Oldsmobile Intrigue

ketch · October 2001

Now that I also noted, alot, in the Intrepid. I pick my step-mom's one up Friday after work for a weekend detailing effort, and will check which engine it has, and see if it still idles rough as well. Hell, my 95 Caravan 3.0 doesn't idle as rough as it did.

Gotta say though, when I peeked over my shoulder, while stopped, at the back seat room, almost scared the *&^% out of me, man its cavernous. A person could get lost back there. Perhaps a great taxi?

b4z · October 2001

It is huge. Less front legroom, tons more rear seat legroom. Low windshield header blocks upward vision.
Another thing i noticed is that the intrepid feels big. I felt like i was navigating a large 70's station wagon around.
My intrigue felt more compact and tidy. Even my impala feels smaller than the intrepid.

On the vibration note, put it in drive and sit there with your foot on the brake. The whole car will do a little shimmy. Not as bad as a 4 cylinder honda, but quite noticeable.
It is almost impossible to tell that the intrigue is even on.

dindak · October 2001

GM makes the best V6 engines of any domestics and some are among the best period. The 3.8L may be old, but it's smooth and fuel efficient. I'll take a 3.8L over anything Chrysler makes that's for sure. The 3.5L competes with all the best but GM canned it so I won't bother other than to say if you haven't got one, go get one before they are gone!

lmacmil · October 2001

I saw a Ward's Automotive Report from last spring recently. They claimed GM bean counters killed the 3.5 because it was "gloriously expensive." They had high praise for it, especially compared to Chrysler V6s.

one2one · October 2001

The R/T definitely felt like it had more muscle. Combined with the exhaust note and it was really nice! I didn't really notice if it was faster than the Intrigue. I suppose they achieved their goal because the thought of speed never came up in my mind. The way it felt to me was that the R/T chipping of the 3.5 had the off the line grunt of the GM 3.8 and accelerated reasonably well at the higher end.

But to answer your question, from a driving (vs. comfort) standpoint, IMO the R/T was probably more fun in straight line driving. I like the Intrigue (with the Pilot XGTs) for cornering. I never really got the chance to push the R/T to legal/above legal speeds for a sustained period so it's not a completely fair comparison. But for stop-n-go, I think I'd take the R/T. For the highway, well, the Intrigue is the clear winner hands down.

While I'm on it, another reason why I didn't go with the R/T even if I could fit comfortably was the option packages. There were so many that the chance of finding the color I wanted (which are only 3) with the options I wanted was slim. That's why I focused on the 300M... pretty much everything standard. The Intrigue was an easy pick. I knew what I wanted and a lot of dealers had the car I wanted, just not the color. But the option package was simple for the Olds.

b4z · October 2001

Are you comparing the R/T to the 3.05 geared intrigue or the 3.29 geared intrigue?
I still think the intrigue is as fast as the R/T.

ketch · October 2001

Hope he can implement this, so the rest of GM ends up with cars like Olds has now, that already meet much of what he states:

http://63.236.108.16/news.cms?newsId=608

vcjumper · October 2001

Well I ordered a second GM "F-Bar" today from the dealer (this bar is stock on Impalas and Regals)for $22 cdn to install on my front strut towers. For those of you interested, here is a link to installation instructions.

Front STB Installs

This person has done a lot of mods...

mosaix · October 2001

On a side note, before my trip to Chi town last week, I took the Intrigue in to have the oil changed, the tires balanced, and have the trunk struts checked as the trunk would not go completely all the way up without me pushing it. Dealer gave me a 1992 Pontiac Bonneville with 128K on it's clock as a loaner. What a world of difference between that car and the Intrigue. I will give the Bonnie credit, for a 10 year old car(build date was 08/91) with 128K, it drove pretty well. The 3800 V6 was pretty smooth(and this was the pre series II version) and the transmission shifted as smoothly as my Intrigue does. The brakes and suspension were a different story and the dash layout of this car was from a different decade. Needless to say I was glad to get my Intrigue back later that day. That was my first dealership experience with the car and it was excellent. The only warranty issue was a bad trunk strut which was replaced and they balanced the tires at no charge since the car had such low mileage. Getting a loaner there seems to be a trip back in automotive time as I noticed they had a late 80s Ninety-Eight, an early 90s LeSabre and an early 90s Olds Eighty-Eight as well as a few other early 90s GM cars. Not to complain as at least they do provide their customers with cars. In fact, it was interesting driving that old Boneville and seeing just how far automotive designs have advanced.

dindak · October 2001

Never heard of a dealer lending out a car that old. Interesting.

