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Olds says it will be on the AutoShow circuit. They said that last year but it wasn't at the Philly show because the Philly show isn't an "A" show. Anyone know if it's going to be at ALL the shows this go round?
The Intrigue has been garaged since 11/18 and started up on the first hit without the benefit of any pedal. About to run out of warranty and the problems are aplenty, front rattle, flickering of dash lights and the screwed-up brakes.
The Olds dealer in Delray Beach Fl closed up shop and the facility is now a Chevy outlet. Morse Cadillac took over the Olds franchise and has absorbed it into the Cad facility without any physical expansion. There was very little Olds inventory maybe 7 or 8 Intrigues with one GLS equipped with a simulated fabric top stickered at 31,500. I took the Caddy over for a very expensive wheel balance since my Mich dealer new tire balance job was not too great. Burns Olds was an old line dealer in Delray so it looks like the land of AARPs is staying away from Oldsmobile.
1,001 miles left on the warranty and I need to know if anyone with a 99 3.5 has had the steering gear replaced...maybe referred to as the steering rack. Don't get it confused with the intermediate shaft. I read one description as the half shaft which is not correct.
The 3.5 does burn oil with ease and maybe I am changing it too often--just kidding.
A stand alone Olds dealer will not survive the current economic downturn and I forsee the new Bravada as the last Olds hurrah. The Aurora is not cutting the ice for the 3.5 model is really outclassed by the foreign guys, and the 4.0 is a slug in performance and lacks spirited handling.
The Detroit weather sucks today snow/ice and cold after the balmy Fl scene. Sold our Fl condo after 12 yrs, and will be out 28th Jan 01. Storing furniture and will decide the future later.
dindak::::congrads on the new family member and certainly trust all is well....Your election went well and without lawsuits!!!!Won't comment on the winner...
Elections here have become a nightmare with the split on the right. Unless we can get the two sides back together, the Liberal party will be in power forever. Strange times in Canadian (and now American) politics.
RE: picture. Oldsmobile, when can I get one of these cool yellow Intrigues?
car in before warranty was up and at that
time the headlights were flickering.
They replaced the battery.
Is the headlight flickering thing written in
the comments of the service order?
If so, perhaps the dealer will agree that
they did not fix it when you brought it in
while it was under warranty and will
fix it now as warranty (hey; you never know
'til you ask).
While I believe that the recent 2000 and 2001 copies must have better build and quality control qualities, the Intrigue's reputation is already damaged in the market place by the problematic '98 and '99 models. I sincerely wish that the Intrigue can make it past the 2004 year when the new Mid-lux platform is set to debut. I also believe that Olds made a MAJOR mistake by killing the LSS and Eighty Eight models. Sure they were aimed at the geritol crowd but they did kept Olds afloat and had a segment of the market now captured by the Buick Le Sabre and the Pontiac Bonneville.
I don't understand Olds strategy.
I do prefer that little spoiler to the stock Intrigue wing.. perhaps Olds can make that happen for the production model sooner rather than later. And how about the air intake and exhaust changes that got the 3.5L up to 245hp on the Alero OSV!
Considering putting on some snows as the LS's in their current wear state are borderline for getting through the winter.. Then may put some nice aggressive tires on come spring.
Perhaps when 2002 Bravada comes they will blitz. I really hope they do.
1999 built 10/98-brought 12/98-3.8 engine--curently have 24,000 miles
over last few months had intermedite drive shaft replaced as was getting the well documented problems, and "switchplate" that covers the switches on the drivers passenger door as it was loose
dealer 1--switchplate--servie advisor--"well some of them just loosen up, there are two clips, hard to get perfect, we will take a look." at end of day, it is even worse. show to service advisor-reiterates that hard to tighten. I say coudl do better, this is pretty poor service. He says--yeah, we coudl do better, bring it back and we will try again.
noises in steerign column--service advisor--not much of a problem on 1999s ( i told them specifically what i knew problem was and that it should not be coming as a surprise)--huh--is this an admittance that has been some problem, but not as bad as 98's??--end of day--service advisor--we drove it can't duplicate
dealer 2--replaced the "switch plate"--nice and tight
new drive shaft-no questions asked
for the most part i like this car a lot--i won't beat a dead horse as others have that fit and finish could be better. i am, like many others, concerned at what will happen over next 40 or 50 thousand miles.
I don't see where a 250hp+ Intrigue is worth dreaming about; for steering, suspension, and brakes are really not being addressed by the Oldsmobile crew. Expense to re-engineer outweighs any benefits derived; and it is better to wait until the total redesign is done.
Its too late to change the public preception of this car; so cut-rate rebates and special deals will probably be the most important improvement of the product.
The Bonneville is not setting any sales records for it has that Space Ship-Buck Rogers design.
On the new GM SUV Bravada, Jimmy, and Blazer line; please buy one or two; for I have a couple of nice production parts on this SUV line...
this car; so cut-rate rebates and special deals
Will probably be the most important improvement of the product".
I disagree. The Intrigue is well rated now (even by CR) and most people are still not even aware the Intrigue exists. I'll say it again, a hot TV ad played over and over will push these cars out the dealer doors.
1415- Good to see you are back. I bet the weather in FL was nice. How did the Caddy do on the road?
We bought a Buick Regal GS this October. Pretty loaded: Everything but chrome wheels, Monsoon audio, and heated engine. MSRP somewhere in $27-28k range, do not remember exactly.
The car was financed with a 5-year, 0% loan from GMAC. The loan was available with only $1000 down. Yes, zero percent for 60 month, one thousand downpayment.
GMAC financed even sale tax, registration, title fee, etc. It turned to be impossible to put as low down: our GM card rebates were already higher (yes, they counts toward the downpayment). Plus security deposit already paid to the dealer.
Pontiac offered the same 0% loans for GP GT and GTP in our North-East region, and, I believe, in other regions, but not national-wide. The Buick incentives were national.
Looks as somebody paniced at GM that month. Or tried to make his quote before the end of reporting period. In November the interest jumped up to 5.9%.
Would I get one? Yep, but I WOULD drive the car more than a few miles first to see if road noise has been decreased and other items that were mentioned previously were addressed.
yurakm:::::::Buick Regal GS is not in the range of 27-28; and I don't keep up on the financing deals. The GTP & GS are close in price with the GLS out in front by 1500 or so. I do not want to labor the point about the various options available since they seem to change weekly and you are committed to a 60 mo deal. At what time are you not upside down on the special program????? The Buick will serve you well if you take care of it...
etharmon::::::Thanks for asking about the Northstar...it ran well; however some wheel/tire out of balance and/or a out of round tire did tend to keep me to the lower speed ranges. It was a condition more of aggravation and not as smooth as the original setup that held me down. Still averaged 72mph to Ocala from Detroit; gas mileage was off due to useage of midgrade. Had the tires balanced in Delray Beach...helped somewhat..the new Michelins or lets say one is not round or has a hard spot. My son sold his 94 STS with 137k miles for 7500 and he doesn't know boo-boo about cars; obviously the new owner doesn't know crap either. Original struts also---didn't advertise it either--real estate salesperson is the new owner. Sold my condo in FL in 2 days and went to Ocala for two days and submitted three offers---all rejected/no great counteroffers--too bad.
The dual exhausts on a Pontiac GT or GTP are a sagging crossover pipe that dangles below the rear valance which looks like junk...
teo::::::Are you a Broward County person?????I love Southern FL because of the winter weather and the fact that it is the warmest place to be during that time frame. However the sheer overcrowding and the congestion during the high season has pushed me to Ocala which I admit isn't the greatest during the winter; if fact they have had frost three or four times during the last two weeks. Prices are less and values are better::::my wife likes the Palm Beach area and is letting me have my way since the Delray condo of 11 yrs was her bag...
Intrigues are about out of my life---since owning two has been a real trip for GM doesn't really give a hoot about any of us and the dealers are suffering big time with the junk. The dealers are getting charged back for some of the warranty work that is deemed customer problem...dealers are less likely to fix items due to factory stance.
It's a shame - the new Oldsmobiles are the most interesting sedans GM makes.
Just giving you a hard time.
Welcome back.
