Vcjumper - I'll second your combos . Navy (or better yet, the Maxima Majestic Blue) with a light beige interior - let's call it 'Parchment' for better name - is my number one choice. Our secretary here at work has a 2000 in the Ruby red with the beige leather and chrome wheels and that also is OUTSTANDING. The Bronzemist is excellent too.
My 2000 Bonneville is a very pretty 'Spruce' green - different than any other green Ive seen anywhere in GMdom - has a lot of yellow/gold flecks in it. The interior is two toned charcoal - the dash and doors look very nice with the nearly black tops and dark gray bottoms with cloth inserts that have subtle colors - bit of red, blue, etc. There are 3 distinct grays I believe - the nicest looking I've seen. Of course at night all the switchgear and dials light up red too - really cool. (Yes, I love my Bonnie!) I've always prefered beige and tan interiors but learning to love this one.
Slope - Congrats and best wishes in the MAX! I think that Maxima is a great looking car (I personally think the controversial derriere is sexy!) and it sounds like a super deal - hope it turns out to be a great car for you and the mrs.
Dindak - BRRRRRRR!! I watch the weather channel and hear them telling us about those Canadian polar fronts you keep blowing our way. It's chilly here in coastal Maine too - and I see every salty road splash on my green Bonnie. Prior cars have all been light colors for reason your describe - just going to have to keep after this one.
Anyone know how to remove the small "Oldsmobile" script nameplate on the rear trunklid? I assume heating it up with a hair dryer or similar might help it come off? It seems to be attached with the super sticky trim adhesive they always use. Want it off, as these days i feel not so great about advertising my car as an Olds.
racer_x_p, great news article, printed it off to add to my archive of olds/Intrigue articles, before they all get deleted off the net(!). Thanks again-ketch
Interesting how the '98 models didn't even have the Oldsmobile nameplate on the rear decklid. They have "Oldsmobile" in clear letters on the right brake light cover, where it is not visible. My '99 has a small nameplate on the decklid and also includes the clear letters on the brake light cover. Now the nameplate is very large, but I'm not sure if the letters are still present on the brake light cover. I seem to remember something about the Aurora not having the nameplate in '95....
Heat it up with a blow dryer. Get two sticks and wrap fishing line around them. Then work the fishing line under the letters and floss. It will cut right through the adhesive. 3M makes a spray on product that will remove the remaining adhesive. If you have a new car, you can usually pull the oldsmobile off with your hands. I did this with my dealerships adhesive advertising badge on my trunklid.
It's available in grocery stores and it won't hurt your paint. You do need to make sure it's throughly washed off (just on principle) and that you remember to rewax the place where the name plate was.
I'e used Goo Gone a couple of times on vehicles with good (and easy) results.
Appreciate the goodwill on this board. The new max only had about 26lbs of air in the tires when the max was 44psi. Never seen a dealer of mass market cars that actually ever looked at stuff like that. The brakes are spongy, will have them bleed them. We'll see how that goes, the last time I bought a car, the spongy brakes were deemed "normal" and I couldn't talk them into fixing and eventually fixed myself. Now I have brakes that could stop a truck!
The car really is pretty ugly front and back, I must admit, but then again so are most angles of the accord. I liked the back and sides of the Olds a lot. But the way the max cooks is making me overlook her bad looks ;~) Getting the dealer to sell me the airdeflector and interior air filter at cost, and a shop manual. I am not sure why I want to work on this car, one look under the hood will about discourage anyone but old habits die hard.
The car does seem go pretty well, but I'm taking it really easy and keeping below 4grand until I get a few thousand miles on it to break it in. The clutch doesn't seem very beefy, hope we don't need the 5/60 warrenty on that.... Now to sell my old '88 shadow and swap pickup trucks for a extended cab to make room for the baby seat :~) - will need that hopefully in May.
Good luck folks with a great car. If I don't get another pickup, maybe I'll be in market for a used one after y'all get bored with it! Make mine a green 2001 GLS with PCS no bose....
As disgusted with GM as I am... I am still very happy to have the Oldsmobile name on my car. It represents a fine automobile company with a long and grand history. I will proudly shine it till the day I sell my Intrigue.
My post about liking the silver intrigue with gray interior reminded me about something I saw on how your choice of paint color reflects one's personality.
I have never been a huge fan of silver, because it seems to fade easily and can look kind of blah if not kept shiny. But the intrigue looks kind of understated with it. According to the following info. If I chose silver, I am successful and pompous. I am pretty sure that i am not pompous and i am definitely sure that i could be more successful. Which is it, pompous or successful? You decide.
Black: Ambitious drivers who want to portray an image of success.
Red: Outgoing and impulsive with a youthful attitude, but you are easily bored.
Silver: Great style, often successful, but you tend to be pompous.
White: First choice of doctors, and people who are reliable and methodical.
Gray: Understated good taste and a cautious driver.
Blue: Team player who is sociable and friendly, but lacks imagination.
I wonder if these traits can be used with interior colors also? If I buy a silver car with a gray interior Would i be a pompous safe driver with good taste?