Great thing about GM midsize sedans like that is that they age well. My not be top shelf technology, but those 3800's run forever and the cars are generally well put together.

one2one · October 2001

Unfortunately I'm can only compare it to the 3.05 Intrigue. Were the 98's w/o Autobahn 3.29?

b4z · October 2001

They were 3.05's and the 2000 and later 3.5L non PCS cars were also 3.05s.
I think the 3.29 cars are as fast as the R/Ts.

ketch · October 2001

Is it me (be nice) or is the Intrigue starting to look dated. esp. the front and greenhouse areas?

With large headlites all the rage, it seems out of place now, abeit still great looking. Overall still a stunning design, but maybe dated slightly compared to newcomers in this market (some not as good looking- read Camry)

b4z · October 2001

It was always a bit understated. My didn't look bland until about a month before i turned it in.
The interior looked kind of plain.
i think some 18" wheels and tinted windows would solve that problem.

lmacmil · October 2001

South Bend to Brooklyn, 720 miles in 1 day. We'll see how the butt and shoulders hold up. My wife will do some of the driving. Will keep good track of the mileage. Have taken a couple of 200 mile drives but this is the first all-dayer.

dindak · October 2001

I think the Intrigue still looks just as modern as any Accord, Maxima or even the new Camry (which I have now decided looks ugly). Intrigue has a very timeless look to it IMO. I think it will look fine, even in 5 years.

I think the Taurus looks really dated even though it was released after Intrigue.

96gs · October 2001

Been awhile since I posted on here. Is the 3800II expected to stay around awhile now. Last I heard it was being axed in 2002?

swagled · October 2001

The main thing is the Saturn-ish nose. That was a mid 90s Saturn "look" which predated the launch of the Intrigue.

If Olds wasn't being canned, there might have been a refreshing of the headlights for 2002. Oh well.

But overall I think the Intrigue will hold up well over time. Sometimes wildly inventive designs are what become really "dated" or dorky-looking. (Like those original Venture/TransSport/Silouette vans, or the last generation Chevy Caprice.)

ab348 · October 2001

Considering it has been around since '97 I think the Intrigue has held up pretty well. Certainly if it was being continued it could use a refresh, but not dramatically so. I think the front end could use some updating, but the tall-headlight look would not be it, hopefully. I have yet to see any vehicle with that which looks good. I agree with dindak the the new Camry is not an attractive car. Have seen several around here, base models with plastic hubcaps, that look like a real penalty box. But they sell like hotcakes, go figure.
I think the Intrigue will stand the test of time very well from a design standpoint.

dindak · October 2001

People buy Camry mainly because of Toyota's quality reputation, not because they are lookers or have great performance. In reality, the LeSabre and Camry were neck and neck quality wise in 2000. Don't think people generally even realize that.

I do like the looks of the new Altima, but I have yet to sit in one or drive it.

mosaix · October 2001

Okay, with over 5K on the car now, I have a few complaints with it's design. The first is that anytime a window or the sunroof is opened at a rate of speed, there is terrible turbulence. I've had cars before that weren't this bad, although they were not as aerodynamically styled as the Intrigue so that may be part of the problem. The other thing is how the climate control is set up. The system itself works very well and I like the automatic control, but when in auto mode it will choose defog(floor and windshield) it if thinks that is needed. Most other cars I've owned with auto systems only choose between panel, be-level, and floor modes when in auto. The reason I don't like it choosing defog is that even if the "econ" button is selected, the system turns the compressor on automatically in defog and defrost modes if the temp is above 40 outside. I have consulted the service manual and this is the proper operation of the system so that is how it is programmed. Also, I wish there were a button to let you choose whether you want the display to show the outside or set temp. As you can see, those complaints are nothing major, just a couple of things that I don't particularly care for. Just thought I'd share that.

