Oldsmobile Intrigue

b4z

I have a '99 with the 3.5.

htwired

In comparing and contrasting engine designs of overhead cam vs conventional pushrod engine, genrally is one design superior to the other for durability and longevity? It would appear to me that oil circulation is better with overhead cam engine which should enhance longevity.

dindak

1415 : Markets look very sick today. Trading back and forth is the only place to make money these days. Option premiums are still pretty good also.

jgriff : Still lurking eh bud? How's the Honda??

ab348

Pretty much on the mark except for the tired old use of blaming the name -- Oldsmobile -- as connoting "old person's car". Nonsense. It had that name for 103 years and didn't suddenly develop that meaning the last few years.

I have been thinking about GMs divisional structure and in light of what the article speculates I wonder why GM needs both Pontiac and Chevy. Both are cheap, mass market cars. Seems like duplication. They could try and move Pontiac upmarket a bit but I don't know if that's possible. Would have made more sense to have created the Aurora division, as the article says, and fold both Olds and Pontiac into that. Ah well, too late now, and besides, the morons running GM still wouldn't know what to do with that anyway.

one2one

It's catchy. In fact, most people don't enunciate the "Old" in "Oldsmobile" anyway. It's more like a slur. I don't think people pay attention to it anymore than folks think about "wagon" in "Volkswagon". The word wagon alone makes me think of little red wagons from the 50's (pictures and movies at least... I wasn't born until the late 60's :-) But that's not the image I get when I hear "Volkswagon".

They've done a good job naming the cars in the division. They have an aggressive, catchy sound: Oldsmobile Aurora, Oldsmobile Intrigue (I really like this one... am I biased?), Oldsmobile Alero.... Even shortend it sounds good: Olds Intrigue, etc. What are they thinking?It's not "Old" Intrigue and it doesn't sound like it when you say it.

Anyway, I'm finished rambling.

ickes

I agree with the conclusion of the editorial piece that GM shouldn't stop with Olds. I'd also kill off Saturn and GMC and focus these efforts are restoring Chevrolet. Keep Buick until all their customers die off, position SAAB between Chevrolet and Cadillac and they may jump start this thing.

I can't help but feel bitterness about the products GM has out know. It isn't exactly rocket science to engineer and build quality products, yet cost cutting and shortcuts are evident in nearly every GM product. The Toyota Highlander is what the Buick Rendezvous should be, but isn't because of its compromised mini-van plattform and cheap materials. That dashboard is down right some of the hardest and bright plastic around.

lee18

As usual, 1415 is grossly exaggerating. Everything in his world is either 'pure junk' or barely adequate. If his service manager really tells him all the bad things about the cars they sell that 1415 claims, the service manager wouldn't have a job very long. Either that or he is just humoring the poor old guy.

The door construction on the Intrigue is typical for American cars and they are generally not a problem. I've not noticed any air leaks from mine, and in Winter in Canada I would notice such things. The sound levels coming from around the doors is also not a problem in mine.

As with most cars, Intrigue has an adhesive-edged thick plastic 'water deflector' membrane in each door just behind the interior panel. Water deflectors are usually not totally air-tight but should be enough to prevent a 'breeze' from entering. It may be that the water deflector in your car was ripped or otherwise installed improperly.

jgriff

FYI: I had a couple of offline discussions with our host Mr. L8_Apex. A while back Mr. 1415 and I butted heads and I am supposed to avoid posting on this thread.

Note: I own the CL not TL, and I have posted to the CL, Zaino, Roadside, Lease VS. Purchase, Honda is the Best threads [spec. to Mr.Teo]. Most of my CL postings are/have been done on NON-Edmunds sites, and which all have died down a lot.

I have read all posts and seen the Acura/Honda puns, etc. Just listening to everyone comments and keeping my thoughts to myself. Thank You.