Dealer is looking once more to find the oil leak that surfaced @ 1300 miles but a new oil sensor & valve cover & gasket didn't stop. Went on record today w/ Olds' Customer Assistance Office. At my request the dealer's sales mgmmt is looking into having Olds come up with 'Trade Assistance' bucks if all else fails so they can take back my 'troubled' new 2000 towards a new 2001 before the 2000 qualifies for the NYS Lemon Law. It will be an interesting next few days. Any advice from the 'more experienced' out there would be welcomed.
I've never allowed a dealer to put anything on my new car that was considered a permanent logo. If a sales person tries to give you a hard time about it, tell them it is advertising and you require a substantial fee. If it's already on the car refuse delivery until they remove their cadging and repair the "site" to your satisfaction. Most savvy dealers just put those plastic plate holders on their cars these days which get tossed as soon as the cars get to their new owners. It's just wrong for any dealer to slap their name on your property without your approval. Mercedes and Porsche dealers wouldn't think of defacing their merchandise as such so don't let "Bob's Chevrolet" do it either.
You wrote: Mercedes and Porsche dealers wouldn't think of defacing their merchandise as such so don't let "Bob's Chevrolet" do it either.
There is local dealer in our town, who used to sell MB/BMW/Buick till last year. Currently he have a Buick/Pontiac dealership at old location and the MB/BMW one at the next suburb.
Every second MB and BMW on the roads of our city and its suburbs is carrying the badge of the dealer. The same with Buicks and the new Pontiac. I also bought my Buick from the dealership and my car have the badge.
Though, the badge is small - less than 2 inch in diameter. My other car have a much larger inscription, "Richard's Chevrolet".
The Opal Blue offered in 98 and 99 did not impress me at all. The Midnight blue is much better. I wish they would offer Polo Green(GM color #91) rather than the forest. The Ruby is a nice darker red, and bronzemist is nice. Seems like in 98 they offered a greenish grey color which wasn't all that bad looking.
Come on Ketch, leave that Olds badge on the car. Nothing wrong with driving an Olds even if the brand is going away. Think of it this way, if you were driving a Camaro or a Firebird would you remove the moniker because those cars are being dropped. Anyway, good luck if you do remove it. As for Olds recent badging, the 98 Intrigue only had it etched in the backup lamp lense. 99 Intrigues(and Aleros) got the small Olds badge and the etching was still in the lense. Ditto for 2000, but somewhere during the year, they went to larger Olds badge on both the Intrigue and the Alero. My co-workers new Intrigue has the larger badge and it too has it etched in the lense. I assume 2001s are the same way. The first generation Aurora never had an Olds badge on the rear save the 97 model year. Don't ask me why. Personally, I think this is part of their marketing problem. I mean if your going to sell totally new products(i.e. Intrigue, Alero, Aurora) PUT YOUR BRAND NAME ON IT!!
I like the larger Olds badge on the newer models and if I get another Intrigue this year, I'll have no problem driving an Oldsmobile. I might even see if I can find a nice Oldsmobile or Intrigue license plate frame.
With GM's decision to drop the Olds nameplate, one early result is accelerated depreciation for the lucky owners of current models.
The $1000/1500 "Loyalty" awards to Olds owners - applying to purchases of new GM models will not offset the lower resale values of the cars we own!
From what I've read, trade-in values on 1999-2000 Olds models are already $2-3000 less than Buick / Pontiac siblings. Chances are, this will get worse, not better.
What, if anything, is GM going to do to protect late-model Olds owners from Yugo-like trade-in values by 2002-2003?
I don't think the Intrigue's value will mirror Yugo. The reason Yugo's resale went into the toilet was because the car was pure crap. Same thing with the Hyundai Excel. The difference with the Intrigue is that it 1) isn't any less reliable than the cars in its class, 2) will still be serviced by other GM dealerships, 3) parts will still be available for years and 4)it's not folding due to a substandard product.
You are correct about its resale being lower than even the Chevy Impala. Makes no sense that a car that cost more than the Impala resells for 2 grand less.
While I was shopping to determine if I'd get another Intrigue (it's almost confirmed in my mind that I will) I checked out the feature content for both the Impala and Regal and saw something disheartening.
The Regal comes fully stocked--from supercharger to heated seats. The Impala comes with things like a Driver Information Center, heated mirrors and tire inflation monitor. Please correct me where I'm wrong. But once you pack on all the goodies, the Intrigue cost MORE than the other two cars when matched feature-for-feature. A driver information center, while unnecessary, would be nice and help create the upscale feel. Impala, yes; Intrigue, no. Doesn't seem right.
Here's a question: Why does a cheaper, less upscale car like Impala get heated mirrors while the Intrigue's heated mirrors get dropped? May not mean much to folks in SoCal but for us in the NE it becomes a big deal. No tire inflation monitor (this is where I think I may be wrong)? A "performance" sedan won't "perform" well with underinflated tires. Yet the Impala gets them. The Regal has tons of toys and features at a lower price tag then the Intrigue. Why? I'm hoping they dropped them to save money to put the features that Harlanc said would be on the '02 model. Otherwise, I don't see the logic.
The heated seats are pure optional with Regal. Not included in any trim or option package. This is the only major option left even from the top of the line GSE package. The minor option left is engine heater.
As well as I remember, the driver info center also was optional with 2000 Regal GS, but was included in most of option packages. Do not know about 2001 nor about 2000 LS.
Supercharger is standard with Regal GS, but not available with LS.
