Oldsmobile Intrigue

dindak

$10K is silly. Where abouts do you live?

I could easily get more than that up here on my 3 1/2 yr old Intrigue with 66K kms on it.

oldsman01

Concord, TN. 10.5K is pretty much what Edmunds and kbb list as trade-in value for an 01 Intrigue with the equipment(i.e. everything) with 35K. Don't believe me, plug in 37922 for zip code and run a price report. Remember this is trade-in values which are typically cheaper than retail or private party sale. I have 2 problems with trying to sell myself. One, this is my only car so if I do sell it, I have to get a new car immediately. Second, any potential buyer who asks to see the service history on this car will either bolt or will offer absolute rock bottom price. I guess I could lie and only show the service orders for oil changes, but I am a firm believer in "what goes around comes around" and since I may someday be in the boat of buying a used car, I just can't in good faith do this. And I do like to keep a good relationship with the people I do business with. But hey, when she's clean she sure looks good sitting in the driveway.

mfletouva

I gotcha. Certain cars are right for certain people, and really the Forester is basically a tall wagon. My parents just took delivery yesterday, so we'll see how they like it.

I don't mean to be harsh, cause I share the frustration, but frankly everyone who has bought an Oldsmobile since early 2001 when the annoucement was made should know that they were going to get killed on depreciation. Not that I'm not sympathetic, its just that I'm shocked that you were that surprised that your offer was low. Plus, your sticker may have been $29k, but I'm sure you didn't pay anywhere near that. My sticker was $28k and I paid $19k. All of a sudden $10k doesn't look so bad--same out of pocket as a lease. When I bought this car a year ago I bought with the knowledge that I'd better keep for good cause I'd get killed on it otherwise.

 That said, if you really want the Explorer, maybe you could sell it private party, there still is a little market out there for it. Plus, you really might get a better deal with the TB. When I got my Intrigue, I traded an Alero and that made all the difference in the trade value. The GM store offered a full $1000 over Carmax and the other dealers.

Good luck!

b4z

My story. Same as yours.
'99 Intrigue 23K MSRP.
Owned for 26 months 35.5K miles.
Early lease termination and into an Impala.
Intrigue brought $8300 at auction.

It appears that your warranty is up soon. You are scared of the car.
It will be cheaper to keep her.
But much more frustrating.
Dump her and move on.
Roll it into the Explorer/Trailblazer payment.
Then drive the SUV till it drops.

dindak

True enough, I know I would not sell a car like that privately either, I feel so guilty. With my luck I'd get sued or something for knowingly hiding facts about the car. In terms of resale, I think it varies a lot from area to area. GM midsize sedans all seem to be priced around the same in these parts. Doesn't matter if it's a Regal, GP or Intrigue. Oldsmobiles are fairly common in these parts and the local dealer is pretty good and honest which helps a lot.

A GM dealer SHOULD give you more than a Ford will so an Envoy/TB might be the best option if you trade in. It's too bad your car is not like ours, you wouldn't likely be trading then.

Went down to Niagara Falls this weekend with my wifes best friend from Chicago. She was very impressed with the rear seat comfort of the Intrigue which was a nice complement to hear.

dindak

Auction is not the same as resale or retail. Lots of variables in an auction also that can deflate prices.

sda

I had the same problem when I had the ISS lubed. Seems there is a gasket at the firewall that they did not slip back into place. As a result, I heard a substantial increase in engine noise. Took back to dealer, and they quickly fixed it immediately. Quiet now. Other than having to take your car back (AGAIN), it is an easy fix.

oldsman01

I'm still covered under warranty for another 3 years or 25K as mine has the 5 year/60K warranty so I'm not scared about not being covered by a warranty, but I'm scared as to how many more times I'm going to have to use the warranty! It would certainly make more financial sense to keep the car until the warranty is up, but at the cost of my sanity:) I know nothing is perfect and I'm fine with having a few problems here and there, but the problems I've had with this car are things you would expect on a car with 135K not 35K. Heck, my old 89 Olds Touring Sedan with well over 100K had fewer problems than my Intrigue has. And the worst part is that everytime something has to be replaced, it takes forever for the parts to come in. Anyway, I'm not going to prolong this topic anymore.

All this banter about resale does remind me that when you drive a brand new car off the lot, you've just taken a big hit in depreciation. While low interest rates, big rebates, and warranties make a brand new car very attractive, I'm starting to think that used isn't a bad way to go. A 2 year old car has already taken it's biggest hit in depreciation and while it's a crapshoot as to whether it may be reliable or not, I've can attest that a brand new car can quickly turn into problems.

sda, I figure there is probably a seal or something that got left off so I may venture back to the dealer AGAIN and see if they can correct it.

b4z

My experience with the Intrigue was not just that it had problems.
It was that they were never fixed to my satisfaction.
I am talking about taking the car in 6-7 times for the same thing.
I expect most GM cars to have those 3-4 things that have to be done under warranty.
But there was never any resolution with this car.

dindak

b4z : You and Oldsman seem to have / had similar cars. I can not fathom why issues can not be fixed by your respective dealers. My temp gauge problem did require 3 visits to fix but it's never been a problem again since they finally replaced it.

Oldsman : You could probably p/u a used Explorer for a lot less than a new if you can find a good one. You are right, low resales make used even more attractive.

b4z

I actually was considering buying an 01 Intrigue when I did the early lease termination. But I felt like i would be rewarding my dealer for his shoddy service department.
I really wanted the shortstar in my next car.
The 3800 can't hold a candle to that engine.
The Imp is a good car, but not exciting like the Intrigue was.
There was something about that engine that encouraged you to put your foot into it.
It was like a turbo kicking in at 3500 rpms.

redline65

I think a sore spot with a lot of Intrigue owners is the ISS lube issue. Why is it necessary to have this done periodically? Why can't GM come up with a permanent fix for this?

b4z

My Impala has it too. Plus it needed the brake caliper shim kit.

sda

Nothing grates on me more than to have to take my car back for re-work because it wasn't done correctly the first time. I had to take my car back four times with my latest problem that was finally corrected. Thats a bitter pill to swallow. Since my local dealership has changed ownership, the level of service I receive has really declined. Of the 5 service writers, 4 have left. The attitude of the new crew is as 'they don't care', but they are quick to ask for a perfect rating on their bogus customer service survey. While I might be happy with a car in general, the lack of decent service will be a definite factor of consideration when I get ready to purchase my next car. The dealership I refer to is a Cadillac store, since the Olds store closed (used to be Cadillac/Olds). So that puts a damper on whether I might want a CTS,DTS,or STS later.

dindak

Yes, good service makes a BIG difference in a car owning experience.

Our local dealership has been great.

mfletouva

You all might find the 2003 JD Power and Associations Dealer Service Satisfaction Study interesting. 6 GM marks were ABOVE average, with only Pontiac slightly below. Saturn was #2, Cadillac #6, Buick #8, Oldsmobile #15, Chevrolet #16, GMC #17, Pontiac #22. For comparison, Ford was #25, Toyota was #28, Mitsubishi #29. The top 5 were: Infiniti, Saturn, Acura, Lexus and Lincoln. The bottom 5: Volkswagen, Kia, Suzuki, Isuzu and Daewoo.

ab348

Got my new (to me) 2002 Intrigue last night and so far I really like it. That engine just hauls you-know-what. Seats are very comfortable, love the stereo, and it looks very good in Tropic Teal. One thing I like that I didn't notice initially was the headliner material - not the usual GM fuzzy material but soemthing a little more import-like. Haven't spotted anything yet that bothers me. Let's hope it stays that way...

dindak

Congrats. I like my car a lot also. The bonus is no rattles after 3 1/2 years of service which is a first for any car I have owned.

b4z

Congrats on your car!
Happy 'triguing.

If you really want to feel some power.
Get it up to a 30 mph cruise.
Then floor it.
It will shift down into first so hard it will practically take your head off.

mfletouva

My understanding is that the 2002 headliner material was an upgrade from other model years. Its called "Windsor" and apparently, along with the carpeting, is "Cadillac-grade" material rather than Pontiac/Buick.

focus

Congratulation on owning a fine car, mine is just over 30k km, so far so good.

oldsman01

Your right about the Intrigue's engine, it is the car's one redeeming quality. It certainly encourages you to put your foot in it, although I am now rewarded with alot more engine noise when I do so as some type of sound barrier must have been disturbed when the steering gear was replaced last week. One thing, you mentioned to ab about his new Intrigue was that harsh transmission downshift when you nail the gas. Mine does this and it is so harsh it makes me think that it certainly can't be good for the car. Having replaced a transmission already(and I don't do those type of downshifts very often) I wonder if GM should not have used the "beefed up" version of the 4T65E in the Intrigue just as they do in the supercharged Regal and GP.

