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"According to the 2002 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, GM is now No. 1 in car powertrains in the industry among full-line manufacturers, surpassing Toyota and Honda.
GM's car powertrains had only 13.6 problems per hundred, beating Toyota's 14.3 and Honda's 14.8. The score of 13.6 is a 29% improvement over last year.
Three GM vehicles had engines that were in the top 10 for car engines: the Chevy Corvette, Olds Intrigue and Buick Century. The Corvette LS6 engine was the best of all GM engines at 3.8.
GM's car automatic transmissions currently lead the industry. GM is 12% of it's nearest competitor, Honda. The Cadillac Seville had the best car transmission in the industry at 0.8, while the Bonneville and Grand Am were in the top ten."
My opinion: Just one more reason to show why canning the 3.5 (and the Intrigue) was a big mistake.
(From Toyota Corolla '01 to '99 Mazda 626, then '01 Nissan Altima.)
Each time we were at the dealer, they showed us another model cars....
We like '01 Altima and we can chose from many, but none of them have ABS.
The sales person showed us '99 INTRIGUE GL, we love it.(very clean inside and out)
It only has 14k miles on.
We are sure that we can get it for less than 11K, even their asking price is 14.5K.
Can you tell me any known problems w/ this car?
We are too tired shopping around anymore.
If this is good reliable car, we just make a deal w/ dealer.
(otherwise, we go for '01 Altima at 12.3K)
Basic: 5 yr. / 60,000 mi.
Drivetrain: 5 yr. / 60,000 mi.
Roadside: 5 yr. / 60,000 mi.
Rust: 6 yr. / 100,000 mi.
If so, it's great.
(our sale person doesn't know anything.)
Thanks.
Although 14K miles is excellent.
Don't believe factory offered 5yr/60K warranty on '99s. Only 2000's left in stock and 2001's and 2002s offered it.
Old's demise was announced in December of 2000, so unless this car was left unsold for '99 the factory won't warrant it for 60K.
Find out the build date or better yet the inservice date
Is the seller offering to pay for the extended warranty?
Does this car have the 3800 engine or the 3.5L?
I prefer the 3.5L although the 3800 is ultra reliable, the 3.5L is smoother and more refined.
Things to look out for:
Rough start or hard start. Crankshaft sensor or ignition switch will fix it, but getting dealer to do it without a trouble code is difficult.
Intermediate Steering shaft: Listen for clunking or popping sounds when turning right. A lube kit will stop the noises.
Dashboard coming loose around air vents. Most 99's don't have this problem but 00's-02's can.
Warped front rotors. Replace
Intrigues are a little noisy over rough pavement and at higher speeds. '01's and laters are quieter.
Overall a pretty decent car if you can buy it right.
Mine was unfixable and got a '01 Impala to replace it. Not as sporty as the intrigue but fewer issues and a little cheaper to buy brand new. Bigger backseat and a huge trunk.
Did your Thunderbird have Goodyear Gatorbacks "VR"?
That was a hard riding noisy tire using technology from 1983.
Goodyears ultraperformance tires are pretty good. Their OEM line has too many compromises.
Basic: 5 yr. / 60,000 mi.
Drivetrain: 5 yr. / 60,000 mi.
Roadside: 5 yr. / 60,000 mi.
Rust: 6 yr. / 100,000 mi.
If so, it's great.
(our sale person doesn't know anything.)
Thanks.
The car which we test drove was very clean.
We like the ride and the power. (also, I think it looks better than Altima.)
However we don't know about GM cars.
If we buy this car, we have to get the extended warranty.
The guy on this thread that recently bought the brand new 2000 got the full warranty.
Okmom, read the fine print on whatever extended warranty you get. They are not all created equal. Also note that for many extended warranties, the mileage figure is the odometer reading. IOW, a 3yr, 36,000 mile extended warranty probaby means 3 yrs from the start or 36,000 miles on the odometer.
Lmacmil
Also, when we opened the hood, we saw the rust on passenger side screws.
Dose this mean this car had water leak problems?
Thanks again.
Don't know about the leak but some Aleros had water in the passenger side footwell. I seem to remember that some intrigue's did also.
Take the car to an independent mechanic and have him look over it.
The shimmy can be fixed. A rebalance will fix it unless the tires have a bad wear pattern on them.
Intrigues are at there best on the highway. Smooth as glass and tied to the road.
The only negative is the high road noise coming from the rear wheel wells.
My 3800 had to have its uppermanifold base replaced because it was warped(made of plastic).
So in my experience I would have to say that the 3.5L was the better engine.
2021 VW Arteon SEL 4-motion, 2018 VW Passat SE w/tech, 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus w/tech
sda : Costco has great prices on Michelins and BF Goodrich tires. I would avoid Firestones, worst tires I have ever owned and my mother in law has had similar experiences.
What would you recommend?
I'm thinking of changing all fluids, filters, belts, having the steering intermediate shaft lubed to 'fix' the clunking, and change spark plugs.