To everyone "Good Luck" with your Olds, and carry onwards

dindak

ickes : Could not disagree with you more on the Rendezvous. In fact it's now on my SUV shopping list for next year because I was so impressed. The dash is beautiful and I thought the materials were quite good, as was the price of the vehicle. General comments I overheard were all positive. GMC I would kill. Saturn I would not as there is no other division that is capable of attracting "import buyers".

bz4 : No surprise about "jgriff".

1415

POST 1754:::::Multiple usernames with different e-mail titles..
lee18::::::Same service manager on the 98 Intrigue
which was repurchased at 26k miles.. Sure doesn't sound like an old man being smoozed; instead this old man is smoozing them..

L8_Apex

...PLEASE! Since I read all of the Sedans topics, I don't get to venture outside this board much. I made an assumption about jgriff that turned out to be wrong but, just the same, determined that, at this point in time, even thoughtful, genuine contributions to this topic would turn out to be disruptive. Had I or another host posted the link to the recent editorial, it may have been recieved with more welcome, though probably not warmly. This is why I've asked for discretion not only on jgriff's part but also on the part of several others here. Some of you have been responsive while others have continued disregard my requests. Please, discuss the car.

Thank you,

L8_Apex
Host
Sedans Message Board

b4z

I had an appointment Thursday morning to take the intrigue in. I now have 31,000 miles in the car and have gone 4600 miles since the last oil change. I have always adhered to the 3000 mile rule but things have been busy lately and i have been seriously racking up the miles. In the next twelve months i can only put 5000 miles on the car or else i will be paying big time on mileage.
You can tell why i have been on the new car hunt lately. The last thing i want to do is give the general any more money on this fleece deal I did.
I had a long list of things for them to repair:
1. Oil change
2. Rotate tires
3. Clunking noises in front end
4. Popping sound when turning right/lube jounce bumps.
5. Engine accessories making noise at times
6. Blowing blue smoke upon start up
7. Rear door hinges loose
8. Groaning sound when putting car into reverse and turning
9. Car still does not start sometimes or exhibits a rough start. Would like crankshaft sensors looked at.
Anyway i got there at 8:15 AM and there were two cars in front of me that didn't have any drivers in them. The service advisors were walking around and moving some cars, none of them acknowledged me. I sat in my car for about 10 minutes and walked to the service drive, nobody was around then i walked to the service area and i could see them walking around. I stood there for almost ten minutes. There are three service advisors and this is a small dealership. Where are these guys.
One of them came walking by me and i waited for him to ask me if i had been helped. Not gonna happen. I walked back to my car and as i was getting in another came by and asked if he could help me. I said no, I can't wait. Got into my car and drove to work. 20 minutes, I waited for them.
I will have to reschedule on my time.

b4z

A couple of months ago i posted about a no option blue GX that my dealer had in stock. My feeling was that he was going to eat that car and have a hard time selling it. When i was at the dealership yesterday it turns out that it is still there. And it is the only new intrigue he has for sale!!
I am thinking about all the potential sales that he and other olds dealers are missing out on because they don't have any inventory. Maybe they are getting what they deserve.

j_coleman

b4z: Is your Olds dealer a Caddy dealer too? I've noticed at my dealer the Caddies get service before the Olds customers. Even if I arrive before a Caddy owner, they will get service first. I'm going to the Isuzu/Infiniti/Olds dealer from now on. Maybe I'll get better service there...

drew_

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b4z

What, are you guys pshyic or something?
It's also a Caddy dealership. LOL.
Oh yeah, and they sell daewoos at their other caddy dealership.
At 6'8" I am kinda hard to ignore.
I know they saw me.
Yes, selling dealer. They were probably sayin, "here comes that guy with the unfixable intrigue again." "You go talk to him, no you talk to him, I did it last time." "He's got a list with him, and i am going to have to type a lot of stuff into the computer and my hands will get tired." "Why can't he be like all of our 70 year old customers, they can't hear half the noises their cars make." "Let's just ignore him and maybe he will go away." "He's heading for his car, he's starting it up." "Yeah, Victory." "We really dodged a bullet on that one, I thought i was actually going to have to work there for a minute."

