Oldsmobile Intrigue

tpken

You're so right about the Impala always having been a mainstream car for the American family - with a sports edition available for those preferring extra ponies. The present edition does the same thing very well for the typical family sedan buyer - offer a great car with a little extra in terms of features for a very competitive price.

Cutlass took over for Impala as the mainstay family ride in the 70s into 80s but then Olds lost it's direction. Impala has the torch back.

I like the present Intrigue very much - IMO the best looking Olds in the line-up (if not the entire midsized field) and a great automobile - but has been a bit pricey up to now I think.

Have a great weekend - we've been experiencing typical Fla style T storms around here in New England lately - but fortunately not Fla heat!

Ken

teo

Is a flop for the most part....expensive, FWD, underpowered and dubious quality. Besides the 300M is tauted as a near luxury automobile in the High $20's price bracket. DCX has already announced that it will scrap their Cab Forward design in favor of RWD and a different more down to earth design approach.

I fail to understand what is dissapointing about the current Impala? Specifics?

Is selling pretty well last time I checked and the owners seem to be a happy bunch in despite of some first year problems.

one2one

My personal reasons for not looking at the Impala:

-no Automatic Climate Control (primary reason)
-interior looks cheap. Better word should be "economy". It's not a Kia but could be better.
-can't stand the square design theme
-looks like a Malibu on steroids (2nd biggest reason)
-wanted the 3.5L engine (and glad I made the choice on that)

As far as the M goes, I'm not talking about sales, satisfied owners or anything relating to it. I'm talking strictly mechanics. Sales may not be where they want, but people are buying them. And plans are on track for a 300N. The thing is, at least Chrysler attempted to bring performance to its FWD marque. Chevy tries to stuff a V-8, doesn't work then throws their hands up in failure saying it can't be done.

Just so that you know where I'm coming from, I would have put aside all the above reasons and purchased an Impala SS if they had been able to shoehorn the V-8 into it. I want a car that 1. I fit into and 2. is fun to drive. The rest are subjective options.

b4z

Agree with most of what you said.
FWD had advantages of packaging, weight and fuel efficiency.
Don't care what the rice burners say. FWD can never hold a candle to RWD. Torque steer and under steer immediately come to mind.
The camaro/firebird are the only rear wheel drive passenger cars in GMs stable.
FWD has practically killed Cadillac.
The luxury car audience demands RWD, the midsize crowd could care less.
My impala by the way has huge torque steer. Pulled out of a side road last night onto a 55 mph highway and the steering fought me the whole way while i accelerated and changed into the left lane.
I can only imagine what a handful a 300 hp fwd impala ss would have been like.

teo

"My impala by the way has huge torque steer. Pulled out of a side road last night onto a 55 mph highway and the steering fought me the whole way while i accelerated and changed into the left lane."

Did you mash the accelerator to the floor?. I think the Impala is one of the few FWD/V6 with very well controlled torque steer behavior. Oh well...

dindak

teo : Although the ergonomics my be fine, the look of the dash (especially the base models with the shifter on the steering shaft) is strait out of the 80's. Dated and utilitarian come to mind. The LS is better, but not much. Ya, Impala out sells the Oldsmobile but base Impalas make up the majority of sales and they are thousands less than an Intrigue. Impalas are also sold to the police, cab companies and rental fleets. I suppose it is a good value for the masses, but the Intrigue is just simply more fun to drive and just a a little classier. I didn't say I didn't like it. I'm just saying the Intrigue is a cut above.

Jgriff : We weren't discussing "feelings". We were discussing performance. FACT is, L300 outperforms and handles as good or better with less fuel. Yes, I realize Honda makes very solid cars but your "ball park" is tainted and your attempt to detract from the main topic with re-sale arguments don't change the performance numbers.

Seems to me the Accord looks just like it's little sister the Civic. Don't think Honda and Toyota are winning any design awards. Would I buy a Saturn over a Honda/Toyota........ sure would! Better service, price and performance. Saturn resale has been excellent and if I don't think it will be I'd lease at 0.9%!!

jg28

I like the new wheel design but they are a bit** to clean. I think they look classy and give the car a forward motion look.

I installed my Cabin Air Filter. That was rather difficult. Had to just pull on one of the screws because they don't unscrew. But the main bolt holds the piece in place anyhow. I'm glad to have filtered air and already notice a difference especially when I first turn on the A/C and it doesn't blow dust.