On the other hand, Intrigue is available with PCS, better tires, and other performance gear/tuning/programming. I would like to have this goods with my Regal, but they are not available.
The fully loaded Regal GS does not cost much different than Intrigue GLS. According to GMBuyPower, the MSRP is $29175 for 2001 GSE with heated seats and engine heater, vs $29280 for 2001 GLS with precision sport package, Bose sound, gold trim ($150) and engine heater.
Probably, GS costs a $1000 or so higher than GLS after discounts and rebates. Plus, due to the supercharger, it costs about $200 more per year in higher fuel costs, with additional $100 or so in insurance... This is extra $2500 for typical 8 year ownership, or almost 10% of the car price.
While Intrigue resale is less than Grand Prix, it will not get much worse (if at all). If re-sale is your primary concern buy an Accord. Another option is leasing. I plan on driving the Intrigue for 7-10 years so depreciation is not a primary concern for me.
Speaking of leasing, this leasing company in Dallas is trying to capitalize on Olds demise. They sent me a letter trying to get me to sell my car to them, then lease it back from them. Their angle is that you will avoid depreciation by leasing the car instead of buying. I guess they don't realize it's already lost about 35% of its value in 19 months.
I plan on keeping the Intrigue for a long time, but what if I'm in a wreck and the car is totaled? Then resale value is a big concern to me. But I shouldn't have a problem finding a good deal on another used Intrigue!
As I and other have pointed out before, the Intrigue pricing/MSRP is much higher than a lot of its competitors, and in many cases the Intrigue comes in with less equipment. As you've mention heated mirrors, NO locking gas cover [really how much does that really cost/save ??]. Seems pointless to design a fairly nice car, and then start de-contenting and cutting corners before it gets past the second year.
A fully loaded Intrigue hits right at 30k. Now ALL I'm going to simply say is, there are a lot of nice options/choices available from the mid-20 to 30k range both foreign and domestic. And, and many with BETTER track records!
I too found GM's lack of any coheisive plan on its W bodies disheartening. If you buy a lexus instead of a toyota, you find things on teh Lexus that are not on the Toyota, not vice versa. Same for Infinity and Nissan.
GM seems to have each division picking and choosing what to put in content of their cars, and you end up with a mixed up marketing effort. I liked the GP except for the good but not tech 3.8 pushrod (considering the 3.5) and the seats didn't fold down, and no driver info, no tire pressure, no PCS, etc. Previous posts pointed out the Regal / Impala option mismatch.
I looked hard at the Impala and it is a impressive car with features that the others should have. It drives nicely on our straight roads around here, and you appreciate the smooth ride. Too bad the interior styling uses seat styling from GM's Vega era cars and a dash few would say is attractive. The whole inside looks cheap, and loaded it was less than $1000 less than the rebated Intrigue, which had style as well as some other features -- but the driver info center and some other stuff on the chevy was very and nice. My wife also hated the styling of the rear of the car, but found the Max OK. Go figure.
Gm's marketing mix was strange, to say the least. With the others like Lexus, you know what to expect when comparing to toyota.
Most of intrigue's higher MSRP comes from the engine. All aluminum engine, 4 valves, etc. It easily adds $500 retail to the car. It also has more expensive struts. Although I don't know that it helped its ride quality. On another note, with olds gone, who will get the shortstar? Catera? Buick? It would make one hell of a cop car motor too.
Its passing power would suit state troopers well. For the local police they could drop a 3.73 gear in there. That would more than make up for the lack of low end torque.
Buick is supposedly working on a 300 hp supercharged GNX. The shortstar could be a prime candidate for this car.
I see your point and I think that dropping things like the heated mirrors and remote fuel door release were lame, but compared to the Regal and Impala the Intrigue does have some extra features to justify it's price. One is the engine. The 3.5 liter V6 is a much more expensive engine to produce than the 3800 is. Also, the Intrigue is the only W-body car(and the only car in it's class) to offer PCS. While the loaded Impala has a driver info center and heated outside mirrors, you can't get a Bose sound system or automatic climate control on it. If the Regal had PCS and a DOHC V6 it would probably be as much as the loaded Intrigue. Remember, back in 98 with the 3800 the Intrigue was cheaper. The 3.5 is an expensive engine for GM to produce and hopefully they will get it in other cars soon to amortize the costs.
J coleman, that Acura also lacks a stability control system. Frankly, I think Olds prices its cars higher because they know that their customers will want to talk them down. This is common with alot of brands. Many Olds owners are used to negotiating while most Acura owners are used to paying MSRP for their cars. Olds actually tries the Saturn concept a few years back, but it just didn't work. You'll pay full price for that Acura and probably finance it at standard finance rates while you can probably get the Intrigue at 1% or so over invoice and then get a low finance rate(or take another $2000 off the price).
Lets face it, people pay full price for Hondas because people buy them fast and furious. Supply and demand. Same thing affects resale values. If GM could sell more high margin cars (not fleet stripper cars to rental agencies) they would stop losing money on them and spend more money improving them instead of just SUV's and trucks.
Re. My 'new' 2000 Intrigue GX in #1090 & #1112 above still has it's oil leak, and dealer's svc dept still isn't sure of the source on their 3rd shot at it. Olds' sales rep. said Olds would help to the tune of accepting it in trade towards a 2001 Intrigue GX .. and get this guys & gals .. for my car + $5,500 + lose my 0.9% to take their current 3.9% financing. That's a $7,500 'hit' in exchange for 2 mos & 1500 miles of interrupted use and their warranted but unresolved oil leak. They want me to accept 'used car' price towards the 2001's MSRP. Some company & warranty!!!