How long has it been since you posted?
Didn't you live in Columbia or Sumter?
I am in Charleston.
The jury is still out on replacing tranny fluid if it hasn't been done before, but if it were me I would change it too.
CTS is a tempting car though!!
Installed new stereo, amp, etc., factory speakers are ok but not up to standard of new equipments, will get them changed soon.
Went out of town quite a bit during august and got quite a few stone chips in the front.
20,000+ km now, 1 year in october.
Another topic: Car n Driver mentioned 2004 Olds models! I thought 2003 was the last year . . .
58000 miles, moonroof, keyless entry, new tires and brakes/rotors, freshly waxed (looks good), 3.5L, Silver. In Indianapolis
What would be a good price to sell Private party?
I'm thinking $8500, is that too low/high?
I was trying to sell my Civic instead, and based my price on TMV and NADA (~$14200). When I posted my asking price ($13900) on the Civic board, they all basically laughed at me and told me I was way too high....this and the fact that I've had that car for sale for more than a month has not only weakened my faith in these guides, but forced me to consider selling my older, higher mileage intrigue
If the $8500 figure is the Edmunds TMV or NADA price for private party, that would seem to be a good place to start. If you are shopping for a replacement from a dealer, find out what the trade-in value is so you know the minimum to accept from a private party. Keep in mind that, as great a car as it is, the Intrigue is an orphan and has little badge recognition. That's going to steer the unsophisticated buyer away.
Good luck.
Its now time for first oil/filer change and was wondering if anyone has switched their Intrigue to synthetic oil? If so what mileage interval re: oil changes would be appropriate (about 90% highway driving)? Is it true that the Intrigue uses an cannister-style oil filter, and is this filter easy to change as a do-it-yourselfer?
So far only two concerns noted:
(1) There is a whine that lasts for about 30-45 seconds when the car is started cold - is this correct or is this a second stage air intake motor malfunction (is the motor binding and causing the whine)?
(2) When applying the brakes when backing up or moving forward slowly there is a loud 'click' from the right front brake area (caliper?) - has anyone else had this problem?
ss67 : Congrats on the new 02. The GX's out now are a steal of a deal. I'm sure you will enjoy. Might want to have those things checked. I don't get any whine when I start my car.
I always change to synthetic at my first oil change. Have followed this rule with about half a dozen new vehicles (I lease).
Having done so, I do not adhere to the 3,000 oil change rule. I typically change the filter only and add a quart at 5,000, and change oil and filter at 10,000miles.
The Intrigue filter is NOT a cannister type. It is really quite small, almost motorcycle size, that is installed inside of the oil pan. I was concerned over the size but it worked fine and always appeared clean when changed, even on my modified change schedule.
The 6 quart capacity of the crankcase preovides enhanced cooling for the 3.5 liter and IMO provides an even greater margin for change intervals.
With the syn, you do not experience fluid breakdown from heat in the same way as with the dino oils. Therefore the lubrication properties last longer with the greater issue being filtration. Keep it clean.
I have always thought that the change interval was a marketing scam of the auto-oil industries.
There may be users who should adhere to the 3,000 mile change interval. But in normal usage, I can't imagine that necessity in other than engines under constant heavy loads.
Just leased a GMC Envoy. It is equipped with an oil life monitor. It is designed to constantly monitor and accumulate usage data on the engine oil. It provides a % of life remaining on the oil. After 3,000 miles, it is reading 80% life remaining on the original factory installed oil. This vehicle sees the same usage pattern as the Intrigue.
Just wondering.
yellowperil - I don't think I've ever seen the security light come on in my Intrigue. You may be experiencing a malfunction. I would have it checked out or else you might find yourself stranded somewhere when passlock keeps you from starting the car...
Granted you are using synthetic but there is still dirt and contaminents in it.
I doubt if GM would honor the warranty if they found out you were going to 10,000 miles.
On the subject of oil changes, I subscribe to the recommendation of Castrol (since I use Syntec). They recommend changing the oil at the scheduled interval. In our case, that means changing it when the change oil light comes on. My light blinks at about 4,000 miles, 5,000 if I do a lot of driving. I may let it slide 2,000 miles more but at that point I am determined to change it. I don't think this hurts since the light appears to err on the side of caution.
I try to follow the lite because if synthetic oil protects so much better than conventional dino, [and engines last for long periods with regular oil when changed according to schedule] then changing it with syntec at the same intervals should make that baby last forever.
I change the oil filter every single oil change. If you get them from GM Parts Direct ( http://gmpartsdirect.com/ ), you're only paying $3.19 each filter. That doesn't even register when you consider how much it would cost to replace an engine. Interestingly enough, if I remember correctly, the manual says you can replace the filter every other change. But why would you? You spend more than $3.19 buying an Extra Value Meal. Is not your engine more important that that?
Don't plan on an ext. warranty after mine is gone in March. I'll take my chances as the car has been pretty good and I don't expect that to change. Just have to get the alternator and intermediate shaft issues looked at this fall.