I was SO IMPRESSED with the service rep at my dealer. When I went to get the filter, he addressed me by name and asked how I was. VERY IMPRESSIVE since I haven't been there since March. (Maybe I have a reputation for being picky, I dunno). Nevertheless, I was impressed. I've always liked him, even when he's telling me they couldn't find anything wrong.

Seems I'll be taking her back in though. Had the car surge yesterday when I was pulling into a parking space. Scared the sh** outta me. I've been having little bouts of it but just thought it was normal. I think somethings wrong with the transmission. Is there a TSB on that? I know someone else mentioned he had a problem with it.

Thanks for the KYB article. I think I'll look into replacing my strut mounts? See if that helps. I wonder how much I could get for the used Eagles (with 20K on them) to replace them with pilots.

I'm also going to ask about the wheel liners being installed aftermarket.

One thing I FORGOT to check on my sister's car is to see if the doors "breathe" when the window goes down. As I said, the doors seemed heavier, so I wonder if they've put additional insulation in them for 2001. I sure like my auto gas lock though. Don't know why they got rid of that for 2001.

jgriff

dindak ::: No doubt the Cam&Cords are very basic design, nothing to get excited about and they are everyway, a dime a dozen [interested in seeing the 02 Camry]. I personally like something that is a little different from the crowd, [however not a upper ego luxury box like Lexie, Bimmer, or MB], which is why I had opt for the Intrigue back in 99.

RWD / FWD : I know the plus & minus of both of these setups, aside from being more expensive, I like the concept of AWD. Getting the best of both worlds. I for one do not trust RWD in the winter, and have yet to drive any of the latest & greatest that would prove otherwise, to be a worthy asset in the rain, snow & ice.

Man, are cars not a great subject for people [guys mostly] to discuss?

Everyone has their thoughts & opinions. I think everyone can somewhat agree on the BEST & WORST of the lots, it is everything in-between that gets all of the heated debate.

htwired

Regarding the recent thread, I don't understand why GM doe not offer a rwd four door performance sedan. BMW fills this niche with cars costing $50-$70k Clearly there is a demand for this kind of vehicle and as one2one points out the technology now exists to produce a rwd car that drives safely in bad weather conditions. Most of the GM muscle cars of the 1960's (although two doors) had styling, performance and the capacity to accommodate four people. GM all but abandoned the performance market during the Roger Smith era and with rare excetion (the Intrigue being one of them) GM has few exciting performance orinented sedans. JG28 did you install a replacement filter to a preexisting filtration system or did you install the entire system? Is it possible to install an after market filtration system?

ab348

You mean, like this?

http://www.gmme.com/chevrolet_cars/caprice/caprice_ss.htm

teo

Been there done that. You are looking at a long wheel base Cadillac Catera with a big V8 and a Bowtie attached to the front grill.

Nice car indeed.

one2one

Now I'd pay money for that! (don't know what else I would use :-)

teo

Is where it is sold as a Chevy Caprice. You can also buy it as the Holden caprice in the land down under...

9899olds

teo:::::Most Chevies in the 60s were I-6s; wakeup my hero and take a deep breath..They were sticking V-8s into any thing that had four wheels..Had a 60 Impala conv.. new w/348ci V-8, 64 Impala 4dr V-8, 68 Impala 2dr V-8, and 69 Impala 4dr V-8, all purchased new and ran a few miles.. Also had a 61 Biscayne 4dr stick/shift I-6 and a 63 BelAir 4dr auto I-6, also all purchased new..

The SS Impalas of the 94-96 were great cars and the resale value is outstanding..I struggled to stay away but the damn thing was longer than the Cadillac and my side of the garage was cramped because the queenie needed her space. I get the small space in the 2 1/2 car garage..Just had the plaster all patched in the garage and the entire interior two coated with white..Looks like a surgical room..junked everything I could get my hands on..

The old time Impalas were movers and great cars.. The little 3.4 V-6 is okay to push the Aleros and GrandAms but it's nothing but a price leader in the Impala..

The cars of today are basically dull with only more dullier prospects due in the future.. The rantings of the enviros and the other factions will temper any movement..The cars were killed back in the 70s with the engery bit,emission stds, bumper stds, and general increased costs to make the car idiot-proof.. I don't really care to go back into the bag of worms but somehow you all should know/realize today's car is a dull piece of transportation..

Now I can't talk in depth about it because of the restrictions placed on forum subjects..