That sales rep is full of it and is just trying to make a buck off your misfortune. He is just trying to make money off another sale (then probably try and sell the lemon you got to some poor unsuspecting person). I would definitely start dealing directly with GM/Oldsmobile on this one. If it doesn't get fixed GM should definitely buy it back.
I am surprised that they haven't offered to give you a new engine. The sooner you start arbitration the better off you are. I would demand a new car and take the $1500 loyalty bonus and the $2000 rebate and pay the higher finance rate. But, I would only pay invoice for the car. Or, I would ask for a total refund. Good Luck.
The saddest thing about all of this is that, after you give them the car back , they will probably sell it to some poor unsuspecting sole. They will have to go through what you are going through now.
I have to agree, that salesman is trying to take you for a ride. Call Oldsmobile directly or find another dealership. Shakey salesmen usually work for shakey outfits.
Thanks for the moral support. Supposedly GM/Olds' generous 'offer' came from the GM factory sales rep. through the dealer's salesman For sure I'll ad the news to my file @ the Olds Customer Assistance Office later today.
The car went back in Monday AM, and so far all they've done is run it to see where the oil is coming from The only mechanical thing they've done is pull one wheel to get a better look.
Thanks again, guys & gals. I'll keep you posted if anything significant develops.
Do not, I repeat, do not delay in calling the Better Business Bureau and filing a complaint. Do this immediately! The arbitration/buy-back routine takes 30 to 60 days, in which the miles you put on the car are deducted from the buy-back price. You will loose approximately .22 per mile, plus possibly your tax/tag/registration fees. If nothing else, filing a complaint will show Olds that you mean business and are fed up with their delaying tactics. Take advantage of the lemon law (three chances to fix, then you can file for buy-back) and get back most of what you have invested, then RUN to any non-GM dealer and replace the Intrigue with that buy-back check. You have a chance to escape that "orphan" Olds, should you be so inclined. BTW, keep an eye out for the "flickering" headlights malady... they still don't have the fix and every 3.5 Intrigue will eventually have this problem.
Jcoleman: OK so you save $3500 on the up front cost, as soon as you drive it off the lot is that 25k car now worth, what say 20k or maybe even closer to 17k, Mr. Vcjumper hit it on the nose it is a supply & demand thing. At least that 29k TL is still worth 26-27k after you have driven it off the lot, not to mention fewer headaches.
Olds should have started out low-balling the prices until they created a decent loyal following [much like what Toyota & Honda have done], and then they could have commanded a higher price, on maybe a good GM vehicle. Instead they took the other approach, OK we have it priced at 29k and we are going to give you our feel good discount of 4k and don't you worry about that stinking thing called depreciation. It is smoke and mirrors they want you to feel like you are getting a bargain, when really it more like a 25k car for 20k or less. There is a reason that Olds can't or should I say "could not" compete with Toyota/Honda/Nissan it called lack of "Quality Control".
When I was looking at the new V6 Aurora back in March 2000, my local dealer would not budge from the MSRP because it was brand new version. I stated to them that Olds track record with me, does not warrant paying full MSRP. That is when I decided to go back to looking at Toyota/Honda/Nissan etc. etc. And according to the reviews the Aurora has come up way short on the quality issues.
Jgriff, I like hondas as much as the next guy, but they are not perfect. I like the engines and the fit and finish. I don't like the bland styling, the lack of character, the price of admission and the attitude of some of the dealers i have dealt with.
The fact is that oldsmobile is going away, we are well aware of that. We are also aware of the depreciation. We are also aware that we can buy a new oldsmobile or a used oldsmobile for less than a comparably equipped mid size car.
I can buy a 2001 GL that has a MSRP in the mid 25 K range for 20K. I also get a 5/60 K warranty. Yes the car will depreciate faster than a honda, but for aquisition cost you can't beat it.
If i pay 7K less on the purchase over the TL, that is a savings of $154 a month times 60 months is $9240. By the way, I can't fit in your beloved honda anyway, so your point is moot.
Guys & gals, GOOD NEWS I think The dealer svc mgr decided to order a new engine today to replace mine. He assured me it would be new,new & not a rebuilt. Hopefully I'll get the car back mid-next week. In the meantime I have their loaner, a 99 Intrigue w/ 35K miles that literally 'screams' with the slightest acceleration the way mine did 1500 miles ago. Of course last evening I prewarned them that I'd be checking for signs of any leak-plugging additives in the oil the next time they returned my car to me with the same old engine. Perhaps also the Olds Customer Assistance Office made them aware that a file had been started on the car. So things are looking up.
Not a bad resolution but not too terribly exciting either. I think you should stick to your guns and demand GM to replace the car. It is ridiculous in my opinion that a car with just 1500 miles is in need of a new engine. Just think about the fact that the day you sell your Intrigue you will be obligated to disclose the fact that the car doesn't have the original engine in it, thus decreasing its resale value.
Demand a new replacement car! You paid for a brand new spanking car, not a refurbished automobile.