b4z

The delay from when you put your foot into it and when it actually kicks down is too long.
I think this is done to stop the car from hunting between gears with small accelerator inputs.
All the car mags complained about it.

white6

The 3.5 cars use the 4T65E tranny from the blower cars. Just had mine serviced for the first time a few weeks ago. Tech said the screen had quite a bit of stuff in it, but not unusual. He varified that it does, indeed, have the heavier-duty transmission used in the supercharged models.

b4z

I have never heard that.
I think the Intrigue has the M15 veersion.
I will check.

dindak

I was thinking of servicing / changing the fluid on my transmission also. What kind of mileage are you at?

scorp1

Hi ---- I found a TSB summary on Edmunds which is exactly what is happenning to my 1999 olds intrigue GLS so I signed up at alldata.com to get the TSB details to figure out the fix and cost but alldata does not have the TSB listed for 1999 olds intrigue. They have pretty much all the other TSB's for my car as listed in the Edmunds site but not this one!!! Any of you seen the TSB below or had a similar problem?

NHTSA Number: 619243
Bulletin Number: 200201
Bulletin Date: FEB 2001

SOME OWNERS OF VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 3.5 LITER ENGINE AND TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM MAY INTERMITTENTLY EXPERIENCE AN ENGINE STALL AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM ENGAGES. *TT

rjs200240

The Aurora 3.5 and the Intrigue would presumably share the same transmission. The Aurora 3.5 definitely does not have the beefed up 4T65-E HD. It is the regular 4T65-E. I can't think of the specific model designation (the Aurora has the PCS gear ratio which may not be the M15, not sure). But according to the 2002 service manual it is not the HD version. Really, the 3.5 isn't torquier than the 3800, so why would the car need the HD?

troyc2

Can someone please tell me where to find the spark plugs in the Intrigue. Thanks.

ozznet

ozznet

Have any of you guys put winter tires on your Intrigue? I think I probably will because tire rack rates them 5.5 out of 10 for winter driving.
It snowed last spring and I almost went into the ditch twice on a normal snow covered road.

dindak

We has tons of snow last winter and the stock Goodyears were excellent. They may be a bit noisy compared to other tires, but the winter traction is great. I have done 3 winters with no issues.

white6

I was going off what my transmission tech told me. Information is only as good as the source. My 3.5 GL has 84,000 miles, but is almost 5 years old. The wife says she believes the tranny service improved the performance a bit. I have noticed that it has to down-shift to third on a certain Rt.66 hill (55 mph). I don't remember it having to do that in the past, though. The 3.5 only uses about 1/2 quart of oil between 5,000 mile changes. Over the past 3 months, I have cleaned the ICS and throttle body, replaced the spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter and passenger compartment filter, in addition to the tranny service. Next up will be the rear struts... fronts were replaced less than a year ago. We're looking to get another three or four years out of this car; that means ~150,000 miles. So far, it has held up very well. The interior, with a few exceptions, looks very good; carpet, seats and plastic bits are aging very well. The dash is pulling away from the center vent about 1/8-inch; this seems to be a common thing. Funny thing is, the rear brake pads are only about half worn last time I checked!

sda

Great to hear your Intrigue is holding up so well. That is encouraging news. My 2000 GL just turned 36000 miles, so now I'm on my own (no warranty). Had the dash pad replaced last year because of the dash curling at center vent (under warranty), but alas, the replacement dash is doing the same. Mine is running like a champ.

dindak

I think they recommend a transmission service around 50000 kms but I have almost 65K so I'm thinking I should get her in for a service soon. Transmission is running very smooth so it doesn't seem like a priority.

dekester

Parts are warranted for 1 year. They should replace the dash pad again at no cost to you.

Every year I have to have the rear stabilizers and bushings replaced. First time was under the warranty, and each time afterwards under one year parts warranty. Set to go back again in a few weeks for the THIRD time. The rattle from the rear end is embarrassing....

Deke

sda

Thanks! Good advice. I will check my paperwork for the date the dash pad was replaced.

donp9

Did you replace the plugs yourself? If so did you use the special tool to remove the plug boots? Have 82000 kilometres on my 2000 Gl and other than the ISS problem and the auto temp control it has performed well. Both under warranty thank goodness.

dindak: not sure where in cda you are. I'm in central Manitoba and agree the stock Goodyear LS were ok in the snow.
Have since replaced them with 4 Michelin HydroEdge. So far great on dry pavement and we had a good rain yesterday so took the car out on the highway.
 Hit some curves fairly aggresively and they stuck like glue to the road. Hope they will be as good in the winter.

ozznet

I live in Winnipeg and I was not impressed with the traction with the Eagle LS. The tires on my Grand Am were great. I could go threw anything in that car.

dindak

Live in Oakville and though we may not get as much snow as Winterpeg, we had tons last winter and the Goodyears were great.

Ozz, try them out before you replace them. You may be surprised.

white6

Yes, I replaced them myself. No, I didn't go buy the "special tool," I used a pair of plyers and was careful. Wasn't a problem, just don't get real aggressive or, I suppose, you could damage the boot. The plugs I removed looked ok; worn but not terrible. Simply amazing after 80,000 miles! I still remember my 69 Camaro... new plugs, points and condensor every 3 to 5,000 miles!

donp9

I should have asked this question in my orig post - did you replace with GM plugs or did you use another brand?

white6

Bosch Platinum...

vcjumper

Car is 4 years old and tried zaino on it for the first time today. Worked pretty well though I wasn't blown away. I suppose its supposed to get better with more applications.

In other news, I saw a yellow Intrigue (like Protege5 yellow) at the mall yesterday.

ab348

Question to the group: did GX models come standard with accessory carpet floor mats? For some reason mine doesn't have them, just the floor carpet. The dealer isn't showing a listing for them either, at least not in pewter. Strange.

Would these be listed by code on the sticker on the underside of the trunk lid? Anyone know the code?

Took my buddies out for a ride today and both seemed very impressed with the car. We went and visited the dealer lots because one of them is always sort of in the market for a car, and found something interesting. The local Olds dealer has a 2002 GLS on the lot, in service since January, with 15000 km (9000 miles). It's white with 2-tone tan leather, gold package, chrome wheels, sunroof, PCS, Bose, I think every possible option. I remember seeing this car in inventory when it was new. It really is pretty. I assume it was put into service by them and not sold to a customer.

Here's the odd part. If memory serves the sticker on this car was about $36K Cdn. Now as a used car, they are asking $29,900 for it! I think they are nuts. It's a lovely car, but ridiculously overpriced. They may have it for a while.

ozznet

Well it finally happened. I was on my way this morning for a round of golf when I looked in the back seat. I couldn't figure out why my rear seat was folded down and my amp was exposed. So I put the seat back up and go to get in the front when I see that my after market CD player was missing and that area was ripped out. I had no damage to the doors which is great. So I don't know if I left the doors unlocked or if they had one of those bars or something.
  I will say this, at least they did a neat job so my car isn't all smashed up.
  I re installed my factory deck. I only get the front speakers now and they ripped out my antenna cable I think so no radio.
  What away to start a day. I am paranoid that they are coming back for the amp now. Why they didn't take it in the first place I don't know.

focus

eh, lot of interesting stories from the Canadians..
Yellow Intrigue on a yellow brick road?
Who said that used intrigue doesn't keep their value, at least the dealerships are selling them at a price higher than was new.
My sympathy to Ozznet, my volvo was robbed right after i installed custom speakers/amps in it.

javidogg

I wonder if you guys had some type of aftermarket alarm for your vehicles.

I know those factory alarms are a joke, there not sensitive at all and do not have trunk or window coverage.

Peace.

Http://www.cardomain.com/id/javidogg

dindak

ozz : Ouch, sorry to hear about that.

ab348 : Ya, they can't ask that much for the car. They are nuts. That said, there is always a sucker out there.

jtrujillo86

Hey guys! I'm in the market for a new car (as you might have seen from some of my posts on other boards). I just found a 2000 Oldsmobile Intrigue GX with 28,000 miles for $9,599. What do you think? It's maroon and has gray cloth seats. And since it's the GX it has the 3.5 liter twin cam engine. I'm interested in hearing this engine, since for the past year I have been behind the wheel of a 3.1 pushrod in a Malibu (kinda noisy). Anyway, is this a good deal? What's the reliability and performance of the 3.5's like? Any response is greatly appreciated!
Jeremy