The Intrigue is about the only piece of affordable domestic excitement left..The Zs, Trans Ams, Vettes, and Mustangs still are able provide some pleasure but they are disappearing..

Before I would buy a Impala, I would certainly try out the R/T Intrepid..

Another item which surfaces every time a new engine comes out is the question of offering of a manual 5/6 stick would sure make the car a hit..The market for manual shift is not large and transmissions are expensive to design and produce in limited quantities..Ask Ford and the SHO nearly died until the auto came along for the V-6..

jgriff::::I will not get into a discussion involving the foreign offerings..I am a totally domestic oriented user and our guys have been the backbone of this country for 100 yrs and I ain't bailing out ever.....period..Thanks!!!

htwired

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is exactly what I am talking about. Had the caprice been available last year I would not be the proud owner of an Intrigue.

redline65

teo - ever thought about importing one of those Caprice SS's from Saudi or Australia?

jgriff - you purchased your Intrigue in '99? Was it a '98 or '99 model? What was the build date? Also curious what trim line (GX, GL, GLS) and options you had (3.8 or 3.5, Autobahn package?).

teo

One can dream! Sure, but our EPA regulations, customs and CAFE have put enough barriers in place to ensure that these beasts never cross over our borders.

b4z

You and i are both happy impala owners.
Please don't feel like you need to defend it everytime someone posts something even the slightest bit negative.
Let it pass.

9899olds

Will guarantee you dull expensive cars forever, for they must be feel good autos..

Cure for warped rotors>>>>>>do not have the tires rotated...works great..15k miles since rotation and no pulsating..

white6:::::Thanks for the tip on struts but we will leave that to the next owner. The Z is the next move..

lee18

Intrigue was my first FWD car, although I had driven plenty of rental and company FWD cars before.

In an area where snow and ice dominate for at least 4 months of the year, traction is very important. RWD cars just don't cut it under those conditions. It doesn't matter what kind of computerised traction control you put on them, when only about 1/3 of the car's weight is on the driven wheels, you can't get aggressive traction. At best, traction control on RWD cars eliminates the need to 'finesse' the gas pedal.

I live in a housing complex with a sloping road between my driveway and the main street. With my RWD cars I often couldn't get up the hill without a running start so I had to go down to the bottom of the hill and turn around. Limited slip differentials, Michelin snow tires, and sand bags in the trunk were of little help.

The difference with the Intrigue (w/o PCS) was like night and day. It barrels straight up the slope with no slipping and I've never had to go to the bottom and turn around.

I resisted FWD for years, partly because of the reliability problems and expense of repairs, but mostly because I HATE torque steer.

I would not buy a car with noticeable torque steer. Fortunately, among all its other benefits the Intrigue has virtually no torque steer (this is the 3800, the 3.5L I'm told is not so lucky).

For whatever reason the auto industry decided to change to FWD it sure has made a huge improvement for me and I won't be going back, at least for any car I have to drive in the winter.

dindak

teo: I wonder how hard it would be to get on into Canada. Not sure if the regulations are the same or different up here.

9899olds : Have not heard anything about Cambridge. Kind of odd.

Off to the Molson Indy tomorrow and Sunday. We shall see some real horse power there. Unfortunately sponsorship has gone from GM to DC so I have to look at those ugly Dodge trucks all day. At least they will have a Viper pace car.

focus18

Toyota has applied to the court to block the vote. That's why we won't know either way.

9899olds

Sounds like it is still alive and one party does not like the outcome!!! Toyota deserves the CAW..

dindak::::::The last time we looked your country is tops for regulations and taxes..Maybe you could buy one in kit form and assemble it.

lee18:::::the FWD allowed the auto guys a great pkging deal and they have really done a good job on the reliability end..Of course I don't know of any racing rigs set up with FWD..The return to RWD is welcomed for the warmer climates; but the auto industry hasn't really spent alot of money in developing the RWD technology on the passenger car side..Ford cranks out a ton of RWD larger cars; but they are still trying to figure how to build a reliable automatic trans..Maybe Ford should go back to the manual 3spd w/overdrive of the late 40s and early 50s..We had five overdrive V-8 Fords, 49 thru 53 with the 49 and 50 models as the wild ones..Never a hint of transmission problem..

Ha-Ha....the good old days of free spirit motoring; long before the govt realized that the their expertise was needed to produce idiot-proof cars!!!

teo::::::Talk about Chevrolet and dull cars; pre/postWWII Chevrolet cars were all 6 cylinder with no pressured oil lubrication system until the 1953 I-6..Ford ate Chevys lunch everyday until the 55 Chev V-8 came along.. Ford also offered a flat head straight 6 in 49,50 and maybe 51 that would outrun the V-8s..great times!!!!

