Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
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Paul
Anyone have any experience with warranty providers that could enlighten me. I'm interested in costs, deductible, what's covered, how you get reimbursed or if you just pay the ded. Do you need to get the work done at dealer? TIA Paul
I merged into the left lane after letting an old blue ford pickup and a dodge neon by. The neon was following the pickup with a "nascar" bumpersticker and three construction worker redneck types kind of closely.
The pickup was going 60 in a 60, when the neon tried to pass on the right, the pickup sped up to 75 mph.
After blocking the neon for a mile he let it by on the right and i followed through.
At 60 i floored it and it kicked down and took off fairly well up to about 80 when i let off.
Acceleration was okay but it is not an intrigue.
The intrigue at 60 mph practically takes you head off. Then charges up to 80 in a matter of seconds.
I would say that the intrigue has a 30 hp advantage on the highway. Due to its powerband and gearing.
Around town the impala has more go, but on the highway it is not a contest.
Holden Maloo HSV
Thanks.
vcjumper : Love El Caminos!! Still want to buy one some day. If they cut an Impala in half and gave it the treatment, I'm sure it would sell well as a collector car.
There are others you can try. Warranty Gold is one I seriously considered. Another is Warranty Direct . Warranty Gold has the better reputation and it covers more things. And it's good in Canada and the US not to mention that their plans are more comprehensive than most I've seen and YOU choose the repair facility.
Give 'em a go and see what they'll give you. As for me, I haven't really needed one and hope not to before I make my next purchase.
80,000 mile update coming soon!
Was also reading in Business Week that GM looks to be over taking Ford in the truck market and is making huge gains in large SUV market share. Further, GM productivity was up 8% over all. Perhaps the elephant is finally moving in the right decision.
Going over the J.D. Power questionnaire, it appears to be very comprehensive in regards to critical areas of operation of the car. I always was under the impression that the J.D. Power questionnaires were some sort of 'Mickey Mouse' or balooney surveys with inconsistent data. I no longer get this impression from them after reading their survey structure.
I hope to receive one from Consumer Reports as I suscribe to their On-Line mag.
I am also glad to hear in the news that GM is improving their initial quality of their products and has already surpassed Ford and DCX in this venture. It seems that GM is finally very serious about adopting Toyota's super efficient manufacturing processes in their plants.
This is a GOLDEN opportunity for GM to pull ahead of the 'pack' as DCX is battling the woes of the Daimler-Benz take over, quality problems and financial problems while Ford is still trying to recover from a very bad year IMHO plagued with failed new product launches (Recalls galore) and the Explorer-Firestone fiasco which has almost already surpassed the after effects of the 1977-78 Ford Pinto scandal.
As for GM, they do indeed have the opportunity of a generation to pull ahead in quality and grab back market share. Lets hope all of these early signs are good ones.
The cost was $999 and came with no deductible (that was a special). The plan, which is fairly comprehensive, will last me until 5/06 or 100K, whichever comes first. Before I bought the plan I read the entire Edmunds thread on 1source. It *appears* that they offer good coverage so long as you are not out to scam them. Can't blame them there.
Lindsey
How difficult was the retrofit?
http://www.slponline.com/view_product.asp?PARTNUMBER=31026
1415 installed it and like it very much. As well as I remember, his Intrigue have 3.5l engine. However, SLP advertises the exhaust only for 3.8l engine...
There won't be any mods for the 3.5L, makes no sense with such a low volume of cars out there with it. Lots of suspension mods can be done though as most of the ones available for GP's, Regals etc will fit our cars.
Somebody like John Lingenfelter or a comapny that balances and blueprints engines for showroom stock road racing could handle the job.
Port matching
Clean up the heads, CNC etc.
Regrind the stock camshafts
Slight compression bump by milling the heads
I am thinking that 240-250 hp would be easily attainable without messing up the computer.
These mods will give less low end torque though.
It was also probably spin to 7000 rpms with computer changes.
Anyone who has modified a aurora should be able to do the work too.
Remember the tranny does not have limited slip, and if you spin the tires too wildly it will eventually fail.
But, I will leave it to you guys since i am no longer an intriguer.
...........Hmmmm, lets see, I could find a 3.5L in a junkyard and put it in the impala, and then i could...........
Used filter pic
I'll probably at least put better tires on mine when the time comes. But true mods, I'm not sure.
So far my brakes are still doing well at 10K. I'm making an effort to brake a little earlier and lighter to curtail excessive pressure and heating. But if I get any brake problems I'll probably upgrade that, too.
Well, I went looking for reviews for the Buick Regal in case the Intrigue isn't around when I'm ready for a new one and found an article written by a favorite of ours (updated in Feb of this year actually) who ripped the car apart but now has given the 98 Intrigue a glowing report.
I won't say who the writer was or where it came from but here's the link.
If this person had good things to say about a 98 Intrigue, folks purchasing '01 or '02s shouldn't have any problem. I think the change of heart is because ALL the writer's contemporaries at competing journals had completely different experiences.
I really haven't had any problems with my car. In fact, I still need to go to the dealership to have my keyless remotes programmed... (they forgot to do it when I bought the car). But even after 7 months of driving, I haven't found any reason to go there other than one oil change, so I just never get around to it. Maybe this next oil change I'll remember.
Ever notice there's a distinctive sound to GM starters? When I'm at a gas station or a parking garage with good acoustics, I swear I hear someone starting up an Intrigue. And I look, and it'll be a Grand Prix or a Malibu.
I hope their starters are better than they were in the early 80's... apparently they're using the same one in a lot of models.
swagled : You are right, Intrigue really has no major issues any more and if Oldsmobile was not killed we would be talking about the next generation Intrigue which we would likely see in 2004. I don't notice GM starters, but I do notice the growl of GM V6 engine. Love the sound! The 3.5L is a bit different though.
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As an aside, I took a 2002 Rendezvous CXL 4WD out for a test 2 days ago. What a nice vehicle! The fit and finish is top notch and it drives like a dream. While I will always prefer cars, this may be my next family mobile to sit beside the Intrigue.
The width of the vehicle provides tremendous spaciousness inside - not the cramped feeling you sense in some smaller SUVs - although the new Envoy et al are wider than their predecessors too.
All in all a very nice vehicle for everyday use - and it can even tow a boat like mine (2500 lbs) so it's pretty versatile and will most likely sell well.
Ken
As for the third row seating, I have no need for it so I didn't really even look. I think it's a great idea for people like me who don't really want to give in and buy a van. I guess we will see what the money situation is like next year. I also want to see the Saturn Vue and the Jeep Liberty. Saw a Liberty from the road, but have to stop in and test one.