1415

At 6'8" stay in your car; you scared the poor fellas/gals..I am sure the Intrigue got their attention; but after you left the car they figured no way could they win..

jcoleman::::::Wait till the warranty runs out; then the service guys will come running.

One should make an appt., then there is no surprise or excuse. If people don't wait on one; then call the GMgr. and get someones butt over the barrel..

etharmon

But those Kia's have that "long hual" warranty. That really inspires confidence:) I just wonder what thats going to cost them over time. I think Chrysler just about lost their shirts on that 7 year 70,000 mile powertrain warranty they used to offer. Notice they no longer do this.

Air leaks, well tonight the temp was about 40 outside and I had the car nice and toasty inside so I started feeling around for air leaks around the door handle, but didn't feel any. I was doing about 50 and cracked a window open and still didn't notice any air rushing by the driver's door handle. As for the Intrigue's doors being cheap, they are no worse than most other cars in this class. I agree, they could use more sound deadening inside them, but they are not junk as someone here said. If a solid feeling door and a quiet ride are what you seek more than anything, get an Aurora. Or a Caddy.

etharmon

My dealer is an Olds-GMC dealer and I have always been pretty satisfied with thier work. I'm usually assisted within 5 minutes of pulling into the service department and as long as I call ahead, they have a loaner waiting for me. Repairs are typically done in one day and are done right. The sales end of the transaction went pretty smoothly too. The service department waiting room is full of plaques where they have won Oldsmobile's "Elite" award for service, whatever that means.

jg28

After hearing all of your stories, I'm grateful for my dealer and service advisor. Also a Cadillac/Olds combo. One time the Cadillac service advisor even helped me when I took my Intrigue in. They're very nice and helpful. Man, if I were you, I'd be barging in there demanding help, no matter how tall I am. (Is your height in your legs? I barely fit in my Intrigue and I'm 6'4" but I think my height is alot in my upper body).

I had a bad experience with a different dealer (Olds/Chev) and stormed into the dealership scared the daylights outta the receptionist demanding my car (they hadn't looked at the damn thing for 3 days and were in violation of my warranty because they hadn't provided transportation). She got into a yelling match with me. I just took the car elsewhere and I'm happy to say I've been very very satisfied (except when they tell me they can't find anything wrong and when the service advisor complains that I take non-warranty stuff somewhere else [tire rotation and oil change for $40 instead of $90 they want to charge])

jg28

I had the new alternator installed this week and darn it, the temperatures go up to almost 60! Dang! Can't even test it. Seems to be working all right though, but it was before as well. What's this about a new exhaust system? How much was that to install? Has anyone replaced the Eagle LS with the Michelin Pilot XGT H4s? Is it really worth it? Does it improve the ride that much? (I've only got 16K on my tires/car but want a better ride. Maybe it's the shocks, not the tires? I can't imagine the shocks/struts would be bad after only 16K though?

Is anyone else pondering cutting their losses now that the 3.5 won't be put into other divisions? I must admit I'm thinking maybe I should dump the Intrigue and get a Maxima so I won't have to worry about the future.

1415

When I read the oil change and tire rotation price from your Cad/Olds dealer my assumption is the drinking water in your town should be tested for its purity.

The ride is as good as it gets with the LS tires; and as they wear down the ride follows.. When those tires approach 40k miles there is no ride comfort..

Several of our forum members have gone the Michelin route with great success. I setting at 38K+ and the wear strips are becoming the main tread and I am fighting the moment for thses old LSs are perfect--no shake or vibration. Dread going through process of tweaking new tires because some clown knows nothing about balancing causing me several trips to iron it all out.

The struts are harsh and noisy; they sound wore out but the dealer says they are "operating to specs", extra money available then go put on a softer strut. The strut may last forever because it doesn't move enough to wear..