ab348 · October 2001

Funny you should mention the Altima; I was looking at them today myself. The styling is good. Interior looks very roomy. I saw 2: one with beige leather and one with charcoal cloth. I think the charcoal looked better, to my surprise. The instrument cluster looks a little odd, and the interiors looked to me like they could use some wood accents, but that applies to a lot of new cars. If the driving experience matches up to the looks, they may have a winner.

mosaix · October 2001

I have seen both the new Camry and Altima on the roads within the past week. Can't say I really like either one. The Altima is alright, but it looks like they are copying VW in too many areas. The Camry COULD be a classy looking car, but like others here, the ones I have seen are in dull colors(grey and sky blue) and have plastic wheel covers. If Toyota would offer the car ONLY with alloy wheels and a V6 engine the way Olds did the Intrigue, I might consider. I like the fact that no matter how base of an Intrigue you buy, it still has a V6, alloy wheels, ABS, and many other premium features.

redline65 · October 2001

mosaix - Just wait until you try to use the front defogger when the temperature is below freezing outside. The A/C compressor won't come on and your windows stay fogged up. If you manually press the A/C button, the light flashes at you a couple of times and goes out. The system won't let the compressor run at near or sub-freezing temperatures. That's my biggest complaint with the auto climate control. I have a '99 model, but maybe they have addressed this with the newer ones.

one2one · October 2001

Some punk busted my passenger's window in an effort to get to my Pioneer radio. It was my fault for leaving the face on but the idiot who tried to steal it was even more foolish. He was unsuccessful getting the radio out. So he left the face on the floor of the car, opened the glove box and took out the holder for the face. So he got away with nothing. The good news is that that's the only thing that happened with no damage to the car. Didn't take CDs, left the cell in the bay under the A/C controls... took nothing except an empty carrying case. Everything still works and I put everything back in place so that if one didn't know what happened, they wouldn't.

I've been planning on getting a real alarm but this has sped up my plans. I'm going to an alarm place today and see how soon I can get one done. Not that it will prevent future break-ins, but it beats having no attention being drawn to an intruder.

What I wouldn't have given to put my size 15 up his behind!

dindak · October 2001

one2one : Sorry to hear about the break in. Glad the car and you are ok. You hear some scary stories these days.

ab348/mosaix : Thanx for the thoughts. I'm not in the market, but I am curious about the Altima. The numbers to price ratio look real good. I keep wanting to go at lunch but work has been so busy lately. Never have time on the weekends these days.

evandro · October 2001

Until a week ago I was shopping for a new car and I tried to be very open minded, checking out several brands. As part of this process, I took part in other forums here inquiring about the cars and trying to find out about the most common issues.

I learned a couple of other things: there are 2 weights and 2 measures when most import buyers compare imports and American cars; most of those who buy Japanese cars buy them like they were buying appliances.

About the 1^st conclusion, I noticed that people were willing to rationalize defects in Japanese cars (no, they are not perfect), the very same defects some had complained about in previous cars, American ones.

Secondly, people didn't want to know about the joys of driving a car, whether import or American. All they wanted was to go from A to B, for as long and as surely as they wanted to believe that a car would.

On one hand, I don't think that this attitude is wrong or worse than others. Different people have different priorities. On the other hand, I think that all the facts should be checked and hype should be left aside.

Well, I didn't decide for an Intrigue, I must say, even after having enjoyed a lot my Alero. Instead, I got a Bonneville. The best bang for my buck among the cars I considered, such as the Accord, new Camry, Passat, new Altima, Audi, Buick, Olds, etc. And what a joy to drive! ;^)

redline65 · October 2001

evandro - congrats on the Bonneville. I think the new style is much better than the old, very sharp. Did you get the SSEi?

one2one - It's stupid what people take from cars sometimes. My wife's was broken into once and they stole some lipstick and a few cassette tapes. Didn't even bother taking her purse that she left in it while she was at work. These people are obviously amateurs, and I think alarms work pretty well in deterring amateurs. The pros can get around them, but they are usually looking for the high dollar equipment or they want your car.