I for one cared less for resale, even now, than i did for not getting a borring car, either in looks or performance. the TL looks nice, even nicer than an ES300, but was way to bland, as many in the press have criticized it for. So styling was a major issue for me, and I see the Intrigue as one of the best, one that Chuck Jordan or Bill Mitchell would have been proud of. Don't know wheo they are? Never mind, you'd never understand anyways then. Relaibility is of course important, and from long term tests, the Olds was fine if not excellent, and overall costs were one of thelowest seen for 40,000 miles (C&D). In my year plus, at 11k miles, hard driving, I have had expectations exceeded. One example yes, but gotta say that for each gripe here over the year, I have seen as many applaud the car.
Want a car so competent to be without personality (incl. looks), there are lots of choices. Want overall goodness and execllent performance with great looks that don't bore, your choice narrow fast. The mid size and near lux market are filled with cars that satisfy the former, and sorry, failed to meet my needs, nor many others. Passat, Intrigue, and a few others do, and while sell less, are no less important.
In fact I am troubled by us Amercian buyers, who lemming like, go buy so many cars so without personality and style. It isn't so in most of Europe, where such cars as the Camry and Accord (except type R) are considered boring and are just acceptable. Over there they also do not sell so well like here. Deny it, but in the good ole' USA its hard to understand buyers expectations when the best selling cars for many years were the first gen. Escorts(!).
b4z: Pricing?? a fully loaded Accord EX w/ leather is around 25k give or take a few. The Acura TL is 29k. Along w/ Toyota/Nissan/Mazda this is what Olds is competing against. At those prices one better have a good product, otherwise the customer are NOT going to return.
Toyota & Honda have a lot of loyal customers. Olds did too at one time, most have aged on or simply would not be caught dead in a GM/Old.
Styling :: Granted Camry/Accords styling is not very exciting. But for the most people after the honeymoon is over, reliable transportion is the key, not being on a first name basis with service manager. Look at the Max, Nissan trys to get a little daring and everyone is slaming the looks.
Carmakers are NOT going to make everyone happy. Too wild/bland, too expensive, too much/little, not enough choices, etc. etc. They are damn if they do, and damn if they don't.
But its looks like the consumers are voting with their checkbooks, cause Camry & Accords seem to sell real well, even with the conservative looks.
The reason I don't like the Oldsmobile script on the rear is because it seems like an afterthought. "Hey, let's put a little Oldsmobile script down in the right corner and hope no one notices." I don't like the new and larger script either because it doesn't go well with the script INTRIGUE. I so wish Oldsmobile would've updated their script to use the font they use for Intrigue. And placed it on the rear so as it blends in and looks like it belongs there, perhaps underneath the license place. Hey all you Silhouette and Bravada owners watch out, I wanna get your o, your l, your d and your s from your cars and put them on mine. LOL. Just kiddin. Or I was thinking about replacing it with the Oldsmobile logo (like on the front of the hood). Does anyone else want to move the logo from the hood to the front fascia between the headlights like the Alero?
Someone many, many, many posts ago traded in his Intrigue with 70,000+ miles for another one (if memory serves me correctly). From his experience, it would seem to imply that his car was pretty reliable. Reliable enough to get another one.
But I can't speak for him. I can speak for my '98 Silver Mist Intrigue that has just cleared 68,000 miles and will probably hit 70K by the end of Feb. So far it has been more reliable than my '95 Toyota Camry that I traded for the Intrigue. No squeaks or rattles from the interior, no parts falling off. Only thing I've done from a maintanence point are oil changes. Since the car has been out of warranty (over 30,000 miles out of warranty) the only repair has been to fix the fuel door so it closes flat. A $0.48 part and $24 repair. I will have to take it in because my low fan setting doesn't work although the rest of the settings are fine.
Have not changed the transmission fluid nor the coolant (don't have to until at least 100k miles). This morning I got the low coolant warning but hasn't surfaced again today. I had this happen about 2 months ago. I bought some DexCool and filled it to the line. Sensor must err on the side of caution because I barely put anything in. That was about 5,000 miles ago. This time I'll put in a little more than what the fill line says. But not much.
All things said, this Intrigue has cost me less to own than any car I've had/have... foreign and domestic alike. My wife's Bonniville requires more attention than the Intrigue. Attribute this to the long life fluids and plugs. I have had the steering problem and it creeps up from time to time. But not enough to bother me. I have the strut jounce problem but didn't notice it until others here made me aware of it. I only heard it when the car was at a stop and I turn the wheel to the right. Apparently it didn't bother me either.
For those that don't post that are reading this as they contemplate their next car, the final word is this car is at least just as good as its competitors. My '95 Camry had the water pump go, the engine mounts replaced (at 50,000 miles), it shook when stopped at a light (replacing the mounts didn't help and the dealer couldn't find the problem), both front window regulators go, timing belt needed replacement (no Intrigue needs this), and had the already small buttons fall off the radio. And during the time we had it we thought it wasn't all that bad a car. And it wasn't. But compared to the Intrigue, the Camry performed like domestic vehicles are alleged to act once miles are added. The Intrigue has proven to be the more reliable car.