Forum folks______A question????? Why won't a GTP strut fit an Intrigue???? or a Buick Regal GS????It's my understanding that the mechanicals are the same but the strut design internally differs..Second thought; it sounds like a bad idea so let's scrub it..

yurakm

My Biuck dealer advertises wiper inserts for $40.

dindak

bz4 : Now that you mention it, the dealer I bought from (in Kingston ON) only had 2 Intrigues in stock when I bought my car. They probably had 10 Alero and even 4 Auroras in stock. The local dealer (Towne, Oakville ON) usually has 10-15 Intrigues in stock which probably explains why there are quite a few in this area.

Met up with some friends who I had not seen in a few years. They are looking for a new car and commented on how nice my Intrigue was. They had no idea who made it though which reminds me how bad a job GM did in promoting this car and the Oldsmobile brand. SAD!

b4z

We've had this discussion before, but if olds had named this car Cutlass, we would be taking about what the next Cutlass is going to be like. Instead, we are talking about what could have been, and what a bunch of idiots GM is.
Cutlass, Cutlass, Cutlass. Everybody knows who makes a Cutlass.

redly_one

I personally and others on this board have witnessed the lack of Intrigue inventory at local dealers, especially in comparison to the Alero, Aurora, and even the Silo-ette. I am beginning to wonder if they will even release a 2002 Intrigue.

I hope that they do.

On another note, I cannot wait until those 5/60 warranty Intrigues hit the used lots w/ 15-20K miles (hopefully selling for $11-$15K like they are now).

ghostz

After putting just over 1k mis. on my '01, I've noticed the harsh ride is most noticable on concrete interstate, as opposed to asphalt. I must admit that sometimes it feels like I'm running over railroad ties when I hit the expansion joints. Mostly an annoyance over 60 mph. I suppose some of this is trade-off. The car has that good solid feel, not bouncy. I dunno. I 'aint changing tires or struts until they're clearly shot.

1415: You're right about getting new tires. Most tire shops don't care must about good dynamic balancing and alignment. Curious: do you really think you've lost performance from your struts at 38k, or just generally unhappy about about the ride (understandable)? Don't you wish you the car had good old fashioned shocks? It's nice to pick out a shock to adjust the ride to fit your tasts

1415

You want to hear real noise go over those expansion joints at 20mph. Eastbound I-69 west of Pt Huron, Mi is a concrete interstate and truck lane has the slabs that are slightly pitched and you want to hear noise--try it at 100mph and you think the car is going to explode..

The front end will get noisier with age and internally is where the noise is generated and GM will not do a damn thing about it nor will a dealer except try to lube it which lasts 5 miles.
The strut will probably never wear out but an after market strut is the only cure. Try a Monroe Reflex or a KYB..

If your car is under 5,000 miles take it back to the dealer and yell at him..This is my second Intrigue so I am up to the car's tricks. The brakes are delicate, and the steering could cause a problem. Its a blast to drive; but probably one of the biggest screwings that GM ever did to the motoring public..

ghosty::::I love a firm ride because you are in better control at speed and surprising the tires last longer. The Intrigue is firm and as the rubber wears it will get brutal.

Welcome to the club..

j_coleman

redly one: Is the 5/60 warranty transferrable to a used car buyer? Some of those extended warranties aren't, may want to check on it.

Saw a used 2001 Aurora advertised in the paper today for $23,500.

etharmon

I think that 2002 will be the last year for the Intrigue and the Silhouette. The other three might make it one more year, possibly two more. The W-bodies are slated for replacement in the 2003/2004 timeframe, so it would make sense to phase the Intrigue out then. I do wonder what would have happened if the Intrigue had been called the Cutlass Supreme. That name is instantly recognized and folks would have known it was an Olds for sure. Sure Olds has some past they were trying to let be forgotten(i.e. Achieva, Ciera, Firenza, Calais, etc) but they also have some excellent history too. And names like Cutlass Supreme and Toronado have alot of great history to them and I personally think they would have worked wonders on today's products. I would have loved to have seen an Intrigue based coupe with the Toronado nameplate resurrected on it.