evandro · October 2001

I got a silver SLE. The SSEi would push me beyond my budget. I can do with the atmospheric 3.8, for it's competent enough in the Bonnie. Of course, if only the supercharger was an option (sigh)... ;^)

arnie82 · October 2001

Has anybody noticed problems with the illumination of the "Drive" light on their Intrigue? My 2000's "D" light flickers quite a bit and the traction control light comes on every couple of times I use the car. No other problems though, I'm at 21k and counting.

streetracer · October 2001

What is the deal with PCS dynamic stability control ? The olds website says it uses or more of the brakes on all four wheels to correct for understeer, oversteer, and drift. However, a lot of the reviewers say it only uses the front two wheels, similar to the Stabilitrak found on Cadillacs, Pontiac Bonnieville, and Buick Park Avenue.

aikeda · October 2001

I have a 2000 Intrigue GLS with 14K miles. Noticing a clunking sound from the front when taking turns going over bumps. I remember reading about steering problems with the '98 Intrigues and am wondering if similar problems are surfacing with the 2000 and newer models. Anyone have any advice/ experience with this?

Thanks for your help.

dindak · October 2001

evandro : People who buy Accords and Camrys are not generally car lovers. They are usually people who want a good reliable car and don't want to put much thought into it. This is especially true with the 4 bangers which are truly dull to drive. Congrats on the Bonneville. I especially like the SE.

aikeda : Have not heard of any problems with the 2000s but, I'm sure it could happen. Definitely get it check out.

one2one · October 2001

On the Intrigue it is supposed to use any of the 4 wheels. Reviewers don't bother going into detail on specific flavors (PCS, StabiliTrak, VSC, ESP, etc.). In fact, if you watch MotorWeek, they only mention ESP used on MB... nothing of the GM flavor.

StabiliTrak uses the front 2 wheels. On the Aurora, PCS is used by only the front wheels. In fact, from what I have read in GM materials, only the Intrigue uses all four wheels in its stability control system.

focus · October 2001

in the intrigue brochure - "It then uses these inputs to identify any cornering skid and takes corrective measures, modulating pressure to ANY ONE OF INTRIGUE'S FOUR DISC BRAKES to control oversteer or understeer".
in the Aurora brochure - "PCS will step in automatically, applying the appropriate FRONT BRAKE to help end the skid..." Under the standard equiment list, PCS is listed as an Integrated Chassis Control System III.
Does that mean PCS in the intrigue is more comprehensive but the aurora has the latest version?

dindak · October 2001

Looks like Envoy won "truck of the year" from Motor Trend beating out some heavy competition. Some GM vehicles are starting to look pretty good. Now they need to pour $$ into the car divisions. I want to see some good new sedans now.

ketch · October 2001

"I want to see some good new sedans now." and I add,
..... "now that Olds is going away".
Wonder if Lutz/GM knows to DRIVE current Olds, esp. Intrigue, to get an idea of WHATS POSSIBLE NOW, and what to aim for? Surely Zarrella and Wagoneer have no clue.
So, GM, wake up, SUVs are not all its about, so build great sedans too. Start by looking at Olds, and cascading "its goodness" down to surviving brands. Add better quality control, and voila', your there.

I'll add that all they have to do is drive an Intrigue, then an Intrepid, as i have done over the weekend (Intrepid was step mom's car-detailing it, and gladly returned the "Aircraft carrier" to her). The driving experience differences are remarkable. The Intreoid was good/not great, but the Intrigue in comparison was exceptional. To those who would disagree, I seriously would question thier reasoning on all aspects (engine refinement/NVH, braking,handling(incl. body roll and bump recovery), steering feedback, et al. The differences couldn't have been more noticable (that car has only 26k miles BTW).

dindak · October 2001

Never driven an new generation Intrepid, but I have never been impressed with Chrysler. The Intrepids are very competitively priced. I see them advertised for C$21-22K cash price. Cheapest I've seen an Intrigue GX is about C$24K . That all said, I'd take the Intrigue any day.

Where is everyone? No posts in 2 days.

b4z · October 2001

Here.

I have been spending a lot of time on the audio/video forums. www.hometheaterforum.com,
www.avsforum.com, www.hometheaterspot.com,
and audioasylum.

