Oldsmobile Intrigue

marktest

CNBC now elaborated on the earlier teaser - GM is expected to scuttle the Oldsmobile line in today's restructuring announcement. SO it hasn't happened yet.

1415

Hey folks!!!It could be a good day to buy an Olds product--maybe a collectors item in 20 years. Could become a favorite of car thieves for spare parts--never can tell we Intrigue owners could become winners...

Detroit is deep in snow--guessing 12" in driveway and waiting on the removal so I can go play on the snowy roads testing ABS and traction control..
Too old to go sledding!!!

dindak

Well made it in this morning. Toronto area got about 9-10 inches of the fluffy stuf. Most schools and offices are closed today. Intrigue had no trouble and it only took an extra 10 minutes to get in.

1415: While I sympathize with your brake problems, you can't say that all Intrigues have this problem. Fact is, Intrigue out brakes most if not all cars in it's class and brakes are not even close to a concern for most non 98 Autobahn owners.

grbeck: I really hope they get a good agency to really put some umph in Oldsmobile advertising. I want to see some Maxima-type excitement!

limadelta

Well.....

My 2000 Intrigue is going to be worth big money...someday.

Too bad that Olds didn't have the foresight and advertising moxie that their division sorely needed. For cryin-out-loud, Taurus SELLS and Olds dies on the vine. They had a great looking car that finally had the kinks ironed out of it and it is bye-bye time for a decent car that 'couldn't get any respect'

1415

See you are housed in Lake Worth, Fl just up the road from Delray..In reading your profile I see you are an ex-Intrigue owner, and your post# 379 contained a little cynicism...Hope you are happy with the Asian product..

I have played golf on several occasions at Doug Fords Lacuna in Lantana with some of the people who work for Toyota's southern distributor. Did GM buy back your Intrigue or did you take the hit?

The Lacuna golf course is a great layout but Ford doesn't maintain it--in fact it is a little ratty.

b4z

It looks like its a done deal. Oldsmobile has nobody to blame but themselves. I guess i should either try to get olds to buy it back ( i have been lax in in pursuing this option), or keep the car to lease end and buy it for $7-8000.

b4z

We don't have classics or future collectibles we have orphans. The intrigue doesn't have the attributes of a future collectible: Popularity
and rarity are just two. Plus it is a four door.
The only recent vehicle that i can think of that has collectible status is the '94-96 Impala SS.

b4z

After not driving my car for about eight days i noticed that the brake pedal feels low (meaning i have to push the pedal down close to the floor to get it to stop.) The fluid is fine. Does anybody have any ideas?

teo

http://www.msnbc.com/news/502134.asp

If GM gives the final ax to Olds, here is my prediction:

Alero:: Very likely it will join the ranks of the Chevrolet division and probably will be sold along side the malibu (Remember that both of these models are based on the N-body platform)as a sportier sedan/coupe alternative to the Malibu. Chevy might discontinue the Malibu all together as Olds did with its sibling, the Cutlass. The Alero is sold in Europe and overseas as the Chevrolet Alero. The current Alero will be in place until the Epsilon platform becomes available in a couple of years.

Intrigue:: I see the this model surviving either as a Buick (But it somehow would overlap with the Regal)or as a Saturn alternate model to the L-series. Pontiac is not a likely candidate to adopt it and neither Chevy. If it doesn't find a home the Intrigue might join the ranks of the Packard or Studebaker automobiles.

Aurora:: This premium sedan would probably find a new home under the Buick name (A replacement to the Park Avenue) or under the Cadillac moniker as a lower more agressively priced alternative to the all new Catera due to debut next year. I am sure Buick or Cadillac would love to get their hands on this baby.

Sillouette: This minivan is already archaic when compared with the latest offerings from its main rivals. Good, sturdy powertrain but lousy safety scores. The current GM minivans were designed with Overseas markets in mind, but in Europe its sibling, the Opel Sintra, has already been discontinued since '99. I guess the Olds variant is history as Chevy has the Venture and Pontiac sells it under the Montana name. Unless Buick or Cadillac are interested in the Minivan market, I don't see a new foster home for the Sillouette.

Bravada: The old Bravada (As well as the Blazer, Envoy and Jimmy siblings) are complete duds. The new 2002 Bravada is a 100 light year leap forward in the hot Midsize SUV market. Chevy is getting the Trailblazer and GMC the all new Envoy. I can see the Bravada be taken by either Buick (Altough they are getting the minivan based Rendezvous) or Cadillac to sell it as a sportier and more economical alternative to the huge Escalade full size SUVS.

The GM satellite broadcast is due in about 15 minutes....let's wait and see what happens during the press conference.

A big day in America....U.S. Supreme court decision due and the GM/Olds announcement....couldn't come at a worse time.

b4z

www.thecarconnection.com has good spy photos and more info abouts olds' demise. It might possibly be merged with another division.

b4z

It was nice knowin' ya! Goodbye to America's oldest brand. There's a lot of history being lost today.

j_coleman

Just saw Wagoner's announcement. Can't believe Olds is dead....

teo

Believe altough I have a "Bowtie" I am sadden to see the "Rocket" go...hopefully something good will come out of all this...

dindak

Very sad day. Absolutely the wrong thing to do!

dindak

Hopefully they will use their brains and at least keep some of these cars going under other divisions. If they don't I will be a lost GM customer because I don't want a Regal or an Impala (no offence to the guys that drive these cars).

b4z

just watched a beautiful black intrigue on cnn. This is probably the most exposure olds has had in years. To bad.

teo

I am sure that the Aurora, Intrigue and Alero will find new homes.

teo

http://www.generalmotors.com/cgi-bin/pr_display.pl?1870

jgriff

You had to sense something was UP with Olds, no real aggressive advertising campaign, quality control issues, 18% sales drop, DEEP-DEEP discounting.