dionesis

What the heck are you people talking about??? I have a 2001 Olds Intrigue GLS, and I have to say that it is probably the BEST car I have ever owned. I have not noticed ANY of the problems you people are talking about? Front end noise? NONE! Driver's side door handle wind leak? Slightly there, but I haven't been in ANY car where there WASN'T an air leak. Rough Handling??? The car has a firm ride, but HARSH is NOT a word I would use to describe it - hey, if you want a "cushy" ride then pony up the cash for a Cadillac or a Lincoln - this is a mid-$20K car - get real. Can barely fit in the Intrigue? Jesus, man....are you Andre the Giant? I am 6'3" and I weigh in at 290lbs, and I have to move the seat FORWARD a little. And then the finale, "let's cut our losses because the 3.5 isn't going to be put in any other GM vehicle". Now that's just plain stupid - the 3.5L V6 is a great motor...it is a GM motor....and there will always be parts and service available for it. At least as long as GM keeps putting out "NorthStar" engines. Come on folks, put down the crack pipe.....

b4z

Every single one of us on this thread bought the intrigue for the same reason you did. Most of us still like our intrigue's and are impressed by its cost/performance/content and value.
Most of us have had problems with our cars. Many of these problems have been fixed by a simple parts replacement.
The suspension noises appear to be unfixable. GM has not addressed the design issues inherent in these problems. Perhaps an aftermarket manufacturer has a part that solves the problem.
Your car will eventually have these noises too.
Thats what we are talking about.
I hope you enjoy your intrigue as much as i have.

dindak

dionesis : I have not had any real problem with my 2000 Intrigue either. I think when you compare the Intrigue with other cars in it's class, it's clear that it is a top 3 choice. That being said, some people have had problems with their cars just like and other model. Don't get the idea from this forum that everyone is having tons of problems, but no car is perfect.

redly_one : I'm 99% sure 2002 will be the last year for Intrigue. I would not be surprised if production wrapped up early in the year though, especially if sales are poor.

1415

dionesis::::::If you really are able to withstand stress; check out the pricing on 98,99,and 00 Intrigues. Maybe you will understand the meaning of "tough love"..

The only way to describe the public's disdain for the car is to compare it to the "dot coms".

I agree that the 3.5 is a blast and it gets better with miles.. It's is a neat shaped car and quite pleasing to the eye; but there are certain things which transform this hunk of metal into a absolute love/hate relationship..

On this thread you will find an easy-going group that tend to put it right on the line. We have some 98 and 99 owners that have piled on lots of miles and suffered few maladies.. On the flip side; we have owners that are in the process of having their cars rebuilt..

Take your pick or pleasure. I have accumulated 64k miles of Intriguing; 26k in a 98 GLS and the balance in a 99 GLS.. Believe me, the 98 was not a trade-in on the 99.

I also have a Northstar in the garage so I have gone plum-crazy over hi-tech auto engines; funny thing is the resale value lies in the low-tech engines.

Welcome to the club and to think you didn't consult us before Intriguing is a pity. We are here to help and certainly trying our best to straighten out GM..

b4z

Saw a 2000 Intrigue in the paper yesterday. MSRP was originally $26,000. They were asking $13,900.
There was a 2001 Aurora in there for $21,600!!

dindak

Very misleading... how many miles on these vehicles??

1415

I think the local Pontiac/Buick/GMC dealer has a larger supply of used Olds than any Olds dealer. He has 3-99 Aleros priced from 13,995-14,995 and 4 Intrigues-99s-12,995-14,995, and 2 Cutlasses priced from 9,995-13,995..

This dealer is not shy on mark-up; so these are not low-ball pricing.. He has 1, 99 Grand Prix GT with 15k miles for 16,995..

ab348

I think all of the crack pipes are over in the Aztek forum. There's one poor devil there bragging about trading in his Xterra for an Aztek. Man, talk about going from ugly to hideous...

jg28

I like that my car is called INTRIGUE. I wouldn't want to be driving around in a Cutlass Supreme. Sorry. It's not that I don't like having an Oldsmobile (well I did until the death announcement). In fact, if I could somehow get OLDSMOBILE in the INTRIGUE font, I'd install it in a heartbeat on my car. Oh well.