For those that have had problems and would never get another Intrigue, I don't blame them. In fact, I'd say they were foolish if it happened twice. So I can understand jgriff's position. My sister-in-law has had horrible experiences with Nissan--both with a Max and Altima. She has workmates that have had the exact same problem with Max's. Her sunroof wouldn't close and Nissan said it was due to abuse. It's Philadelphia... it doesn't stay warm enough to abuse the sunroof. I suppose her workmate abused his too. But from what most other owners of Intrigues say, it's not bad. And even the ones that express their problems still express satisfaction with their car. After all, NO car is perfect... not even Lexus.
Comments
My 2000 Bonneville is a very pretty 'Spruce' green - different than any other green Ive seen anywhere in GMdom - has a lot of yellow/gold flecks in it. The interior is two toned charcoal - the dash and doors look very nice with the nearly black tops and dark gray bottoms with cloth inserts that have subtle colors - bit of red, blue, etc. There are 3 distinct grays I believe - the nicest looking I've seen. Of course at night all the switchgear and dials light up red too - really cool. (Yes, I love my Bonnie!) I've always prefered beige and tan interiors but learning to love this one.
Best to all
Ken
Dindak - BRRRRRRR!! I watch the weather channel and hear them telling us about those Canadian polar fronts you keep blowing our way. It's chilly here in coastal Maine too - and I see every salty road splash on my green Bonnie. Prior cars have all been light colors for reason your describe - just going to have to keep after this one.
Best to you both
Ken
trunklid? I assume heating it up with a hair dryer or similar might help it come off?
It seems to be attached with the super sticky trim adhesive they always use.
Want it off, as these days i feel not so great about advertising my car as an Olds.
racer_x_p, great news article, printed it off to add to my archive of olds/Intrigue articles, before
they all get deleted off the net(!). Thanks again-ketch
3M makes a spray on product that will remove the remaining adhesive.
If you have a new car, you can usually pull the
oldsmobile off with your hands. I did this with my dealerships adhesive advertising badge on my trunklid.
I'e used Goo Gone a couple of times on vehicles with good (and easy) results.
The car really is pretty ugly front and back, I must admit, but then again so are most angles of the accord. I liked the back and sides of the Olds a lot. But the way the max cooks is making me overlook her bad looks ;~) Getting the dealer to sell me the airdeflector and interior air filter at cost, and a shop manual. I am not sure why I want to work on this car, one look under the hood will about discourage anyone but old habits die hard.
The car does seem go pretty well, but I'm taking it really easy and keeping below 4grand until I get a few thousand miles on it to break it in. The clutch doesn't seem very beefy, hope we don't need the 5/60 warrenty on that.... Now to sell my old '88 shadow and swap pickup trucks for a extended cab to make room for the baby seat :~) - will need that hopefully in May.
Good luck folks with a great car. If I don't get another pickup, maybe I'll be in market for a used one after y'all get bored with it! Make mine a green 2001 GLS with PCS no bose....
Slope
Houston
I have never been a huge fan of silver, because it seems to fade easily and can look kind of blah if not kept shiny. But the intrigue looks kind of understated with it. According to the following info. If I chose silver, I am successful and pompous. I am pretty sure that i am not pompous and i am definitely sure that i could be more successful.
Which is it, pompous or successful? You decide.
Black: Ambitious drivers who want to portray an image of success.
Red: Outgoing and impulsive with a youthful attitude, but you are easily bored.
Silver: Great style, often successful, but you tend to be pompous.
White: First choice of doctors, and people who are reliable and methodical.
Gray: Understated good taste and a cautious driver.
Blue: Team player who is sociable and friendly, but lacks imagination.
I wonder if these traits can be used with interior colors also? If I buy a silver car with a gray interior Would i be a pompous safe driver with good taste?
There is local dealer in our town, who used to sell MB/BMW/Buick till last year. Currently he have a Buick/Pontiac dealership at old location and the MB/BMW one at the next suburb.
Every second MB and BMW on the roads of our city and its suburbs is carrying the badge of the dealer. The same with Buicks and the new Pontiac. I also bought my Buick from the dealership and my car have the badge.
Though, the badge is small - less than 2 inch in diameter. My other car have a much larger inscription, "Richard's Chevrolet".
Come on Ketch, leave that Olds badge on the car. Nothing wrong with driving an Olds even if the brand is going away. Think of it this way, if you were driving a Camaro or a Firebird would you remove the moniker because those cars are being dropped. Anyway, good luck if you do remove it. As for Olds recent badging, the 98 Intrigue only had it etched in the backup lamp lense. 99 Intrigues(and Aleros) got the small Olds badge and the etching was still in the lense. Ditto for 2000, but somewhere during the year, they went to larger Olds badge on both the Intrigue and the Alero. My co-workers new Intrigue has the larger badge and it too has it etched in the lense. I assume 2001s are the same way. The first generation Aurora never had an Olds badge on the rear save the 97 model year. Don't ask me why. Personally, I think this is part of their marketing problem. I mean if your going to sell totally new products(i.e. Intrigue, Alero, Aurora) PUT YOUR BRAND NAME ON IT!!
www.oldsmobile.com
The $1000/1500 "Loyalty" awards to Olds owners - applying to purchases of new GM models will not offset the lower resale values of the cars we own!
From what I've read, trade-in values on 1999-2000 Olds models are already $2-3000 less than Buick / Pontiac siblings. Chances are, this will get worse, not better.
What, if anything, is GM going to do to protect late-model Olds owners from Yugo-like trade-in values by 2002-2003?
Anybody from GM here who's "in the know"?
You are correct about its resale being lower than even the Chevy Impala. Makes no sense that a car that cost more than the Impala resells for 2 grand less.
The Regal comes fully stocked--from supercharger to heated seats. The Impala comes with things like a Driver Information Center, heated mirrors and tire inflation monitor. Please correct me where I'm wrong. But once you pack on all the goodies, the Intrigue cost MORE than the other two cars when matched feature-for-feature. A driver information center, while unnecessary, would be nice and help create the upscale feel. Impala, yes; Intrigue, no. Doesn't seem right.
Here's a question: Why does a cheaper, less upscale car like Impala get heated mirrors while the Intrigue's heated mirrors get dropped? May not mean much to folks in SoCal but for us in the NE it becomes a big deal. No tire inflation monitor (this is where I think I may be wrong)? A "performance" sedan won't "perform" well with underinflated tires. Yet the Impala gets them. The Regal has tons of toys and features at a lower price tag then the Intrigue. Why? I'm hoping they dropped them to save money to put the features that Harlanc said would be on the '02 model. Otherwise, I don't see the logic.
As well as I remember, the driver info center also was optional with 2000 Regal GS, but was included in most of option packages. Do not know about 2001 nor about 2000 LS.
Supercharger is standard with Regal GS, but not available with LS.
On the other hand, Intrigue is available with PCS, better tires, and other performance gear/tuning/programming. I would like to have this goods with my Regal, but they are not available.
The fully loaded Regal GS does not cost much different than Intrigue GLS. According to GMBuyPower, the MSRP is $29175 for 2001 GSE with heated seats and engine heater, vs $29280 for 2001 GLS with precision sport package, Bose sound, gold trim ($150) and engine heater.
Probably, GS costs a $1000 or so higher than GLS after discounts and rebates. Plus, due to the supercharger, it costs about $200 more per year in higher fuel costs, with additional $100 or so in insurance... This is extra $2500 for typical 8 year ownership, or almost 10% of the car price.
I plan on keeping the Intrigue for a long time, but what if I'm in a wreck and the car is totaled? Then resale value is a big concern to me. But I shouldn't have a problem finding a good deal on another used Intrigue!
A fully loaded Intrigue hits right at 30k. Now ALL I'm going to simply say is, there are a lot of nice options/choices available from the mid-20 to 30k range both foreign and domestic. And, and many with BETTER track records!
My 2 cents, enuff said.
GM seems to have each division picking and choosing what to put in content of their cars, and you end up with a mixed up marketing effort. I liked the GP except for the good but not tech 3.8 pushrod (considering the 3.5) and the seats didn't fold down, and no driver info, no tire pressure, no PCS, etc. Previous posts pointed out the Regal / Impala option mismatch.
I looked hard at the Impala and it is a impressive car with features that the others should have. It drives nicely on our straight roads around here, and you appreciate the smooth ride. Too bad the interior styling uses seat styling from GM's Vega era cars and a dash few would say is attractive. The whole inside looks cheap, and loaded it was less than $1000 less than the rebated Intrigue, which had style as well as some other features -- but the driver info center and some other stuff on the chevy was very and nice. My wife also hated the styling of the rear of the car, but found the Max OK. Go figure.
Gm's marketing mix was strange, to say the least. With the others like Lexus, you know what to expect when comparing to toyota.
Slope
2001 Intrigue GLS, fully loaded (everything)
MSRP - $29,280
Carsdirect price - $25,555
2001 Acura TL (no Nav system)
MSRP - $29,030
Carsdirect price - $29,029
Even though the Intrigue's MSRP is higher than the TL, you should be able to pick up a fully loaded one for about $3500 less than a TL.
On another note, with olds gone, who will get the shortstar? Catera? Buick?
It would make one hell of a cop car motor too.
For the local police they could drop a 3.73 gear in there. That would more than make up for the lack of low end torque.
Buick is supposedly working on a 300 hp supercharged GNX. The shortstar could be a prime candidate for this car.
J coleman, that Acura also lacks a stability control system. Frankly, I think Olds prices its cars higher because they know that their customers will want to talk them down. This is common with alot of brands. Many Olds owners are used to negotiating while most Acura owners are used to paying MSRP for their cars. Olds actually tries the Saturn concept a few years back, but it just didn't work. You'll pay full price for that Acura and probably finance it at standard finance rates while you can probably get the Intrigue at 1% or so over invoice and then get a low finance rate(or take another $2000 off the price).
The sooner you start arbitration the better off you are.
I would demand a new car and take the $1500 loyalty bonus and the $2000 rebate and pay the higher finance rate. But, I would only pay invoice for the car.
Or, I would ask for a total refund.
Good Luck.
They will have to go through what you are going through now.
The car went back in Monday AM, and so far all they've done is run it to see where the oil is coming from The only mechanical thing they've done is pull one wheel to get a better look.
Thanks again, guys & gals. I'll keep you posted if anything significant develops.
Olds should have started out low-balling the prices until they created a decent loyal following [much like what Toyota & Honda have done], and then they could have commanded a higher price, on maybe a good GM vehicle. Instead they took the other approach, OK we have it priced at 29k and we are going to give you our feel good discount of 4k and don't you worry about that stinking thing called depreciation. It is smoke and mirrors they want you to feel like you are getting a bargain, when really it more like a 25k car for 20k or less. There is a reason that Olds can't or should I say "could not" compete with Toyota/Honda/Nissan it called lack of "Quality Control".