Boy do I feel really really good, about dissing the Intrigue, guess it just wasn’t meant to be. Wonder what this will do to the prices of new/used Olds?

“Half of Life is Timing” [jgriff]

dindak

I'm not so sure..

I am VERY disappointed.

dindak

Thanks for rubbing salt in a wound. Really low!

teo

Will you keep your Intrigue after all this?

white6

This is the final straw for me. After fighting tooth-and-nail to get GM to buy back my defective 2000 Sierra, now this! I just called my wife and told her she better be happy driving the Intrigue, since she's going to be driving it for a LONG TIME! Resale already was dismal, now will be absolutely terrible. I don't see myself ever purchasing another GM product. With only one exception, I have purchased GM products for the last 23 years. After a disasterous experience with Saturn (50% resale value after 2 years/24,000 miles), the Sierra debacle, and now being told I own a $25,000 orphan, I have finally learned my lesson. BMW and Acura, you stand to profit greatly from this repeatedly spit-upon, 41-year-old, life-long GM customer.

isellpotiac

I cannot believe the news, but it is true. My stepfather is a single point Oldsmobile franchise and GM just had a dealer only broadcast and they got the hook. Not to sure what is going to happen with the nameplate of Oldsmobile but I would guess the only "oldsmobile only" design that will survive will be the Aurora. I have sold Oldsmobile in the past and these cars are just as tight with 100,000 miles on them as when they come off the showroom floor. I currently sell GMC and Oldsmobile was supposed to get the redesigned Bravada before we got the the Envoy. I would imagine this would change those plans. I think my stepfather might end up buying the Buick-Pontiac-GMC store that is for sale or buy the Chevy-Caddy-Buick store. These dealerships are in close approximity to his current location and are for sale. He has been in business for over 80 years in the same place and has been an Elite dealership numerous times. I hope GM keeps that 3.5 liter engine that is in the Intrigue, it is much better than the 3.8 pushrod that is in Grand Prix and that engine is one of the best ever built by GM. Since I work at a Pontiac-GMC store we will be getting a broadcast at 12:30 pm EST and I will keep you guys posted. The Cutlass that Oldsmobile dropped (the cousin to the Malibu) was because they only offered it to bridge the gap between the old body style Cutlass until ramp up of the Intrique. I have an uncle in the business who 3 months ago sold his Olds-Pontiac store, I wonder how happy the new owner is?

dindak

Absolutely! I will try and buy another before they are gone. I love the name and the cars. I am very happy with my Intrigue!

Any time frame on this phase out??

b4z

I would imagine at least a year. I wonder if they will even bring the bravada out. It was supposed to start production in January.

vcjumper

Well I guess if Olds is gone, my Intrigue will be the last GM I'll own for quite a while unless another one of their divisions produces something worthwhile in my eyes. Hopefully the Aurora lives on in another name like saturn, I would guess they will time the phase out of Intrigue/Alero with the end of the Olds name. No Arseteks, ribbed vehicles, all gray and amber interiors, bigger vehicles, one step from whitewall tire vehicles, or bench front seats for me.

teo

According to the GM press release, current GM owners will receive a $1,000 voucher to purchase or lease another Oldsmobile or GM vehicle for that matter. I don't know if this offer also applies to Canadian residents as well.

dwg

Well, it's official. I heard the speculation on my way to work this morning and just saw the article on Reuters Business News. So much for my projections.

It is sad. The Olds name has a long and proud history, but apparently the baggage from the Roger Smith era was too much to overcome. I'll be curious to see what GM does with the Olds products over the next several years. Since Olds is to be phased out over a number of years, I doubt that the Olds platforms will be incorporated in other divisions' line ups. Why rebadge an Aurora as a Cadillac when Cadillac is trying to create a new brand image? I've said this before, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the Olds concepts picked up by the Saturn division. Olds and Saturn really have the most in common since the restructuring of Olds toward a younger, more import oriented audience.

$3 billion spent to restructure the brand over the past 5 years or so and all for naught. That's what boggles the mind. Only GM could withstand that kind of hit and keep coming back for more.

I saw in the press release that GM promises to support loyal Olds customers. Since I don't expect much in the way of cash incentives to make up for my now lost resale value, I hope that GM will at least offer a product that is as appealing as the Intrigue. Otherwise, I'm outta here!

dwg

P.S. Jgrief: Don't gloat too much. You got burned on a car and made a fortuitous switch. Nothing more, nothing less.

kklotz

I'm happy to say that I have a 2001 Intrigue GL AND a 2001 Silhouette Premiere. I bought these cars because I had a 1998 Intrigue and a 1997 Silhouette and I was very happy with them. I am truly sorry that Oldsmobile is being discontinued. They have always offered a great package at a reasonable price. As someone recently said, these won't be collector cars, but orphans. I had considered buying these cars after their leases expired, but will not do so now. The resale on the previous cars was bad enough--this latest blow will make them worse. Again, I am not sorry that I have these cars. I enjoy them and they provide a great value for the money.