Try www.eradispeed.com
South Florida is Intrigue land...I get to see at least 5 to 10 of these everyday!
If anyone knows anything about this problem, please respond.
I am assuming it is a bad ground somewhere...who knows
As an past owner of a 94, 95 and 97 Olds Cutlass Supreme, I would say I have the qualifications to say that W-bodies are NOT better than the Intrigue. I mean, have you even driven the two cars in comparison? Relibility...HA, I put Rotors on my 94 Olds at 48K too!!!And that was just the start. That was only one of a myriad of minor problems I had.
On the other hand, before buying my USED Intrigue GX w/ 34K, I spent quite a bit of time with a new GrandPrix GT. The GT was about as exciting to drive as my 94 Cutlass with 80K that I was trading in. I dunno, maybe I'm a sucker for high rev engines, I guess. I do like the exterior of the GP more the the Intrigue, but the interior is no comparison (a pontiac weak point).
Anyway, to sum it up, the Intrigue ride better, has more power, has a better laid out interior, and is definately a generation of improvement above the old W body's.
As far as the High Output Intrigue...Bring it on!!! I will be in the car market again in about a year or two.
As I told, this $27-28k range is MSRP, not the real life price, and the MSRP is for a somewhat loaded car. Not a base one, but not fully loaded either.
When I shopped for my car, the sticker price for the 2000 GSE was about $28,100; about $28,350 if with heated seats. And even this price was about $500 less than for a fully loaded GS - the car with the same options as GSE, only priced separately.
On the other hand, the MSRP for very base 2000 GS, without any option, is a notch less than $26k. $25,900 to be exact, I checked with Edmunds:
http://www.edmunds.com/newcars/2000/buick/regal/gs.html
So the whole MSRP range is about $26k-$29k.
After reading your message, I dug into my file cabinet at home, pulled out the Regal file, and checked the original GM/dealer window sticker. $25,185 base, + $1,890 options, + $560 destination charge, total $27,635.
My car is not fully loaded. The audio is the base Concert II, not Monsoon (about $300). And no chrome wheels, we do not like them ($650). The car was produced in 1999 and sat at dealer lot almost for year. GM increased prices a bit mid-year.
I didn't see your first post on the subject but your flicker sounds like a loose connection. What have you checked so far?
yurakm:::::::Thanks for explaining the Buick price structure...My 99 GLS 3.5, sunroof, chrome wheels, spoiler, and the air filtration system totaled 27,200. I never looked at the Regal since I had read some article that their suspension was somewhat mushier than the other W-bodies. I piled 95k miles on a 92 Regal GS and fought the constant cupping of the Eagles on the rear--went thru 3 sets of tires with almost 60% tread remaining at throw away time. I worked out a deal with Goodyear on several of those occasions so I wasn't totally bamboozled. It was annoying--but the car was absolutely OK with the 3.8 flawless in operation and required a water pump at 60k.....98% of the mileage was interstate. Brakes-4 wheel discs--fronts turned at approx 50k and 90k with rears never never touched. Buick puts the Supercharged 3.8 and gives you the non-speed rated Goodyears--what a kick-in-backside!!!!You have a good car---enjoy it--I could be a little jealous of a happy content owner of a w-body with a supercharged 3.8..
bz4::::::Yes, they were reasonable offers from where I stood and the counters were not very sociable; but I now know where the real price comes in to play--so I will wait to see if they want to change their counter before I fall on the sword. A somewhat different situation:::its a gated adult community, mininium resident age is 18; children may visit up to 30 days in any calendar year; and the deed restrictions and covenants are enforced with authority. We have close friends who have lived there for four years. All houses that I made offers on were non-occuppied and owners were not returning to the area plus they had been on the market for at least 6 mos up to 2 yrs. Offers ranged from 10-21% less than asking price--not bad.
I am putting off buying a bravada or aurora until
i see how things turn out in the spring. Greenspans announcement wiil help home sales and hopefully cars sales too.
He also says that you should not finance. If you took the average car payment of $378 and invested in a mutual fund in woud be worth a bout $4.4 million in 35 years.
How do i get away from the perpetual car payment, and still drive the cars i like? Any suggestions.
Upside down is a state of mind. It doesn't offer any helpful information with regard to whether the purchase of a particular car at a particular price was a 'good deal' to know when one owes less than the car is worth.
Especially when one has borrowed the money for the car at a rate far below the prevailing rate--0% in the recent example. It would be helpful to know what the buyer earned on the retained money when discussing the "true" cost of the car.
If I have 15k, agree to buy a car for 10k--borrow the entire 10k, drive it off the lot so it is now worth 8k, crash it on the way home, insurance totals it & pays me 8k, I am upside down 2k....I pay off loan with insurance plus 2k of my own, leaving me 13k in the bank.
How am I better off if I have 15k, agree to buy a car for 10k--borrowing only 5k, drive it off the lot so it is now worth 8k, crash it on the way home, insurance totals it and pays me 8k, I am not upside down....I pay off 5k loan with insurance, put other 3k in the bank, giving me a 13k balance.
All that election talk tired me out [and we never even got to the more recent goings on---can you imagine?], but I keep reading the forum.
I like Intrigue, and probably would buy it for driving on highways. The 3.5l engine is optimized for higher speed. I saw several times, how Intrigues are accelerating and passing, up a step hills, on the CT route 15, an older local parkway. Very impressive!
However, we go to highways only for pleasure driving: for visiting friends, sightseeing etc. My wife's and my commuting is only 6-10 miles, through a dense suburb and city. The 3.8l engine provides a better acceleration from stops, traffic lights, etc. Especially the superchargered one.
Concerning the Regal suspension: your information is not complete.
The base Regal LS have a soft suspension indeed. But another suspension, named "touring" or something, is available as option for LS and is standard for GS.
The Buick engineers made one design trick: they put a rubber bushing between the suspension and body. The bushing, and soft deep seats, are dampering the bumps and other road imperfections. This makes the driver and passengers to feel the car "floats" above the road: nothing hits them from downside. The first impression: a mushy suspension.
Yet the touring suspension itself is very stiff. My Regal practically does not lean on turns, even while I am turning rather fast. Way more rigid, than even with my old car, a 88 Ford Taurus wagon. As you know, wagons have a stiff, beefed up suspension.
Concerning tires:
The GS have Goodyear LS tires. Several owners reported on the Regal board that the OEM tires are not durable enough. Had to be changed at 20-25k miles. I have no first-hand experience yet: bought the car only two months ago, and put only 3.5k miles.
Personally, I would prefer performance tires to the touring ones. Replaced recently the Firestone Affinity on my other car, the Chevy Malibu, by the Firehawk SH-30. Great improvement in cornering, in both the dry weather and the wet one.
I think 40% annual income is a good measure of how much you should spend on a car, and I've stayed under that level so far. How would you equate that to family income though (I'm single) I don't know. But then I've financed 50% of the values of the 3 cars I've bought.
If you can finance for 0.9%, you are laughing.
handled the project. The Alero is a mirror image of the Intrigue, brakes and steering for starters.
The Aurora probably emerged from the same womb...
Upside down!!!!!60 month note-amortization is fairly simple---pick up the paper and see what the car is worth if you are bailing out..maybe after 36 mos the deal is a wash?????
I think the leasing aspect is reasonable on a luxury car like a Cad or Lincoln; but you better put the miles on it and beat/abuse it. The depreciation is rapid and a 4 yr. old Cad with 50k miles is worth maybe 16,500 in a private sale. MSRP going in was about 41,500-paid 33,500 end of 96 run. I always think about leasing but I hate to be told when to give up the car and start fighting another deal; for if car sales are brisk-no deals; but then again maybe one gets lucky with lots of giveaways...
b4z::::::The community is 99% senior citizen and even if the house is empty; nobody is desperate to sell..If the house was sold then what would they have to think about. It appeared to be a buyers market but nobody has heard the toilet flush as yet!!!!
What role did your company play in the development of the Bravada, Envoy and TrailBlazer? I have a cousin in marketing at the GMC division and he's already trying to sell me on a new Envoy when the wife's lease is up on her Jeep. Having been down the Jimmy road with an absolutely awful '92, I remain skeptical, but from what I am reading about the new GM SUVs, they are light years ahead of the old models and may even have moved ahead of the domestic competition.
Did you get in any golf while in Florida?
dwg
Fla politics and the Dems are nutballs---its called spin spin and more spin-lie lie and bigger lies.
I played golf 4 times in the Ocala area, and when I got to my condo in Palm Beach County I decided to sell it and leave south Fla after 11 yrs; so I didn't play due to the condition of "golfed out" from the summer. I normally play every day in Fla at around 7am-crack of dawn-2 1/2-3hr round but I got tired of the routine....
condo tomorrow. This is my first house so i am
pretty excited. I am getting it for $110 less than what the last one sold for. I have it figured to the penny. I may not know the ins and outs of purchasing a car, but real estate is
my game and i love it. The sellers were expecting to get about $2000 more, but with the market cooling and the huge appreciation of the last few years going away, they decided to go for it.
Great for me!
Good Luck with yours.
My son has been in real estate sales and investments since 1983 in the area north east of Detroit along Lake St. Clair.. Plays golf 5 days a week during the summer and has been a 100% commission since inception except on the split deals. Spun his STS as mentioned before and yesterday bought a 99 Town and Country Van,16k miles for 18,500. Has a Tahoe going off lease in Feb so he will pick up a year old STS. His children attend a private school which is a 100 miles a day commute for the second car. He got tired of leasing and worrying about miles along with paying out top dollar for new Cadillacs so you buy one with few miles and drive it a couple years and repeat the deal.
white6::::::Good luck on dumping the Firebird..A friend of just took delivery of a 01 330i conv in Germany. He is such a slow driver the car actually complains about abuse!!!! My daughter was married to the son of a BMW dealer in California for about 2 yrs back in early 80s; so I gathered a little insight on how they operate..
I know that the overall product reliability has improved and the maintenance has become easier along with much cheaper. The 15000 mile oil change is a stretch and I don't think one should go over 7500 max since oil is cheap and their engines are jewels...
Just saw in the Toronto paper today, 0.9% financing for 48 months with no payments/interest for 3 months on all 2001 Intrigues. Pretty sweet deal!
$0 DOWN AND 0 PAYMENTS AND INTEREST FOR THE FIRST YEAR FOR QUALIFIED BUYERS!
Or:
Take $2,000 Cash Back on 2000 model year Intrigues.
Take $750 plus a $500 Holiday bonus on 2001 model year intrigues!
Offer only valid in the U.S.
Read all about it at:
http://www.oldsmobile.com/index.html
Happy Holidays!
Since this dealer is a 4 franchise outlet they don't depend on Olds for their complete income pkg. I am getting a little leery about dealing with any stand-alone Olds dealer on mystery problems since they are undoubtly looking for anyway possible to create income...
bz4:::::::funny thing happened last night; got a call from the Fla realtor and the condo sale blowup from the night before was history and the buyer countered with 1/29/01 closing & possession.
The new party wants the condo and finally got the message; however I still have a problem with the move..buy another place or store the furniture.
teo::::::you don't happen to be in the moving business or operate a furniture storage facility????
I will miss the great winter climate of the southeastern tip of Fla for its the only area where you can bet on warm weather during Jan and Feb.
The turnpike is my road and I spent 38.70 during my last 1 1/2 wks down. Will fly from Det on 12/15 to WPB and return to Motor City on 1/4/01. Spending a couple days in the Sarasota area over Christmas with my daughter and her family who moved from Farmington Hills, Mi in Sept 2000.
Wonder what the Fla Supreme court is going to do today?????Could be that the climate suddenly gets real hot in the Sunshine State...The Democrat Mob!!!
I found out the 0.9% for 48 months with no pay/interest for 90 days is good across Canada. Another option is 0 down, 0 interest and 0 payment for 12 months. Covers most GM cars and trucks. I wish I could take advantage, but the lease on our second car has more than a year to go.
It can only make me wonder that if this laid-back approach to marketing is being applied to the Bravada, should I expect Olds to do anything more than they are currently to market the Intrigue? If they do make the OSV, should we expect it to be marketed any better?
Perhaps my thinking is off. Please feel free to correct me.