When I was looking at the new V6 Aurora back in March 2000, my local dealer would not budge from the MSRP because it was brand new version. I stated to them that Olds track record with me, does not warrant paying full MSRP. That is when I decided to go back to looking at Toyota/Honda/Nissan etc. etc. And according to the reviews the Aurora has come up way short on the quality issues.
I like hondas as much as the next guy, but they are not perfect. I like the engines and the fit and finish. I don't like the bland styling, the lack of character, the price of admission and the attitude of some of the dealers i have dealt with.
The fact is that oldsmobile is going away, we are well aware of that. We are also aware of the depreciation. We are also aware that we can buy a new oldsmobile or a used oldsmobile for less than a comparably equipped mid size car.
I can buy a 2001 GL that has a MSRP in the mid 25 K range for 20K. I also get a 5/60 K warranty.
Yes the car will depreciate faster than a honda, but for aquisition cost you can't beat it.
If i pay 7K less on the purchase over the TL, that is a savings of $154 a month times 60 months is $9240.
By the way, I can't fit in your beloved honda anyway, so your point is moot.
Demand a new replacement car! You paid for a brand new spanking car, not a refurbished automobile.
Good luck!
Want a car so competent to be without personality (incl. looks), there are lots of choices. Want overall goodness and execllent performance with great looks that don't bore, your choice narrow fast. The mid size and near lux market are filled with cars that satisfy the former, and sorry, failed to meet my needs, nor many others. Passat, Intrigue, and a few others do, and while sell less, are no less important.
In fact I am troubled by us Amercian buyers, who lemming like, go buy so many cars so without personality and style. It isn't so in most of Europe, where such cars as the Camry and Accord (except type R) are considered boring and are just acceptable. Over there they also do not sell so well like here. Deny it, but in the good ole' USA its hard to understand buyers expectations when the best selling cars for many years were the first gen. Escorts(!).
Toyota & Honda have a lot of loyal customers. Olds did too at one time, most have aged on or simply would not be caught dead in a GM/Old.
Styling :: Granted Camry/Accords styling is not very exciting. But for the most people after the honeymoon is over, reliable transportion is the key, not being on a first name basis with service manager. Look at the Max, Nissan trys to get a little daring and everyone is slaming the looks.
Carmakers are NOT going to make everyone happy. Too wild/bland, too expensive, too much/little, not enough choices, etc. etc. They are damn if they do, and damn if they don't.
But its looks like the consumers are voting with their checkbooks, cause Camry & Accords seem to sell real well, even with the conservative looks.
But I can't speak for him. I can speak for my '98 Silver Mist Intrigue that has just cleared 68,000 miles and will probably hit 70K by the end of Feb. So far it has been more reliable than my '95 Toyota Camry that I traded for the Intrigue. No squeaks or rattles from the interior, no parts falling off. Only thing I've done from a maintanence point are oil changes. Since the car has been out of warranty (over 30,000 miles out of warranty) the only repair has been to fix the fuel door so it closes flat. A $0.48 part and $24 repair. I will have to take it in because my low fan setting doesn't work although the rest of the settings are fine.
Have not changed the transmission fluid nor the coolant (don't have to until at least 100k miles). This morning I got the low coolant warning but hasn't surfaced again today. I had this happen about 2 months ago. I bought some DexCool and filled it to the line. Sensor must err on the side of caution because I barely put anything in. That was about 5,000 miles ago. This time I'll put in a little more than what the fill line says. But not much.
All things said, this Intrigue has cost me less to own than any car I've had/have... foreign and domestic alike. My wife's Bonniville requires more attention than the Intrigue. Attribute this to the long life fluids and plugs. I have had the steering problem and it creeps up from time to time. But not enough to bother me. I have the strut jounce problem but didn't notice it until others here made me aware of it. I only heard it when the car was at a stop and I turn the wheel to the right. Apparently it didn't bother me either.
For those that don't post that are reading this as they contemplate their next car, the final word is this car is at least just as good as its competitors. My '95 Camry had the water pump go, the engine mounts replaced (at 50,000 miles), it shook when stopped at a light (replacing the mounts didn't help and the dealer couldn't find the problem), both front window regulators go, timing belt needed replacement (no Intrigue needs this), and had the already small buttons fall off the radio. And during the time we had it we thought it wasn't all that bad a car. And it wasn't. But compared to the Intrigue, the Camry performed like domestic vehicles are alleged to act once miles are added. The Intrigue has proven to be the more reliable car.
For those that have had problems and would never get another Intrigue, I don't blame them. In fact, I'd say they were foolish if it happened twice. So I can understand jgriff's position. My sister-in-law has had horrible experiences with Nissan--both with a Max and Altima. She has workmates that have had the exact same problem with Max's. Her sunroof wouldn't close and Nissan said it was due to abuse. It's Philadelphia... it doesn't stay warm enough to abuse the sunroof. I suppose her workmate abused his too. But from what most other owners of Intrigues say, it's not bad. And even the ones that express their problems still express satisfaction with their car. After all, NO car is perfect... not even Lexus.
HONDA RULES MAN!