today I will have a little talk with the big guy...
dindak::::::the Bluewater bridge was closed most of yesterday. I cancelled my 400 mile trip today to mid-Ohio due to another rain, sleet ,and snow front coming thru Ohio & Mich around noon. We will just keep the Intrigue warm and cozy in the garage...Sure don't want anything to happen to it for my insurance company would probably tell me its worthless.
I will call the "help line" shown on one of the posting to see how they plan to "ease the pain and share the grief". Maybe GM will hire Algore
to smooth over the loss of this great automotive nameplate.
A note for recent Canadian Oldsmobile owners. You will likely be getting a C$2000 credit from GM in the mail. I will call GM and confirm. It helps, but if GM doesn't give me something decent to buy it's worthless. As much as I like the Impala/ Regal, I would chose a Maxima first.
Someone mentioned they didn't think Olds would last as long as it's product cycle. I probably agree. In a year or two, all that will probably be left is Alero, Aurora and Bravada.
1415: Apparently more snow on the way tomorrow. I think I am going out to look for a snow blower at lunch. My back is killing me today.
Hoe do you like your car? Are you having any problems with them?
With the loss of olds i have no idea what i will buy next.
I don't think buying an Oldsmobile means you are buying an "orphan". The cars will have parts available for years and years to come. Further, Oldsmobile will still be around for 3 years at least, and it's not like no one has heard of the name. If I am able to, I will gladly buy another before the end.
Then I made the joke "well, they aren't gonna shut down the company over this are they". He just laughed. I also asked him when they would stop making the Intrigue. He said 2 years.
Happy Intriguing???
"Additional rebates" came out this morning on all the Olds models-$1000/Aurora$500/Intrigue and the others were $500.
Some of these dealers are going to collect big time from Generous Motors...
i agree that buick is next. i just wish that olds had been shut down 5 years ago and that the resources spent on it were spent on saturn. the intrigue would have made a solid mid-size saturn and the alero could have replaced the the base models.
my next car will likely be my first "foreign car". had it not been for the intrigue i would currently be drivign a camry.
They too are considering Camry as the next car.
There's more than one reason they lost sales/market share.
dave
What he should have done is cut Buick and Oldsmobile models down to 2-3 each and keep the names and spirit of each alive. Buick is next, I see it in the cards. I also see Chevrolet/ Pontiac going a bit upscale.
Chevy has announced it's next generation small cars will have boosted quality and upscale models. Perhaps if they can do this to other new models, I will go that route for the next car/ truck. If they don't, I off to the see my Nissan dealer. Current Chevy/ Pontiac models leave a lot of luxury/ quality feel to be desired.
I totally believe you had no idea of Oldsmobile's death. They would have keep that kind of thing top secret.
My wife and I are enjoying our 98 Chevy Malibu, especially after replacing its tires. A great car for city and suburbs, and for shorter trips on highways. Mostly for 30-70 mile trips, but fine up to 150 miles or so in one direction.
The Malibu is very nimble and comfortable enough. Even while we have a base car, with few options but the 3.1l V-6 engine. It is bit underpowered with its 150-155 hp, but the later models got extra 20 hp.
Practically all 2000 Imapala LS and Monte-Carlo SS are enjoying them. Much less complaints than concerning Intrigue. You may check for yourself:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?&f=0&c=Sedans&t=4230&q=*
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/engaged/edmund.cgi?&f=0&c=Sportscars&t=2163&q=*
Concerning Buick: it is alive and going well. We bought one a couple months ago. And are enjoying it even more than the Malibu. Great power, very comfortable inside, and right appearance.
I had an Alero for a rental car last year...nice little car. It had a 4 cyl, but was pretty peppy and seemed really well-built. I'd take one over a Grand Am in a heartbeat. I also like the Intrigue...tasteful without drawing too much attention to itself. I also like the first Aurora, and might consider getting one when the prices come down. The new one looks too much like a Hyundai from the back.
