Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Link - http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=3671
Frightening thing was, there were a lot of chrysler products in line ahead of it
As for me, nothing new to report on the '00 GLS. I still have the occasional rumbling sound coming from the front end and still notice the feed back through the steering wheel, but neither impedes the performance of the car.
I am apparently in the minority but every time I look at my Intrigue I think it is one of the best looking mid size cars on the road -- certainly the best in GM's stable.
I read today in Automotive News that GM is going to streamline the Buick and Pontiac offerings next. Buick is supposedly in line for a mid-lux entry in the 2005 model year. That might compare to the Intrigue but I'll have a new car before the '05 model year. Typical GM -- a day late and a dollar short. Can that company survive?
Back to lurking.
dwg
Among the many considerations I had when I bought a car, was that I planned to use it for a decade... and didn't want something frumpy looking far into the future. (I think the best mistaken compliment I ever got was someone who asked me if I was driving a Jaguar!)
Most $20K+ cars seem to age well. But cheap humdrum cars from the 80's like Ford Tempos and Isuzu I-Marks, look even dumpier and klutzier than they ever did.
This is for cars who's leases mature by March 31,2002. Mine is March 22, 2002 so i fall within the guidelines.
My Chevy dealer is looking for an imapala for me right now.
etharmon : careful indeed in what you say. You could be next.
www.automotivenews.com
I'm really surprise of the vehicles that are around the 80-120 mark. For one the, MDX has the same 114 ranking as the Intrigue and one has to wait 6 months, and must pay MSRP [34-40k] or more for one of those puppies. Anyway it just goes to show everyone, that it is pretty tough to produce a perfect vehicle, day-in and day-out.
I have never really looked too hard at Buick lineup [a bit too AARP like], but they must be doing something right cause they have got 3 in the TOP-40. Maybe I should have at least test driven a couple, the Regal might have done the trick.
Strange I have always had a problem with car company plastering car badges on the sides of the cars, as if they needed to advertise on all 4 sides. Granted the first year Intrigue had virtually NO markings, which was TOO little, but that *clean-look* was one of its appeals of the car to me.
For the record, I'd get a GS over an LS everyday.
This is the link b4z gave us a while back: http://www.cstdi.com/Leather/Oldsmobile/Intrigue.asp#Data .
I also want to get ground effects. Because of the mileage and the fact I purchased my Intrigue only 2 years ago, I won't be able to trade it in anywhere near a profit for two more years at best. So since I'm having no problems I figure I'll make the mods and keep it after I'm finished paying for it. Then (and maybe sooner) I want to enter it in local car shows.
Would you believe the wife recommended keeping and modifying the Intrigue as a hobby? Hahaha! It's not all benevolent. That means there's more cash left over to get her the automotive toy she wants :-)
Now 3 of 4 Buick models are very close to Camry and Accord.
Unfortunately, Buick models interest me the least of any G.M. products.
Maybe they should send Olds designers over to Buick, instead of abandoning Buick.
Power output is OK for the 3400 V6, but this vehicle really needs the punch of the 3800 V6 or any other livier GM powerplant.
Really nice car, but sticker price is pretty steep IMO. For Aztek haters, the Rendezvous is the clear alternative.
Build quality is great in and out.
It just needs a beefier engine.
I drove the Regal GS and it was a fun experience.
The Century wasn't that bad, but I will never buy one.
I don't care for the LeSabre as I prefer the G-body sisters, the Bonneville and Aurora.
Buick has a bad problem with their AARP image. But the quality of their products is very good. A little tweaking here and there should produce very interesting Buick vehicles in the future.
I, however, still prefer my 2001 Impala LS. Glad to see that Chevrolet's initial quality J.D. power indexes have improved for 2001. My '01 Impala LS is a testimony of such quality control improvements.
Thanks,
L8_Apex
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Sedans Message Board
I saw my first taxi-cab Intrigue yesterday. My apologies to teo for giving you crap about taxi-cab Impalas.
2002 Sonata
Anyone see that GM is producing smaller variants of the GMC I-6. I wonder if one of these will end up in the next generation Grand Prix/Regal?
I'm not even bothering to accrue GM credits anymore on my card. But if GM makes an I6 RWD car, I might be interested... and start piling them up again. (Gee, does that make me fogey-sounding?)
But, I really do think RWD is more fun to drive. One of the things I liked about the Intrigue was that it was a fairly powerful FWD car without torque steer. Even the 4 banger Alero had too much torque steer for my tastes.
From outward appearances, "real" truck buyers (not buyers of sissy-fied SUVs) are die-hard V-8 people. They don't seem overly concerned about the smoothness of an engine as much as how many buses it can tow.
Unless GM is trying to change that mentality (which would be hard to do), I take it to mean that they're going after mainstream car buyers of which SUV owners are a part. BMW uses in-line engines. GM would score big points in refinement with an in-line. Give it the durability of drivetrains like the 3800 and we could be seeing the initial stages of the rebirth of GM.
BTW, anyone seen spy photos of proposed replacements for the current GM mid-size segment?
Have not seen anything in the way of spy photos lately. The last one I saw was the 2003 CTS a couple of months ago.
BTW.. They finally have the 2002 Bravadas in here at the local dealer. I looked at a black one and man is it beautiful. Wish I had the money to get one. Better pick up a lottery ticket on the way home.
The main problem is that the intrigue has an airer greenhouse with more visibility than the impala. The impala shares its roof with the grand prix. The windshield header is noticeably closer and lower to the driver than the intrigue's. I think there is also simply more metal in the pillars and roof structure than in the intrigue.
PLus the impala has a five star crash rating. It has an aluminum beam in the cowl. It was also designed as a police car.
By the way, the dealership sold the blue impala that i drove. They offered to sell it to me for $400 under invoice. I told them to hold it for me, but the salesman found out it had been sold the night before.
The intrigue is still my ideal midsize GM car, but we all know about the execution part.
Let us know what you get.
STB discussion
My last choices are as follows: A Buick Century, Buick Century Custom with many options, reasonably priced and my first choice is the Oldsmobile Intrigue GX with the driver's seat options. I think that both Buick offers more for the money, but the Oldsmobile is a much better looking car and, that's my predicament. I couldn't get my choice of color (Ruby Red) for the Oldsmobile, but will settle for the beige metallic like. Could you please compare these models and give me your opinion?
Ofcourse, the olds looks better too.
It is unfortunate you have the slim timeline. Could you rent a wreck for a week or two if it means finding a car in the colour with options you want?
I will take the better car with less toys than the loaded lesser car every time.
The Century is a soft ride with a weak 3.1L engine. The Intrigue can easily outperform it in every way. Have you test driven??
No reason to spurn the Intrigue - it's a great car too - but at least check out the Regal - you might find a good deal.
Ken
We had a problem with my dad's chevy impala in '88. We would be driving along and the car would just turn off!!. Replaced the ignition switch and it has been fine ever since.