Why doesn't GM just drop ALL their divisions? Why don't we just drive around in GM Intrigues? Or GM Cateras? Hmmm? Why have a bunch of overlap with their divisions? Get rid of them ALL I say.

bryangz

Just put 7000 miles on my 2000 Intrigue. Still absolutely love my car. As far as the ride goes, it definitely isn't plush. I'd call it firm, but forgiving and I like it. Also, I am constantly impressed by the 3.5 V-6. Only thing I am not impressed by is GM. Thanks for killing my division.

Bryan

bryangz

Saw a couple references in this forum that the 3.5 liter was "dead" after Old's demise. I thought that the 3.5 was going to start migrating to other divisions and possibly be put in a Caddy? What news did I miss?

Bryan

dindak

I still think the 3.5L may live. It's all speculation at this point, no final word from GM. There is definitely some evidence that the end may be near though.

ketch

I agree with dionesis, in that after 12k on my 2001, I have had nearly no problems at all, and this while being a hard driver. Its no Honda to be sure, but in the looks dept., that was a major plus.

As for the 3.5, it was supposed to go into the upcoming Caddy CTS, but they have decided to upsize the 3.0 Opel v6 to 3.2 instead. As for other divisions getting the 3.5, that is still on track from recent info I have read, but so it keeping the 3800 for those who are hooked on it.
Who cares though, the parts for 3.5 v6's must be around 7-10 years after its demise, per federal regs. I am just happy to have this motor. In fact in addtion to the LX5/3.5L decals I had made (similar to a z28's LT1/5.7L in style and placement) I just added some I had made up that say "Twin cam 24V", small and placed just above the GL emblems. have to advertise to all those asian makes that this is one big dohc v6, not a push rod v6 from 1964 (soory 3800 lovers, just my preferrence).

b4z

Went by Rick Hendrick Chevy today to talk to my salesman. He has been selling cars for over 50 years and first sold cars to my Grandmother.
They had several Z28's and noticed that one of them had Goodyear RSA's. How long have they been doing that? I though it was GA's or the asymmetrical GSC.
They had 3 SS's. Two were white and one was black. I think the black one had the old style ZR1 type wheels which i prefer to the newer 10 spoke.

oscarz2

Consumer Reports is shaky with there data on Intrigue. First, they recommend it saying reliability is average on 98s. Then they don't recommend 99s saying reliability fell. (how, I don't know, identical car minus the problematic autobahn stuff). Then, they recommend Intrigue again saying reliability has improved. However, the 99 is on their used cars to avoid list. Then I pick up a CR buying guide catalogue in the grocery store today, and what do you know...they show the 98 as below average and the 99 average. This data is from different CR guides/issues all published within a year of each other.

b4z

Had a little dice with a Chevy Malibu today on the way home for lunch. There was a rearender in the left lane so everyone in the left lane went to the paved median to get around it. Just as i was pulling into the median i noticed a guy coming up on the left around me.
I pulled into the right lane and got ahead of him. About two miles later he comes up and passes me on the right, just barely squeezin in front of me.
As we are coming up to an overpass I manually shifted into second gear and passed him on the right, then changed lanes at about 60 mph with the car still in second gear. Talk about a glorious noise. It sounded like a NSX, I can only imagine what it would be like with 1415's SLP exhaust.
I changed back into the right lane and looked in my rearview and he was about ten car lenghts back, didn't know what hit him. I slowed down to 50 mph and cruised home. He never did catch back up to me.
This car would be very cool with a six speed.
The camaro with a six speed and this motor would be something else.

ghostz

I wouldn't go overboard about ridiculously low resale prices. Fact is that American made cars aren't going to hold value as well as a Honda or a Toyota. If you don't want to keep an American car 5 or 6 years, you're probably better off leasing. The Intrigue will probably hold value better than, e.g., a Ford Taurus because the used car market is always saturated with gov't/fleet/rental Tauruses. (I had a '94 and lost money big time when I sold it) Better than some Mopars too. A GX isn't going to be worth as much, because most in the used car business will tell you that customers want cars with all the options. In a couple of years, I'd say a GL or GLS will stand up reasonably well against, say, a Regal or Grand Prix (esp. if there's warranty left). You'll lose money, true, but remember you paid less.

As far as problems and noises with the model, I don't deny they exist, but such problems always seemed to get a little magnified in forums. I mean, people that have problems post about them, while people without problems are fat & happy and don't post as much. That's only natural. I saw this to extreme in the Camaro forums. Some people raged about the the engine, brakes, the tranny, the oil pumps, and all sorts of problems that GM was supposed to be covering up or refusing to fix properly. I didn't have these problems, although I can't say they don't exist. It might be that I'm not as sensitive to smaller things that don't greatly affect driveability or reliability. Or maybe I was just lucky.

You do get a heck of a lot for the money with the Intrigue. I'v owned a number of GM cars and seem to keep buying them. By and large I've had pretty good luck. I guess I'm either satisfied or a very slow learner.

1415

Dream on for the six-speed because it isn't worth the money for the General..Hendrick's inventory of Camaros is low..A white SS for the hot southern climate would be great--no t-top..

yurakem:::::Sorry to hear I got hosed out of $49.95 on the SLP deal, sounds like they are about to discontinue the system..Buick owners are not very wild and most of the 3.8 Intriguers are too peeved at the car to spend another nickel.. SLP didn't realize it fit the 3.5L..

oscarz2::::::Consumers Report is a waste of money as long as I can remember and you just confirmed it; thanks!!!

ketch:::::::Good update on the 01 Intrigue; may you never have a problem.. Your friend only has a 1000 miles on his so the glow is still bright..I thought both of mine were great for the first 1000 miles and then we got acquainted..the honeymoon was short..

dindak::::::How was that for a market day; its funny cause the younger generation really didn't think the market could go down::::only up-up and away. The big board needs to get crunched and maybe we can get GE to $30.00 US.

dindak

1415 : Even the older guys seem surprised at this pull back. It's a bit scary, but I keep buying for long term investors. The people selling now are making a big mistake but hey, it's bargain city for the rest of us.

ghostz : I've had good luck with all of my vehicles. 3 of my last 4 have been GM and I had one Honda in there also. GM service has always been outstanding as far as I'm concerned. My experience with Honda service was horrible. Ya they fixed the car, but they weren't happy about it. I've heard of others with similar experiences. Honda sells well in the Toronto area, it's nice not to have one.

ketch : Glad you are enjoying the 2001.

etharmon

Glad your enjoying your Intrigue, no crack here. I like my 98 alot. In fact, it's a good bet that when the lease is up this summer, a 2001 midnight blue GLS will replace it. BTW, what color is yours? I've been a part of this thread for nearly 2 years and while we've had some unhappy Intrigue owners, most have been pretty satisfied with theirs. And no one can deny that most of us are rather passionate about our cars. As Dindak said, the Intrigue is one of the top 3 cars in it's class. It's no Caddy or Lexus, but then again it doesn't have the Caddy or Lexus price tag. For it's price, the Intrigue is hard to beat on style, performance, and features. Find me another midsize sedan for under 30K with an available stability control system.

b4z, I've always said the Intrigue would be great with a five(or six) speed. It wouldn't sell in great numbers, but would certainly develop a cult following similar to how the old style 5 speed SHOs did.

ketch, no offense taken. I have the 3800 in mine and while I think the 3.8 is a great engine and has loads of low end torque, the 3.5 is clearly the better engine for the Intrigue. I've driven several with the 3.5 and it just makes it feel like a totally different car. More lively, more refined, and just more fun. The idea that it's a "baby Aurora" crossed my mind when driving a 3.5 liter Intrigue. The sound is makes at 6000 rpms is so sweet.