Most of my cars have been Chrysler, but I've had my share of GM cars. My only Olds was a used 1982 Cutlass Supreme. It was a piece of junk, but I loved it. The tranny went out at about 62,000 miles, and the Buick 231 croaked around 73K. If it had the Olds 307, I'd probably still be driving it! But it was a smooth, roomy, comfortable car, and a good looker, with its slicked back grille and color-keyed sport rims.
Anyway, I guess If I give up on Mopar and come home to General Mommy, I'll have to settle for a stodge-mobile or a clapped-out boy racer. Or a Biscayne (er, I mean, Impala)
Farewell, Olds
-Andre
There's also a kind of bonding between Olds owners. A new family moved on my street and we just bonded from the simple fact that he owns an Alero and I have an Intrigue. Not to mention this forum.
For the record, my Intrigue has over 65k miles. No squeaks, no rattles (don't know what Edmunds did to it's car to have the so-called interior noise) suspension still tight as a drum, tranny smooth as greased silk, engine a whisper at idle and quiet while cruising and after 2 years still in love with my machine and still proudly announce that I own an OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE.
Thanks for being probably one of the few folks at GM who actually listened to us owners.
I am an eternal optimist, so I hope Oldsmobile gets saved somehow or the Intrigue gets moved to another division. Time will tell.
Wagoneer said thier were to few of us, and yurakm got it right that this is not so. VW does ok targeting us, and at 250k sales per year, Olds had perhaps to many nameplates, but for the targeted audience, its whats out there. THERE ARE more buyers for mediocre cars (in comparison) like the GP et al, who wouldn't know ergonomics and balanced handling if it fell on them. This is why so many more Impala's, GP's and thier ilk are sold.
Best to you and thanks again for keeping the faith. Know that your efforts and that of some of your collegues was not without benefit to many nontheless. -ketch
My take on Olds failures, IF IF they had produced virtually flawless Intrigues [w/ 3.51], under-priced it, and with a little marketing,,, “they could have been a contender”. Build it and they will come, Toyota & Honda understand that theory and that why people keep coming back.
GM has too many similar models crossing over different division. Instead of producing a bunch of mediocre models they need to focus on being the best at one type of sedan. For example trucks, they seem to have that down pretty good.
Just this month an EX ’96 Aurora [die-hard domestic buyer] switched over to Acura, so far she is very, very happy. Those of you thinking about a Maxima, be careful Nissan is still on the ropes.
So i say to you "people, people", it was an above average american car (oops used "was" again) and marketing misdirection or lack of same did her and the division in, not word of mouth as proposed.
As for 1415's comment that we are stuck, i guess I do not feel so as parts/service is/will not be an issue as support will be there. resale is the issue, but for one was/still am in this for many more years, so resale was never an issue anyways.
Until then, i enjoy the car measurably, even in the new 4 inches of snow we are getting on top of the foot already 8(
Around this time last year, I was actively involved in my car shopping research as I was about to enf the lease of my '97 Acura 2.5TL. Since I wanted to change the mood a bit, I was aiming at a large domestic GM sedan (I can't stand Ford or DCX products) and the final contender runner ups were the Intrigue and the Impala. For some reason I was more biased towards the Impala but I also took a hard look at the Intrigue since good year end rebates and deals were being offered an the car was pretty much in tune with what I was looking for. When I finally got to test drive the Intrigue I was welcomed by a very responsive and smooth powertrain combo. The car was a loaded GLX, leather, sunroof the works...