Oldsmobile Intrigue

merckx

My head knows nothing can match the reliability of the Accord and Camry.I've heard too many stories of"my 19-- Accord has 130,000 miles on it and it runs on water!"So when I went to buy a car,naturally I looked at an Accord-you can find one with a manual transmission.I tried to like it;everyone says they are so bulletproof.My then girlfriend leased a 1998 Camry,and she adored it.I hope I don't have some sort of bias against the Japanese(I don't think I do),but both of these cars leave me utterly cold.I wish someone could tell me why.Faults and all-and what I meant by creaky is a high pitched plastic sound around the radio-I would have bought an Intrigue in a minute if I wanted an automatic(I got a Passat instead).The Intrigue is FUN!It is that simple.I had an Intrigue rental for a month,and I loved every day with it.And no matter how much Consumer Reports loves the Japanese sedans,I know the US cars can be reliable,too.I put 93,000 miles on a base 1993 Taurus I paid $12,000 for new,and in 8 years I did not spend ONE dollar on repairs-I realize that's hard to believe,but it's true.It was as rattley as could be,like the Intrigue,but it was nonetheless a very satisfying car.
The Intrigue has a livliness to its drive the others lack;it is one of my favorite cars.

htwired

I am still terribly conflicted about my wife's purchase of a Mitsubishi Eclipse last year. It is "her" car and we car pool using the Intrigue as the daily driver. The Eclipse is now a yr old and has all of 900 yes 900 miles on it. The 3.0 litter V6 is a little rocket with 0 to 60 times of about 7. seconds. Misubishi's new advertisement (Body in Motion) for the Eclipse is incredibly slick. If Oldsmobile had been as inventive with its ads for the Intrigue, Oldsmobile might have survived.

one2one

about the corporate office of GM, the accountants in particular (sorry if I'm offending some), that had a lot to do with the problems that did surface on the Intrigue. For that matter, GM HQ is finally starting to see that they need to let the engineers and designers make vehicles instead of guys in a corner office on the 2576th floor.

The concpet Chevy Borego, Pontiac Vibe and other concepts that may be coming to reality show that they're finally getting the point. Style-wise, anyway. But thank Chrysler, not the Asian brands, for that. And styling is just as important as body panel gaps... look at the Aztek as proof. Asian brands don't inspire emotional attachment--passion, if you will-- to their cars. Then again, people who buy them do so primarily for basic commuting; they're not *passionate* about anything, especially driving. They're all about "Playing it safe". Break out the flamethrower for that comment but those companies admit that that is their demographic.

As far as powertrain reliability and bringing the best to the table: it's true that the 3.5 came out later than it should. But the fact that it was late doesn't mean the 3.8 was/is bad. To the contrary, it's probably THE most reliable engine on the planet.

Have the Asian's brought their best to the table? I've mentioned it before, but anytime a manufacturer can put out a high displacement engine, tweak the power rating with variable valve timing, then strong-arm you to use Premium fuel and still put out the same (perhaps "very slightly" more) power than the domestic engine does WITHOUT *ANY* gadetry and Regular gas... how is that bringing their best to the table? Engine's out the way, now how about transmission? Again, BMW and Rolls Royce use them and inexpensive GM cars (such as the Intrigue) shift just as smoothly as a Lexus.

'Nuff said.

jgriff

I whole heartily agree with you and everyone else about GM transmissions, and most of their power plants being good [the 3800 is proven and bullet proof ]. But that gentlemen is only half the battle, there is styling, and the QC issues.

We can all agree that Camry & Accord styling can be very boring, and they are everywhere. The Intrigue had the styling part down, but the factory seemed to have missed on the QC checkpoints. Is it because the bean-counters were too concern about payroll dollars, and plus they were simply rushing to get a product to the showroom floors?

You would think with all of the shared parts and know-how [at GM] that they should have gotten it right. It is a fact, GM market share is shrinking and there are reason(s), people are simply tired of shoddy workmanship. With the average price of a sedan being $25K, people expect better than what GM is delivering, and the proof is where people are spending their car-buying dollars.

one2one

I think I can completely agree with a jgriff post.

GM shot themselves in the foot in the 80's and are still trying to recover.

dindak

Still pounding the dead horse huh?

While I agree GM QC could be better, it's not as bad as you make it out to be either. As for Toyota/Honda quality.. it seems to be falling. Take a look at the problems with the new Sequoia and last years Oydessey. problems.

etharmon

I agree with your post very much. Like driving something that is fun to drive and has a bit of uniqueness to it? Go with an Intrigue(or a Passat or even Volvo S40). Want to drive an appliance like everyone else does? Your local dealer has a Camry, Accord, or Taurus waiting for you. I've said this before, if Olds were selling 400,000 Intrigues a year I probably wouldn't be interested in the car. To me, I lose interest if a certain car sells more than about 100,000 a year. Thats what I liked about the Intrigue, it was unique. People would ask what kind of car I drive and I would simply say "an Intrigue." Some knew it was an Olds but others would ask who makes it and then I would say "Oldsmobile." I guess I'm not just one who follows the herd mentality. Best selling this or highest ranking that doesn't mean a thing to me. The Pope himself could say the Camry is the most blessed car and recommend it and it would be a cold day in you know where before I'd buy one.

etharmon

Our wonderful Asian car lovers still will not answer the question about any Toyota or Honda dealers without service departments. To me, quality is an important factor, but thats not the only decision that goes into my car buying decision. Had I felt the Intrigue was a not a quality car, I would not have gone with it. In the past, I never considered GM's midsize cars because they lacked quality(among other things) and was well prepared to go with a used Cadillac or high end Olds. But after reading numerous reviews on the Intrigue and test driving it, I was very impressed. Now, nearly 3 years and 35,000 miles later, I still like the car and don't regret the choice one bit. Besides, where else could I get the style, performance, and standard features for the price I got? Yeah, interior door panels have cheap feeling plastic and the standard radio speakers suck, but it's the "real" hardware that counts. Stanbdard 16" alloy wheels, powerful V6 engine, 4 wheel disc ABS brakes, traction control, and other extra little features that more than make up for it. So for the same price as I got my 98 Intrigue with all those features, I could have gotten a Toyota Camry with a 4 cylinder engine, 15" wheels with platic wheel covers, possibly ABS but no traction control, and no where near the style or the performance. But oh, I could have the joy of measuring all the body panel gaps with a micrometer.

jgriff

etharmon ::: To answer your question, NO I have never seen a new Toyota/Honda dealership without a service department [seen Subbie & Misti]. In fact my new 93 Infiniti was purchase from a very small dealership and it still had a 3-4 service bays. And rarely had more than a couple of cars in being worked on at a time [BTW, Infintiti service was 1st rate all the way, so far to-date the best I have encountered].

Items that I had fixed at all 3 dealers Toy/Honda/Acura/Infin [if any], I did not have to return, to have the same item fixed a second time. But come to think of it I rarely had any problems to speak of. Which has been my point all along with the Intrigue, people are having to return to get the same things fixed over and over, and they cant all be lemons.

dindak ::: Just trying to have some intelligent conversation on why GM/Olds keep losing their market share, and what could/should be done to reverse the trend. I have heard that Toy/Honda are not on par with their previous generations, I cant attest to the fact, but they are still the bench-mark on todays market. BTW: quit taking my comments so personal, this thread was simply getting a bit TOO quiet [just ignore me, OK?].

Guys I am not trying to downgrade the Intrigue, I liked it, bought it, drove it for 18-months, and sold-it. I have experience many of the same trail & tribulations as others here have [and I feel their pain, more than you can imagine, because I hate all kinds of car failures big & small].

The question is, what will GM have to do, to get back on top, or can they? Are they so big and set in their ways, that they simple will not be able to change course?

dindak

You are repeating all the same stuff you said a year ago on this board. It's old and has all been said by you before many times. You sold your car and if that makes you happy great. We know you love Hondas and Toyotas, but this is an Intrigue board and we are here to talk about our cars. There are separate boards for those cars, use them.

L8_Apex

Let's get back to genuinely helpful and informative discussion about the Intrigue. Continuing this foreign vs. domestic themed debate or arguing the validity of Oldsmobile (or domestics as a whole) will result in posts being removed. I rather this thread be quiet than having these same old arguments rehashed again and again...

Thank you,

L8_Apex
Host
Sedans Message Board

one2one

that they are hiring people who have the authority to make final decesions from backgrounds that have nothing to do with cars. (Note Ron Zarella and Karen Francis).

Now, to show how it should be done, take a look at Chrysler. While time will tell if their changes will effect a turnaround, it's clear Juergen Schrempp knows what he's doing. He pulled people who were already in the car biz and that had proven they knew how to market and make CARS... not women's hair care products.

GM on the other hand, has the mentality that if you can manage one thing, you can manage anything. Personally I've never fed into that corporate crap. If you want to sell fine jewelery, you don't get someone who sells vending machines.

Another reason I think Chrysler will make the turnaround faster than GM is because Mr. Schrempp has everything to loose. And I mean more than his job. He made major changes at MB... so much so that that's what got him the post at Chrysler. If he fails, his reputation is on the line, along with the demise of Chrysler. If he suceeds, he goes down in history as pulling off the biggest automotive turnaround since Lee Iaccoca.

Schrempp and Chrysler answer to Daimler. Who does GM answer to?

jgriff

and that is what I am talking about, the positive and negative experiences people are having with their Intrigue. And how those experiences relate to the GM product lines and management styles.

Note: I and others truly want GM to be able turn things around, competition is great for business. I would prefer that GM once again be the benchmark for all types of vehicles, not just trucks.

I am so sorry you think that I am simply re-hashing the same stuff from last-year, but as you recall at this time last year Olds was still UP and running. Since then [Dec. 2000] GM has proceeded to close them down. You need to ponder that, and asked yourself WHY and what is next. Saturn seems to be struggling a lot, will they be next in a few years.

Will they [GM] be able to regroup their resources, and rise the to the level of the competition(s)?

b4z

Yeah, That Proctor & Gamble soap guy knows absolutely nothing about cars. Doesn't know anything about making money either.

Will probably be test driving an impala Ls next week. Intrigue is set to go Monday.

dindak

You sold your car a year ago. We all know about the problems you had. Get over it. All you are doing is re-hashing the same thing you have said over and over. I don't care about Hondas. I wouldn't care if Honda was owned by GM or 100% American owned. Why do you feel the need to come back and citisize your long lost Intrigue/ GM??

one2one

Don't sound too excited about testing the Impala, buddy. Since I truly feel your pain, are you checking that out since it's the only thing in GM's stable that's close to the Intrigue (IMO)?

Guess Chrysler products are out the picture. If you fit like I do, the comfort level isn't worth $20,000+.

b4z

Not too happy about going back to pushrods after living with the sweet 3.5L for 26 months.

Ironically the impala LS is priced almost identical to the intrigue GL.

You get biger brakes and little sturdier platform with the impala. Don't think the imapala has the airy green house that the intrigue has.

Every time i think about the lost opportunity Gm had with the intrigue it makes me angry.

The intrigue is still my ideal package. Too bad the execution has been less than ideal.

dindak

Ever considered the Saturn LS300? Sweet DOHC engine in that car. It's a bit on the small side though (about the size of an Accord).

jgriff

dindak are you kidding us. The LS300 is one very noisy machine [insulation is non existence], and plus you can slide a small catalog thru the door gaps.

I'd take an Olds Alero over a Saturn any day. And yes I have driven both, several times. Heck I would opt for another Intrigue before I even thought about any Saturns.

jgriff

I am not rehashing the past...I asking people what GM can do to avoid *future* closing or failures. Can GM improve on peoples perceived shortcomings of GM QC, what kind of styling is required to really get people excited GM products [all based on their Intrigue experiences].

I could care less about my personal Intrigue misfortunate, that has long passed, or *water under the bridge*. Re-read my posts; I only mention not being satisfied with my Intrigue experience and that was it [end-of-subject]. Get off the Honda rules pun.

What I am talking about is the *future* [are you with me here]. At some point in time you will need to buy another vehicle, will it be another Intrigue or a GM product? Only time will tell where you have enough confidence to spend your hard earned cash on. If you have been happy with your Intrigue, then you can another one if you like.

jgriff

Mr. L8_Apex ::: when it comes to talking about the Intrigue, there are only 3 main topic points; positive, negatives, and when will the last one be sold.

And for the most part these are nothing but subjective *repeated* topics anyway.

Otherwise this thread will eventually die, is that what you want to see happen?

etharmon

Where is cd96ns(aka 1415) when you need him?

dindak

You must be bored if you are hanging around this forum again.

First of all, if you knew anything about the Saturn, you would know that it had plastic body panels and NEED larger gaps for expansion from temperature change.

As for your intentions, given your past here I know where your topic of discussion will end up. Honda rules and GM sucks or Japan good, US cars bad. I'm not having that discussion with you again. You had a bad Intrigue experience, get over it and enjoy your Honda. You made your decision. They are good cars and if you are happy.. great.

I agree ethermon... where is 1415 when you need him.

limadelta

I am now on my 3rd alternator and the flickering is still there, althought not as bad as it was on the first go round. GM called my service tech about a month after the latest install and asked if the problem had cleared up.

It sounds like GM is not sure what is causing this, but as long as I don't get stranded and the General is looking for a fix, I won't complain too much.

My 2000 GLS turned 21K this week and the mileage (31 @ 80+MPH) on a recent trip from Phoenix has been great. There were times when the speedo was reading over 100 and the car felt great. NO one in GM's management has a clue regarding this car. Idiots are in charge at GM and they wonder why they keep losing market share.

Put motorheads back into the decision making process and let P&G stick to soap and deodorant. Stay away from cars becauese it is obvious that you gifts are not marketing.

one2one

This actually isn't the usual debate over the 3.5 vs. the 3800 that we usually have. Let me explain the reason for this post.

Was watching a Dodge Neon commerical that described certain features including a "16 valve overhead cam" engine.

Now, one of the complaints of proponents of pushrod OHV engines is that the low-end grunt of a twin-cam isn't as impressive as a pushrod.

Conversely, twin-cam activists swear by the high end performance of those engines vs pushrods.

Therefore, my question is: has Chrysler come up with the happy medium by retaining the low-cost (relative to twin-cams), time proven, low-end grunt pushrod design while at the same time capitolizing on the advantages of two valve per cylinder design? I'm not sure that the Neon isn't a twin-cam but I'm certain that 3.5 used in the 300M is not but has 32 valves.

I've actually been thinking about this for a while. I'm still doing the research. I guess I just have too much time on my hands. Or maybe I'm a real gearhead? ;-)

bryangz

Got a witness to my accident. She saw the van hit my car. So hopefully, things will now go my way. Poor Intrigue, looks awful with the crushed fender. Just hate the idea of not having the original paint.... Maybe clearcoat is a different story, but before clear coat, everything that was painted later either looked good when the rest of the car faded, or faded before the rest of the car, or the part that was hit rusted first. Any experiences on body repairs?

Bryan

white6

Neon uses a 4-cylinder engine... 16 valve OHC makes it a 4-valve per cylinder overhead cam design, not 2-valve per cylinder. Ford actually does use a 2-valve per cylinder OHC design in their 4.6 liter V-8. It uses one overhead cam per cylinder bank; two cams total.

b4z

Ford also has the 4valve version they use in the cobra, and which will be used in some form in the marauder.

As you already now a ohc motor is smoother than a pushrod motor. less reciprocating mass.

I wish GM could figure out how to make their ohc motors sound like ferrari. Or their v6s sound like a acura NSX. But i guess the acuras are 60 degree designs which automatically sound different than the 90 degree v6s.

Which brings to another issue. The 3800 is not a great sounding engine. Kind of sounds like a schoolbus.

b4z

It took me 4 full hours to wash and wax my car today. I washed all of the door jambs, around the trunk, and the engine.

I used meguier's cleaner wax this time. A really good quality wax i think. I got all of the road tar off, and the wax off of the black plastic rocker panel. Tomorrow i wax the wheels and do all of the interior and trunk.

I want her to be immaculate when i take it back.
I think i have the outside looking almost as good as the day i bought it except for the rubber mouldings around the doors which are showing some age.

I hate to see her go.

P.S. I "waxed" a Mazda 626 V6 today too.

ian18

To b4z,
Interesting that I also own an Olds Intrigue (98) as well as a Mazda 626 ES 5 spd V6 (93). However I did not spend all day waxing my cars :-).

teo

"The 3800 is not a great sounding engine. Kind of sounds like a schoolbus."

What?????!!

I havenever heard a schoolbus that sounds that good.....

You got to be kidding me...;-)

yurakm

In my experience with 2000 Buick Regal, the 3800 engine does not produce any serious sound. Except the occasional nice low-frequency bass, when and if the supercharger is engaged.

b4z

I am speaking mainly of the exhaust sound.
I was in the regal forum a few weeks ago and someone in there posted a link to a supercharged grand prix with some serious modifications.
In the mpeg the car did a burn out then ran down the track. It was incredibly quick, but did not sound so great, to my ears.

jjpowell2

It's been nearly a month since our 3rd alternator was installed in our 2001 GL and not even a hint of flickering. You may not have gotten the latest fix installed. Have never enjoyed driving a car and there are so few in our area. Really get the looks! "What is it?" is the most FAQ....

dindak

I thought the 3800 sounded great on my old Grand Prix. Nice sold growl. The 3.5 in the Intrigue sounds much smoother and refined but I do miss the growl. Makes those people with fart pipes on their Civics look silly.

vezini

I now have a new rattle in the steering column. The dealer checked the intermediate steering column; and says that it is fine. When ever I hit a bump in the road I receive a load rattle. Any thoughts on this?

Also, I am thinking of taking it to a Chevy dealer because my Olds dealer's service department is so poor. Any experience out their with Chevy dealers doing warranty work on the Olds?

one2one

white6::: Thanks for correcting me. I know that twin-cams have 4 valves per cylinder but when I was writing, my brain was thinking only of the two exhaust valves. DUH!

Re: 3800 sound-- I like the sound of my 3800... most of the time. Sometimes (particularly when it's warm) there almost seems to be no exhaust note that I can hear. Got the sound system up to high perhaps? ;-) The 3.5 has a similar sound to my ears, just not as throaty. But that's what I remember from distant 20 minute test drives.

Glad to see we still have a pulse. What other things can we "debate" about? Double-wishbone vs all strut suspensions?

dindak

Just as an add on.. drove by the local lot and they had only 1 2001 Intrigue on the lot now, down from 4 two weeks ago. Supply must be really tight or demand must be real strong. Also noticed they only had 1 Aurora but had 7 Aleros.

Got a good look at the 02 Trailblazer they had. Beautiful truck! Wish I had the money for one.

b4z

Well, another chapter is added to my early termination story. Went to the dealer this morning to turn it in, and the guy told me that GM is forgiving the remaining lease payments between June 1st and July 15th if you buy or lease a new General Motors car. If you buy they will give you an additional $500, but you cannot use the financing incentives with the $500.

So i didn't turn it in. But this will require me to buy a new GM car. So i guess the impala SS is out of the picture now.

I am meeting with my longtime chevy dealer to look at an impala this afternoon.

The reason i blinked is that i would have had to pay $2445.00 today to terminate the lease.

With the new program i save that money, get $500.00 and get a new car. I would have had to buy something anyway.

This is getting complicated.

dindak

I wish they put a dash board more like the Monte Carlo's in the Impala. The MC has a really good looking dash. Unfortunately with a little one and another likely coming in a couple of years, I can't have a two door for a few years.

one2one

I thought they gave up on the idea to make an Impala SS. If they did and it looks as good as the prototype that has been circulating around the net, might be worth a look... if they make it.

teo

Still no news on that Impala SS model...last I heard is that GM decided to cancel the 2003 launch of this model; however, that might change again due to the advent of Ford's Mercury Marauder sedan.

wmatysti

Okay, first let me say that I absolutely love my 2000 Intrigue GL -- (fully loaded so basically a GLS). I just wanted to give the car an updated flare, and am considering putting halogen bulbs in. I tried the PIA's once before but they don't fit too well, and honestly, didn't look too great. I had the superwhites. I'm looking for something with a more of that blueish tint to it. Any suggestions. Also, when I get some $$ I was actually considering an HID conversion kit. Any expereinces with that and the Intrigue (or comparable models). Are they hard to install, etc...

thanks,
matt

redline65

Glad to hear you love your loaded GL. Check eBay Motors for Intrigue stuff, you will find some fake HID lights for sale there.

redline65

Anyone see the Olds article at Auto.com? GM has reached agreement with only 7% of Olds dealers to buy them out. GM's offers are too low. A Pensacola, FL lawyer is representing over 200 Olds dealers. Should be interesting to see what pans out.

It also says the Intrigue is scheduled to be built through 2003, with the Aurora & Alero going through 2004. Maybe the 2004 Aurora "Final Edition" will be offered in V8 form only.

wmatysti

Okay, I posted a few minutes ago, after some consideration, i have come to the conclusion that I want to do the HID conversion. Anyone who has any experience with the process please let me know.

limadelta

I tried to install the PIAA HID-style bulbs a few months ago and had to return the bulbs because they do not fit in the socket.

PIAA made the flange about 1mm too thick for the headlight socket and the bulbs will not fit. If you check your OEM bulbs, you'll notice that the bulb flange has a narrow taper that gradually thickens. The PIAA bulbs doesn't have this taper and you can't get the PIAA bulb to lock into the headlight socket. Sorry, but she won't fit in there.

I went with Plasma Ultra White's. They fit with a 'slight' improvement in the low beam, but a nice improvement in the high beam. I think that the Intrigue does not a have a very good beam pattern and was hoping a brighter light would help. They really didn't.

BTW, I kept the wattage output the same as the OEM bulbs.

b4z

The impala SS that i was talking about is the rear wheel drive '96 Impala SS.

Read my post below about my impala test drive today.

b4z

I test drove two impalas today. My salesman's personal base model with 7000 miles and a brand new (21 miles) LS with DIC, premium sound and spoiler delete.

My salesman's car had the bench seat and really no options, not even a cd player, but had the power windows and seat.

The car drove really well. It kind of felt like a luxury car. It smoothed over every bump and there were absolutely no squeaks, creaks or rattles anywhere. It felt like it had a stiffer body structure than the intrigue.

It was also noticeably quieter than the intrigue.
His car did have the rear wheel well liners, which evidently make it quieter.

What was different about the car that i did not like as well as the intrigue were:

It has about a half inch less headroom which didn't bother me. But, the windshield header was a little lower and the rearview window is mounted lower. The mirror partially blocked my forward vision. I moved it up as high as i could which helped, but i would like it a little higher.

Interior materials are little lower in quality, but i can live with it.

Both engines are a little noiser than the intrigue's. They weren't objectional though. I was expecting it to have a lot more low end torque than the intrigue but it only had a little more.

All in all a pretty good car. My salesman is looking for one with a later build date. Supposedly this will get me a car with the new amplifier. The premium sound in this car was not up to the quality of the intrigue's system. The build date on the LS was 08/00. Which means this car has been sitting on the lot for almost 9 months.

MSRP was $24,269. Which i can deal with. Overall this car was put together much better than the intrigue. The police car program has had a positive effect on the body structure of this vehicle.

You guys should take a test drive.

racer_x_9

Drove the Intrigue from Chicago to Cincy and back this weekend. '99 w / 3.8L.

Hummed along at 2000 rpm 75-85 mph. Air on the whole time. Four adults and a packed trunk. 27.5 mpg average.

It was a lot of fun to drive.