Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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every 30K miles - fuel filter
every 50K miles - transmission fluid
every 5 years or 100K miles - coolant change
The ride was a little firmer coming from the standard shoes. However, IMO, ride quality improved; handling and control were much better and steering inputs more precise. But then again, for what you pay it just out to handle better.
Overall I liked them but I too have been considering the X-One and SportA2. I'd sacrifice a smoother ride to have the handling and confidence in rain and wet weather I experienced with the Pilots.
For those that went with Sport A2's and Yokohama: Is there a good mix of wet weather "confidence" and ride comfort?
As for the Impala, had one for a couple of days a few weeks ago - another rental. Typical Chevy, dependable and boring (except for the 'Vette!). Weird instrument panel with cheap materials, big gaps and exposed screw-heads. Very Chevy. Noone turned their heads as I pulled into the parking lots. I get to drive a lot of Hertz Taurus's, and frankly they are better handling, more nimble cars than the Impala, neither one turns heads, though. The Impala's brakes are a serious weak point, too. I noticed a lot more distance and effort required than in the Intrigue.
Oldsman - I seriously hope you consider ditching your car before the warranty expires, unless you've got an extended one. Any car, even a Kia, that has to go in the shop 3 times for a transmission problem, is a dog. Again, my '98 has been flawless except for the one-time ISS issue. Maybe you just got one built on a Friday afternoon!
I like the performance of the Maxima, too. But the looks are obviously Japanese to me. Nice driver, though.
Given the 03 Saab 9-5 is priced only a few thousand more than my Intrigue was, I'd be tempted to pick up one of those if I was looking today. There are also great deals on leftover Aurora 3.5's in the local paper.
As car enthusiasts, I think we all kick the tires on a continual basis. So many new models on the way and only room/ money for 2 cars in the garage. Probably why I collect model cars.
;-)
Fortunately, (or maybe not) I rent a car almost every week, so I am getting to drive some of the '03's , so far, the Regal, Maxima, Altima, Taurus, Town Car, Camry, Grand Marquis (with a new independent front suspension that makes the steering feel tighter and the whole car surprisingly more agile than before) and the Chrysler 300. As well as some pretty hard-driven '02's - including my share of Intrigue's and GP's. Driving some of those can sure show you a lot about how they'll hold up under heavy use.
because if you buy a 3rd car you are guaranteed to have one in the shop. It's Murphy's Law.
Impala has 12" brake rotors on the front. The only wbody to have those. They are bigger than the Intrigue's with the Autobahn package.
noticeable difference in handling between base impala and LS
Also 3800 has more torque and power than 3400.
i get all kinds of looks with my LS of course it is Navy blue metallic and has the 5 spoke aluminum wheels.
Evidently a 36K Aurora can be had for 26K.
So there is 3-4K in reductions given to the dealer that we can't verify from the regular invoice.
But for those prices (if one could get it at the new invoice) I'd try to squeeze into one.
JD Powers Results
"Toyota, Honda and Nissan have led the industry in long-term dependability for years, and U.S. automakers have failed to close the gap, Brian Walters, director of product research, told Reuters in an interview."
Based just on this, buying a Nissan or Toyota will be problem free compared to a GM car. My sister-n-law had 2 Nissans that were pure junk. My brother-n-law has a Sentra that Nissan can't seem to fix. My sister-n-law's coworker had a Max with the same problems she had. My Toyota Camry was far from trouble-free. The engine mounts cracked, the car vibrated at stops for no reason, the door seals were a problem-- when it rained, I could hear the water from the tires like the window was cracked. My neighbor across the street had/has so many problems with her late 90's Camry that they hired a lawyer to try to get the dealer to buy it back thru the lemon law.
Remember, I said perspective is the key. I had a Lumina in '92 that was great except for one problem. Dindak hasn't had any major problems with his Intrigue so that he got another GM car. My problems with the Intrigue were minor and repaired early and never saw them again. So much so that I purchased another "problem" Intrigue. However, jgriff, b4z, and other have had problems that caused them not to go back to Olds or GM. So if I were writing an editorial, based on what I've just stated, my slant would be toward domestics--GM in particular.
Personally, I take surveys like JD Powers with a grain of salt; I use it as a reference but not as a guide. I think that those who have come to this forum and the other's on Edmunds before making a purchase are the wisest. Talk to people who own the cars you like (foreign or domestic) to find out what problems to expect. I bet most Toyota owners don't know that their V-6 engines have a sludge problem. If you can deal with it, buy the car. But people who make purchaes based solely on Consumer Reports, JD Powers and Edmunds run the risk of being greatly disappointed.
Just my two cents :-)
No pun intended, right?
Both Buick and Cadillac did very well, clearly the better two divisions.
Well, I'm waiting for the claims adjuster and for the rental car "of comparable type" (Insurance co's words). My guess is I'm gonna get a Buick or a Chevy Impala or Malibu. I am interested in trying out the new Maxima or Altima, but when do those ever make it into a rental fleet? Well, I'll get back to you with my thoughts on whatever I end up with.
One last thing, my next-door neighbor saw the 7 or 8 teens exit one property, cross the street and enter another property, exit the property and saw the direction they ran (I stepped into the house for a sec). The cops showed up 30 seconds later, were given directions and STILL did not catch one person. Not ONE. They took their time going down the block. So much for serving and protecting.
Incidently, my 3800 powered 98 Intrigue now has 101K miles, & is still going strong. The only problem I have had is to replace a fan motor in the dashboard for the AC/heater. Not bad for so many miles. My headlights do flicker a bit during nighttime startups, but once you get rolling everything is fine-- low beams, high beams, and everything inbetween. As long as everthing functions, I am happy. I especially love pulling away from my supervisor in his puny little 1998 323ci Bimmer when we are at stoplights. His car has 35K miles and practically lives at the shop-- related to various electrical problems. I digress----
Anyway, my workday is over-- everyone have a great weekend!
You mentioned things that have gone on issue wise, but I'd be curious to hear about a few other things.
Disappointing because when I returned it, Aleros were being returned by the minute (mostly bright red and blue-green) that I probably would have appreciated more. I would say 60% of the lot I could see was Alero or Malibu.
Initial impression is that the Aurora carries a bit too much weight for the 3.5. It does seem to strain it a bit compared to the Intrigue. I can only imagine what the 8 would be like...
For all the problems my Intrigue had, I still miss her. LOL. And guess what? My Maxima is going to the dealer sooner than my Intrigue ever did. The Check Engine Soon light has come on!
I installed some splash guards and that was easy. Replacing the "In-Cabin Microfilter" wasn't. You have to remove the entire glove box to do it. LOL. I think now that I've done it though, it'll be easier. This one is supposed to be washable and thank goodness! It's $49 to replace!
Lights starting flickering again (alternator last replaced by dealer in Feb. of 01) on our 99 GL 3.5 about a week ago. Went to have dinner with Mom last night, and it got REALLY BAD on the way back. So bad that just having to go up a slight hill caused the headlights to dim dramatically until we topped the hill and let off the accelerator. The first one (alternator) took 3 or 4 months to get this bad. This one (3rd alternator in 4 years) went from fine to very bad in only about 2 weeks. Called O'Reilly's auto parts this morning... $228 for a lifetime warranty replacement and they can have it by 2:15 this afternoon. I definitely want a lifetime warranty on this particular part. It's going to be a real pain to install, though. You have to remove the fans, drain the radiator, remove the lower radiator hose, remove the lower idler pulley and only then can you remove the alternator. When the dealer fixed it, they had to keep the car an extra day because their moron tech damaged the radiator pulling off the old alternator! I guess this is going to be an every-other-year event for an Intrigue owner. Of course, in 72,000 miles, I have only spent $235 in repairs... even replacing the alternator myself, I'll still be under $500 for the first 75,000 miles. Glad I didn't pony up that $1,100 to extend the warranty to 75,000 miles. I'd still be out $600 and would be at the mercy of the "professional" mechanics that seem to be all thumbs when they work on MY vehicles. I wonder if this alternator will be any different than the first three that it had. We'll see.
On the Intrigue, I have had brake jobs done on the front & rear end within the last year and a half. I have had the transmission fluid changed a couple months ago, even though the maintenance schedule technically did not call for it. The spark plugs were replaced at 90K, as I was concerned about siezure if they remained until 100K. As a matter of fact, today I had the engine/ radiator cooling system flushed. While they were at it, they replaced the main upper & lower radiator hoses and installed a new thermostat and a new set up wiper blades. My philosophy is that if you do not maintain your car with good preventative maintenance, you are asking for it. I will most likely stick in a new battery in January. I change my own oil & filter every 3K. I put in new air filters every 20K, as pollen in NC in spring can clog it up. I also install my own belt every 60K miles. I get my tires balanced and rotated every other oil change at a local warehouse club. I last got a nice set of 85K Uniroyal tires (s=rated) for around $270 back in January. They ride and handle quite nicely and quietly. My wife refers to the passenger side grab handle as her "Grip of Death," as I tend to attack corners with much ferocity.
Fact is, the 3800 is obscenely cheap to maintain. If you take steps to service it regularly, it will run quite a long time. Although I get 30 mpg on the highway, I bounce around 18-23 mpg city depending upon how heavy my lead foot is (i.e. most of the time.)
Problems have been few. The climate control fan motor in the dashboard died at 70K and was replaced. I had the inside driver door panel tightened after some incredibly stupid kid at church decided to hang-- legs up--- from the driver door near the tweeter assembly. That incident was clearly not the car's fault. The fog lamps to me are for style only, as they really do not put out that much light. The car does have some minor squeaks and rattles which become aparent mostly in cold weather. (Show me a car with a 100K miles that doesn't have this and I'll sell you beach front property in Idaho.) My car has had no problems with the steering. Brakes too, except for usual wear & tear.
I do love the outlay of the dashboard. It is made of nicely padded materials and is easy to read. The automatic dual zone climate control was a bit fussy at first, but is easy to use once you learn how. To my wife, the dual zone temps are a Godsend, as she likes it warmer than I do. However, I hate the cupholders, as they are too shallow. The single cupholder that pops out in front of the console is one of the few things about my car I utterly despise. It feels just plain dinky. The fixed cupholder which is on the far end of the consule in front of the shifter is OK, but still too shallow. Aggressive cornering results in rolling pop bottles. GM did some obvious cost cutting in the plastics used on the doors. The doors "breath" when opening and closing a window. They are not loose, nor do they rattle. It's nothing bad, mind you, but it does feel somewhat less than as substantial as it could be. The plastic around the power window buttons is also a little cheap. But, the control stalks around the steering wheel feel solid and substantial. To me, these minor issues are just that-- minor. My car rides quite nicely, yet can tackle corners with great eagerness. It has every bell and whistle I would want, except for a sunroof and maybe leather interior. I wish I had the tan interior instead of the light grey. The white exterior is also a major pain in the butt to keep clean. The car's alloy wheels still look great.
I love the style of my car, with its clean, sculpted flanks. (To me, Japanese and even some German cars look too generic. ) I love the fact that my Intrigue offers a great balance of space and utility, performance, highway fuel efficiency, ride, handling, inexpensive maintainance, and high equipment levels for the money.
Do I regret this purchase? Absolutely not. Do I love my car? That's a definate YES! Are there things that GM could have done better? Obviously, yes.
Am I dissapointed that GM killed Olds? Yes. Given this fact, my car will depreciate at a faster rate than normal. Hence, I am motivated to keep her running for a very... long... time... as I will never be able to trade her in for very much, so I may as well drive it until it drops... I think I can get 200K out of her... then, we'll prolly get an Accord, as the wife seems enamoured with new redesign.
When my supervisor's BMW 323ci automatic starts beating me between stoplights, then I'll worry
Sorry this post was so long, but I was in the mood to type...
D.
Have you found another job?
Hope you have a good trip. The intrigue is the consummate road car.
jg28, what year and model was your Intrigue?
oldsman- Detailed a 00' Century with 50k miles back in June. Not a bad car, but really not great. Of course, the one I cleaned was beige metallic over beige cloth (yuck!), and a "Century 2000" model. Rode well and was very quiet, and quite comfortable, but even at low speeds I could feel the lack of much cornering grip and power. Overall, I liked it somewhat, but nowhere near as much as the Intrigue. That, and it was horribly filthy, because the owner (a lady in her mid-late 30's) said she never liked the car, so she just ran it through the car wash once or twice a year.
The Nissan service advisor said "the Intrigue is a nice car but nothing like the Maxima." I didn't have the energy to get into an argument plus I want a good relationship but I sure hate it when people get all foreign elitist about automobiles. At least he knew what Intrigue was.
I replaced the ugly racer boy taillights with red ones and it looks amazingly better. Also installed some splash guards and replaced the cabin air filter (a job that requires removing the entire glove box). The interior definitely has a more solid feel than my Intrigue and higher quality plastics but it has one or two minor rattles. They even have TSBs for em which really made me feel like they care a lot about the little things (can you imagine if GM had TSBs for rattles? LOL).