Back to bed, it's 2:37 am, woke up, couldn't sleep and after reminiscing about the old days, ready to catch some shut-eye..

wmatysti

I was on the interstate last night, driving along in the right lane with cruise control set @ 80. Having gone miles with only three or four other cars around, I see two cars comming fast through my rearview mirror. I immediately knew they had to be either Acura's or Euro's because they had the real HID headlights. They wound up being a 328i and a 2.8 A4. These guys are probably pushing 95+ in the left and center lanes. I don't know what possesed me, put as soon as the bimmer in the middle lane was beside me, I stomped the pedal and took off. The three of us switched places for a while, and I had no problem keeping up. A few minutes later I look down and I'm cruisng around 108. At this point, the Audi had backed off into the right lane and dropped back. It was just the BMW and me now. He seemes suprised at how well I was keeping up to him. We would get to 110, coast down, and he would try to pound ahead of me but I would just floor it and be right there next to him again. Well, I aparanlty made him angry because he's not slowing down or coasting anymore. It's floored from now on-- We're creeping: 95-106-110-115-120-125 and then BAM! 129 and my engine cuts off! I was close too! What upset me most was the fact that I know the 3.5 has a lot of power left at 129! She could have pushed to 140 before I would have backed away. I don't think I was near redline in 4th either. There is definitely power left in the tripple digits for this baby. Now I don't drive like this too often, but the big question: IS THERE A WAY TO GET RID OF THE ELECTRONIC SPEED LIMITER? It was an option on my 300m (with the touring edition), is there a user servicable part I can remove/install to kill the cut off at 130? Have fun with this baby on the parkway, she's got a hell of a bite!

b4z

Hoping there was no one else on the road with you.
A crash at 130 mph is not a pretty sight.

I think your supposition that the intrigue will do 140 mph is valid.
To give you an example. My camaro weighs 3400 lbs. Same as the intrigue. It has 215 hp. Same as the intrigue. I have had it up to 129 mph. With it still accelerating. The car magazines of the day said it would do 134 mph.

The intrigue is a taller car than the camaro but probably as aerodynamic. The intrigue makes its power in the midrange and above. The camaro down low. I feel that 140 mph or even 142 is possible in the intrigue.
Now you just have to figure out how to disable the speed limiter in the chip.

wmatysti

b4z: Yeah, don't worry, the road was clear and it was a straight run. I may be stupid by doing 130MPH but if I'm smart about it, I can have fun every once in a while. What year/model/make is your camaro? My sister drives a red Z28 SS (325 horses!) which cuts out at around 140.

jimxo

My wife has an opportunity to buy her father's 2000 intrigue sterling package with every available option. He was a GM employee and paid below invoice for the car less a $1500.00 rebate at that time.

He really wants a caddy so has offered the car to her at $20,000.00 with no interest on the monthly installments.

The car has only 2500 miles on it. I don't think a new 2001 can be had for this price can it? She is looking at a payment at $335.00 with no down payment on the 20k.

Would we be foolish to pass this up?

9899olds

You can't run the redline on the 3.5 in 4th..It's a rock and roll car almost 1/2 price of the Euros and Pacific Rim guys that regularly scares them to have a sedate 4dr hanging right with them..I think the people at Ramchargers can satisfy your quest for speed..

Your tires may be low-rated for the removal of the limit.

I assume you have an 01 w/PCS.

9899olds

He couldn't sell it on the street for that price for its a two yr old car with a rotten resale value..Father-laws are tough..It's hard to deal with family..

Go to an Olds dealer and see what the trade-in value might be and look at the want-ads of private party sales..$17k is tops in my estimation; but then you have to keep harmony btw the family members..

Nice car but the public hasn't caught on to it's greatness..If you are going to keep it forever then you won't get hurt..Warranty is getting short..

evandro

I couldn't believe the messages touting Opel cars! I've had Opel cars and they don't even come close to american GM cars! They are underpowered, cramped, cheap interior, very much like any main stream european car.

I can only think that people mention Opel out of the mesmerization about foreign cars, forgetting that the foreign cars that make to these shores are the creme de la creme in their countries of origin! Yet, most are sold in the US as run of the mill cars.

Forget Opel just like Peugeot, Renault and Fiat were...