$2,000 cash rebate, I believe it was a '991/2 model. Not bad. But once I started to closely inspect other areas of the car, my enthusiasm for the Intrigue was cooled off rather quickly. Fit and finish was one area of this car that I found to be both unacceptable and dissapointing...the way the trunk was finished in this $26K "premium" automobile was the equal of a Cavalier. Misaligned door panels, questionable interior assembly quality, etc. NOTHING in the Intrigue made me change my natural bias to the more "Traditional" and more GM looking Impala. The salesman offered to park both an Impala LS and the Intrigue GLX side by side for comparison. Explain to me how the "lowly" Chevrolet looked and felt much better bolt together than the Intrigue?? The Trunk fittings in the Impala belonged in a Cadillac while the ones in the Intrigue belonged in the cavalier. Panel aligment was much more precise in the Impala and the doors closed with a satisfying sound like a bank vault. The interior of the Impala was better finished and more carefully put together than in the Intrigue; however, materials wise both were about the same. From a "Tactile" perspective the Impala felt like a much more durable and substantial car. When lowering or raising windows, the door panels in the Impala didn't breath in like the ones in the Intrigue. Look, I am the ideal Olds customer...under 30 years old, Computer Engineer, great income, solid credit, married, etc. The Intrigue failed to move me away from the "Cheap and Lowly" Chevrolet. At the time I was not aware of all the problems early generation Intrigues had (Brakes, Steering, Front end) but very few items in the Intrigue spelled to me long lasting quality for $3K more over the loaded Impala. Based on this experience I can understand why the Intrigue did not work for Olds. Yes GM and Olds abandoned their products but the Intrigue lacked the substance, reliability and reputation to counter attack its imported targets. Nice car, good content, wonderful mechanics, but the quality and finish wasn't there in numbers and that's why the Intrigue failed on its mission. The Intrigue was a great idea that somehow got screwed up during execution. If these cars had been bolted together right from the beginning, Olds and the Intrigue would have had a secure future in the market as we speak. Word of mouth is the best and most effective form of marketing and even if these cars had prove to be the best thing since sliced bread they would have sold by themselves like hot cakes.... but It did not happen folks. Too many problems in the beginning and these cars quickly caught on a spiral. Yes, the 2000 and 2001 models are much improved, but already too late! First impressions are much more valuable than later revisions.
Owners of the 2000/01 Impala really like their cars because they haven't had the frequency of problems (or not problems at all)like the '98 and '99 Intrigue owners had to endure! The Impala LS is a great handling car, excellent engine power, superb brakes, smooth transmission, responsive handling, fantastic traction control system, excellent safety scores, etc. Before you start ranting against the Impala, GP or Regal, go and drive one and then you comeback and praise/rant all you want. I pass my judgement on the Intrigue because I drove it, felt it, looked at it. A few posters here seem to pass judgement on cars they have never ever driven before...they just go by someone elses opinion. Sometimes selling a car with a high tech V-6, PCS and other gadgets is not enough if quality, value and reputation are put in harmony together, not as separate identities.
1415: I think your take on re-sale is a bit over done. The effect of Oldsmobile's phase out won't hit that fast, if it ever hits at all.
It kind of like new housing construction, on the surface the design looks great, but question is where/how did the builder cut the corners, and will the home-owner be plagued with a series of problems down the road.
Like many Olds buyers, I'm a previous import owner. I like all of Olds' cars, and there are no Buick, Chevy, or Pontiac sedans that I would consider buying. I'm afraid its back to the imports for me once Olds is gone...
A fully loaded Accord is around $25k, the Intrigue is $30k, how can the average Joe justify the spending an extra 5k not to mention the headaches.
Maybe Honda's V6 Engine and the new mini SUV shared by Toyota and GM can help a little bit.
http://www.speedster.opel.com/
Guess who's getting this baby? PONTIAC! and they will sell it during the 2003 model year!
Suddely I find that my home has been turned into an orphanage and my 2K Intrigue is also an orphan. Must be quite a distinction, I suppose.
But I did not expect much from Generic Motors. This could still be the revenge of the consumer reports kind of buyer, I could take the 1K rebate and buy a Buick Century a make it a triple, when in a few years that division gets axed.
Pretty soon all GM cars will be bought only by ex GM employees, current employees, GM card holders and fleets.
And to think these guys want to add to their brand portfolio by going after Daewoo. This is after all the dysfunctional company that brought you the Aztek. Would n't it have been cheaper than 2-3 billion to can the entire management than kill Olds. Where is Kerkorian when you need him? Or Perot?