All the controls on the Intrigue were much more intuitive. But I don't miss the cruise button on the dash. I do have to say that I don't think the new Intrigue radios are as intuitive as the old ones (though they look better) and the auto climate controls are not at all intuitive. Give me a plain GX HVAC control anyday.
LOVE the trip computer on the Max (outside temp display, distance to empty, mpg [24mpg if you can believe it!] and trip timer) but hate that the steering wheel buttons are not illuminated at night.
I sure miss the perfect in your hands feel of the Intrigue steering wheel (again I'm talking of the non-leather wrapped GX). It just felt right... perfect heft, beefy. The Maxima doesn't feel like that and the steering is overboosted.
It's odd that Edmunds complains about the SE suspension being harsh. It's sure a lot softer and nicer ride than the Intrigue was.
We had our first snow this evening, didn't accumulate but was enough to find out these tires are really crappy. They are Potenza RE92s. Now I dunno why the Potenza RE950s are so much better but they are. Unfortunately since these are 17 inch rims, it costs a minor fortune to replace them. The Dunlop Sport SP A2s are a lot cheaper so I'm going to try and find a dealer that carries them. Don't think they come in my OEM size though (225-50-17). Relish that you can get cheaper tires with the Intrigue's OEM size (225-60-16). Aquatreds aren't even available in 17 inch sizes.
vcjumper : I tested a Malibu when we bought our Alero as they were about the same price. The Malibu is ok, but the suspension is soft and the interior is strange to me. Although the Alero's Ecotec has 30 less hp, it doesn't seem any less peppy, especially on the highway. The new 04 Malibu loos good though!
brave dave : Wow, 100K. thats great. We plan on keeping our Intrigue for about 5-6 more years and I am confident it will still be running well then. We have about 54K kms on the car now.
DO check your limo driver folks if your ever out there, it could be me, ask for ketch (and tip big).
-Some sort of rattle in the rear right pillar, seems like its coming from where the roof meets the rear window or something like that. It only happens over bumps and rough roads, and its more of a vibration. Annoying because 1 (I'm obsessive) and 2 (it sounds like it would be SO easy to fix if I could just figure out where its coming from)
-the button that advances or reverses what track you are on for the CD (aka the seek/scan button) stopped reversing...you can advance a track but you can't go back a track. Odd. Its the same unit I had in the Alero and I didn't have any problems.
So, if these sound familiar to anyone, do tell. I figure when I go home for Xmas I will have the local dealer take a look, nothing urgent. Everything else is great, gas mileage went from 13.9 to 16 and this tank looks like another improvement (I drive HARD city only, as I said before) brakes feel broken in and have better grip. Seems like everyone is down on the tirs, mine has the PCS package Eagle RSA's--whats wrong with them? Is it only the LS's that people are complaining about? They seem to be quite good to me, certainly one of the higher end tires Goodyear sells.
Thanks...
oldsman : Hope you are all fixed up now and can enjoy your car. I still have to get my alternator fixed this winter before the warranty runs out. I'm waiting till the very end.
My GL just got towed Monday morning, and I've got my rental, a Pontiac Sunfire.
Enterprise didn't even have a "comparable size" vehicle for me to borrow. I'll just say that the thing sounds like it would die on me if I push it too hard. The engine is underpowered (pre-ecotec), sounds rough and I swear it hits 2000 rpm before it starts to move. The tires are in bad need of a rotation. There is the standard cheap plastic interior, but it does have a CD player with the volume able to change with road noise, something my GL does not have (but it's a 99). This disparity in the two interiors is amusing in a way. Trust me, I will upgrade when I get the chance.
If the sound you are describing is a vibration then I think I know what it is.
There is a thin piece of plastic that is used for the transistion between the headliner and the door ring. It basically hides the ends of the headliner.
This piece of plastic wraps around the door ring.
mine vibrated at the top.
I finally figured it out when I went over a steel deck bridge and reached over and put pressure on it. The noise stopped.
I am very tall. So you may not be able to do it while you are driving.
BTW, heard that GM is going to continue to build the current Malibu after debuting the new one. It will be sold to fleets and rental agencies only; will be called Chevrolet Classic. Same thing they did when the new Impala came out; continued to build the Lumina for fleet sales for a while.
Malibu Classic is indeed what the car will become. They should just discontinue it, but I think they want maximum volume for consumers when the new Malibu arrives.
;^)akitadog, what did yours have to be towed for? Knock on wood, but mine has never left me stranded. BTW, even my 01 doesn't have the speed compensated volume on the radio.