Things have been a little slow around here on the impala,intrigue and cts2003 forums. Some of the other threads are more active. Don't know why we aren't.

oldsman01 · October 2001

Hey guys, I've got a 2001 Intrigue GLS with PCS and roughly a little over 5000 miles now. Great car, but it's developed a vibration that feels almost like a "wiggle" once your up to about 35 mph. It's different than the type of vibration you get when the tires are out of balance and I'm wondering if a belt is going bad in one of the tires. If the car had more mileage, I'd just replace the tires as I don't care for Goodyears much, but I feel that with the car and the tires being so new, they shouldn't be worn out yet. I'll probably call the dealer Monday and have them look at the tires as they too are warranteed. Looking down the road, what you some of you recommend as replacement tires? I drive my car rather hard at times and do not want any negative impact on handling, but at the the same time I would like a quiter and smoother ride if that is possible. For the record, mine has the Goodyear Eagle RS-As in 225/16 R16.

focus · October 2001

01 Intrigue GL with pcs, leather and spoiler. Navy blue metalic with grey interior. Where's everybody? Buy American!

vcjumper · October 2001

It does sound like one of your tires may have a defect.. When it does come time to replace the full set, the Micheling Pilot XGT H4's, Yokohama AVSdb's, Bridgestone Potenza RE950's, and Dunlop SP Sport A2's seem to be all very well regarded High Performance all season tires. Check Tirerack for more info on them.

vcjumper · October 2001

'Bout time ;-)! Congrats and welcome to the club (though you've been a participant for quite some time now). Sounds like a sweet package you picked up. Was the dealer/purchasing experience decent?

lmacmil · October 2001

Just returned from Brooklyn. Total distance was 1736 miles, all but 200 or so on I-80 at 70-80 mph(except for a quick run up to 105). Overall mileage was 30.0 with several tanks above 31. The oil and air filter had just been changed.

After years of making this trip in a minivan, I can tell you that 740 miles in 12 hours isn't nearly as tiring in the Intrigue. Even my wife, who did about 30% of the driving, commented on the quiet ride (her car is an Explorer.)

dindak · October 2001

Nice to hear from you 1WAY.

focus : Welcome to the Intrigue club. You have been shopping for quite a while. What kind of financing did you get? Which dealer did you buy from?

one2one · October 2001

Sounds like a beauty! How were you able to find an '01 GL with PCS? I'm jealous :-) Is it considerably quicker than a 3.5 non-PCS Intrigue?

ab348 · October 2001

Has anyone actually seen the new '02 color "Tropic Teal" in person? Any sense of how it looks?

jg28 · October 2001

nice power. But not "oh my gosh, this has so much more power than intrigue". It's a smoother engine I think or maybe just a smoother transmission. It doesn't "kick in" when you floor it like the Intrigue has to. It just goes. Liked it but very tight fit for me (I'm 6'4 1/2). I dunno why the Intrigue is so roomy for me. The car I test drove was msrp at 28K+ It was nice but definitely not worth 28K. It was funny cause the salesperson actually knew his stuff about the car and didn't stop talking. Funny thing though is that the Intrigue has many features that the Altima does so I think he was disappointed I wasn't more dazzled. The drive was nice, felt solid but sporty. But even so, it makes me appreciate the composure of my Intrigue. It is significantly improved with the strut tower braces and new sway bars though. Can't say that about her before. Has anyone tried a real wood dash kit? I'd like to get maple (because I think it would enhance the look the best) but can't find one in maple.

one2one · October 2001

I've put a wood kit in my Intrigue. I've been promising to put pictures up since I installed it... but don't give up on me yet. I went with the "real burl" as the company I used called it. Whatever the name, I recommend the burl (Joshua Wood Trim http://www.woodtrim.com calls it Genuine Walnut Burl). You'll get the right one if you go for the most expensive burl.

By the way, do a search on the net for kits. Find the one that has the pieces you want. I've seen patterns that have 5 pieces to the one I chose with 30 pieces. I've really got to put them up here for you to see. It does wonders for the interior!

mfd37 · October 2001

I finally signed for my 02 GLS on Saturday. It's coming from Columbus, so I should get it Wed or Thurs. Went for the Ruby Red with the 1SS package and the gold badging. Anyone know of common fit/finish problems with Intrigues or anything else I should be looking for at pickup? Thanks..... and congrats to focus, we'll have to compare buying experiences.

Oldsmobile Intrigue

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy