Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
I have that wonderful date with the Finance Manager tomorrow evening. Do you guys think I should get the extended warranty, and how much would you pay for it? Do any of you regret not getting the warranty?
I heard that you can usually get an extended warranty towards the end of the warranty period. Is that true? Let me know... post replies here. I only have a day to check as my appointment is tomorrow, but ill check before i leave for my 7PM appointment.
Thanks a mil!
DjPiLL
'01 R/T
The 2002 Ram is infinitely better in person. The display used in NYC was the same used in Detroit--in a word--IMPRESSIVE. Frankly, I wouldn't be too concerned about the 4.7 as compared to the 5.7. OF COURSE the 5.7 will be superior, but I've driven the the 4.7 in numerous applications and it "rocks". Perhaps you may recall Car and Driver testing a loaded Durango with the 4.7 a year or two ago when it first became available. The instrumented tests indicated that it was within tenths of a second of the old 5.9. In my humble opinion the Quad Cab 5.7's will be tough to come by.
My Trep is soldiering along well--she spent two months in the body shop. Perhaps you saw my post about the accident. $10,500 worth of damage from a "T-bone" type collision. No injuries, just an inattentive grandma with no business being inattentive--STOP SIGNS are like that you know--all camoflauged and low to the ground and difficult to see and such.
Giving the new paint some time to cure before doing a much needed "Zaino-ing" of the Trep. Most significant issue from the accident is a persistent creak/groan from the dash which WAS NOT present prior. Luckily this body shop seem very responsive and will look into it. Other than that the occasional speaker noise and "incredible shrinking weatherstripping" are the only problems. By the way...did you ever replace the Eagle GA's on your Treps--or did you never keep them that long.
I will make a confession. I keep seeing advertisements for that SuperCrew with the brown leather interior....SWEET! Almost makes me wish......
dropped it off for an oil cahnge - wife fell in love with a new 98 - took it home - just out of warranty - 3 yrs - nothing but normal service - so 6.5 years - nothing but routine maintenance - we also purcahsed a 93 eagle vision (new) - 135k - great car -no major repairs until after my wife had an accident (7k damage on frontend) - and these repairs were related to the accident (tie rods / trailing links) - you also be pleased to know one of my customers (i'm a software designer) uses a fleet of intrepids for their sales force - after 4years - the intrepid was the
cheapest line of cars they've ever purchased - i.e the least in maintenace/service costs etc. - have another client with the same results with dodge trucks - both of these companies now buy chrysler/dodge products only - and dave alot of money doing it
glad to hear the trep is soldering on mostly unabated! as for tires, i don't know what to tell ya. never had to replace the tires on any of my treps. just stay away from the badyear gas.
the s-crew commercial you are seeing is for the king ranch edition. that particular model has what i'd call old world look and feel leather. i actually prefer the lariat's more modern looking leather. anyway, i have neither. my xlt sports cloth. at the time i was shopping the s-crew, ford's leather felt and looked chintsy. right after i bought my truck, they changed the seat design and leather so that it now looks nice and luxurious. oh well! i'll definitely check out the 02' ram this fall. but, i'm still concerned that the 4.7l won't have the low end ummmph my 5.4l s-crew does. and i really don't want the old 5.9l, even though it is a decent engine. i guess i'll just have to wait and see.
btw, did your wife ever trade in her mitsu? i know awhile back you mentioned she was interested in the pt cruiser. whatever become of that?
I think you'd do well to check out the new Ram--nothing reveals like a test drive. Truly is a looker! I assume you've logged in at the Dodge Web site to receive info? RE: my wife's Diamante'. Her love affair with the PT Cruiser was brief--she still likes them, but I think she will end up in another Diamante'. We drove an XG300L--quite impressive for the price, a 300M (loves it but hates the cost), and the new Diamante' is an adequate performer and can be had for "cheap". I'll take the 300M but it's her call. We'll see I guess..
EEEL--Thanks for reminding some of our members that many of the "typical Intrepid problems" are owner overstatement and heresay...
Actually, I almost forgot, but this lady I used to work with has a '94 (or '95) Eagle Vision. I think it's in the 70-80K range. 3.3 engine.
And I've been happy with my '00. 44,500 miles in about 18 months, and no major problems yet!
-Andre
ps: the 2.7 has a chain?? That surprises me, because I figured with it being DOHC that it would be too complicated for a chain.
it's true, the 2.7l cams are chain driven. the 3.2l and 3.5l cams are belt driven. and if i remember right, chrysler recommends changing the belts around 100k miles, but that seems a little long on the tooth to me.
the only horror stories i've heard or read about concerning the trep timing belts was that early 3.5l v/6s in the first generation treps had a problem with the water pumps prematurely failing, which could cause the timing belt to break. luckily the first generation 3.5l was a free wheeling engine and therefore no damage was done to the engine if the belt failed. the new generation 3.2l and 3.5l are no longer free wheeling designs. however, the water pump problems were fixed. still a good idea to change that belt on time or slightly before the recommendation, imo. i've read too many stories about honda owners not changing their belts, and ending up with a big repair bill.
My friend with the '94 Concorde 3.5...I know he's replaced his water pump, but I think he just did it as a precaution when he changed the timing belt.
And now, just another question about my 2.7...if it has a chain, should I still have it replaced at 105,000 miles? I think that's what the owners manual says.
I know that just because a car has a chain doesn't mean it's maintenance-free. We used to have a neighbor who was a real Chevyhead, and he suggested that you chould change the chain in a Chevy smallblock about once every 120K miles. He told me this when I was thinking about buying an old '72 Impala 'vert, so maybe that just applied to that time frame.
-Andre
I know 105,000 miles seems a lifetime away, but at the rate I'm going, I'll be there in about 2 years!
As for the old 3.3, wasn't that the same old overhead valve engine that went into minivans and the old C-body Dynasty/New Yorker/New Yorker Salon? I think those were pretty durable, if unexciting engines.
-Andre
I know one thing, I probably won't be able to trust my dealership to give me a straight answer. They wanted to do a "30K mile" service on the thing, which included changing the belts, hoses, antifreeze, spark plugs, tranny service, and, get this, lube the suspension! I did do the tranny service at my local mechanic, because of all the stop-and-go driving I did (plus, I hit 30K miles in just under a year!)
-Andre
so much for 100k plugs, eh?
My husband and I looked at a 1997 Intrepid ES today, and he fell in love. We put a deposit on it, and might close the deal in a couple days. It's a beautiful car -- only 34K miles, leather, CD/tape, power seats and everything else -- and the price is very nice. But as always, I'm nervous... I've been reading some reviews and posts to this board, and I have a couple questions, for anyone who owns one of these cars:
1) gas mileage -- My husband (who would be the primary driver) drives 30 miles one-way to work, so that's about 250-300 miles a week. What kind of mileage can we expect? (He stays mainly on interstate highsway, but often stop-and-go with city traffic.)
2) I've read about transmission and a/c problems on earlier model years -- Has anyone had these problems with the '97 model?
3) With the driving I mentioned above, we're estimating that the car will break 100K miles before we pay it off. Any opinions on whether it'll still be a decent car at 100K? (He's currently driving a 10-year-old Toyota with almost 200K on it -- still running well, just starting to fall apart on the outside.)
Thanks for you help and opinions!
1.) Transmission failure at 60k miles. New transmission at $2000.
2.) Replaced tie rod bushings because the steering was really loose. Not an expensive repair (~ $150) but many mechanics will tell you that you need a new steering rack at over $1000.
3.) I am now having problems with my radio, I think the antenna plug to the back of my radio is loose so my reception keeps popping in and out, but my CD player always works.
4.) O2 sensor malfunction (and subsequent "check engine" light). Not an expensive repair, but not trivial either.
I have not had to replace my water pump nor have I had any air conditioning problems. A few rattles here and there but overall I am quite pleased with the vehicle, especially the power, handling and comfort. I spent the last week driving a '97 Dodge Stratus ES and I was grateful to be back into my Intrepid. We use it to tow a good sized tent trailer and installed a large auxiliary transmission cooler. You may want to consider doing the same even if you don't tow.
Expect about 21-22 mpg in mixed driving, less if mostly city and you can get up to 26-27 mpg on the highway. Good luck, it is a nice, comfortable car, except driver's leg room is somewhat lacking.
I don't remember how the '93-97 Intrepid was, but on the '98-00, the footwell on the passenger side only extends as far forward as the dead pedal on the driver's side.
I think it's kinda funny that they tout "cab forward" styling and space efficiency and yadda-yadda-yadda, but I swear my Intrepid has less legroom than either my '89 Gran Fury or even my '68 Dart! Don't get me wrong, overall I'm still happy with the car.
I have noticed though, that I'm more comfortable in LH cars with a power driver's seat. I'm guessing your '96 has power, if it's an ES. So it's still a little tight, even with the seat adjusted all the way back?
-Andre
Andre, what type of mixed driving fuel economy do you get with your 2.7? Was telling my wife that after we get a minivan I may want a second car that gets better fuel economy than the Intrepid and it will be pretty high up there in mileage by that time as well. If the 2.7 gets decent fuel economy I may consider it, but if not, then we will probably look at a 4-cylinder Accord, 4-cylinder Saturn L series, or maybe the new Jetta wagon. Also, how are the front seats in the 2.7? You mentioned you had the base model, correct?
Normally, in a car with power seats, I'll put the seat back as far as it will go, raise the front, and drop the back, which gives a bit better thigh support. Still, even though my car doesn't have power seats, they're pretty comfortable. I drove almost non-stop from DC to Houston back in January, and my rear-end wasn't hurting THAT bad! In comparison, the Malibu rental car I had down in Florida a few weeks ago hurt my butt after about 20 minutes.
As for mileage, I've gotten anywhere from just under 20 mpg to just over 30 mpg. I used to deliver pizzas though, which probably skewed the city #'s down. Last time I filled up, I think I got about 23 mpg to the tank, which was mainly driving to and from work, getting stuck in traffic on the DC Beltway, and just goofing around in general.
I think it gets great mileage, but then I would...my previous daily driver, my '89 Gran Fury, only got about 13 mpg, and would just break 20 on a trip.
It hasn't been a perfect car, but considering that for over a year I was racking up about 350 miles a week just delivering pizzas, I'd say it's proven to be a pretty tough car. I'm about to hit 45,000 miles, in just over 18 months of ownership.
I'd recommend the car, but if I had to do it over again, I'd get one with a power driver's seat!
-Andre
the tranny in the minivan is basically the same as the one in the intrepid, except for the differential parts/logitudinal vs transverse layout. the diff in the intrepid is much more durable than the one in the minivan. however, in late 99 or 2000 the differential in the minivan was significantly upgraded. this all according to my chrysler service tech friend.
All being said, evidence suggests the LH sedans are probably not only Chrysler's best design, but also their best built platform. Add the fact they are putting huge rebates on them to sell, it is a very wise choice.
Congrats on a good job at the factory.
I know station wagons are all but dead, but Chrysler could build a wagon off of it to compete with the Taurus. Chrysler led the charge to reasonably sized yet roomy wagons back in the 70's with the Aspen and Volare.
I'd also like to see an LH coupe/convertible, but I know that's too much to hope for! Most people would probably think that an LH 'vert would be too big, but to me that's the way a convertible should be...big, stylish, and roomy enough to carry more than just you and one friend in comfort!
The Sebring is a good try, and one of the roomiest convertibles out there (heck, if I had the money I'd trade the Intrepid on one now that they use Chrysler V-6's), but I'd just prefer something bigger.
-Andre
I don't think the names "Dodge" and "Plymouth" were ever marketed much outside of the United States, so the simply the name "Chrysler" was often put on their cars. I used to know a guy who owned a 1966 or so Chrysler Valiant. It was a '66 Dart with a Valiant front-end, and a Chrysler badge.
I've also seen pictures of a 1963 or '64 Canadian Chrysler with the badge "Saratoga" on the side, which I thought would be impossible, since the Saratoga was discontinued here after 1960, in a move to distance Chrysler from the more upscale Imperial.
So, Canadian Mopar offerings have always been a little different from U.S. offerings. In fact, my stepfather's uncle had a 1941 Canadian DeSoto, whichb was just a Plymouth with a DeSoto grille. I think it may have been called a Diplomat...I know that name was used in export markets for years.
So, the Intrepid is just marketed in Canada as a Chrysler instead of a Dodge. But it makes me wonder...can you get a Concorde in Canada, too?
-Andre
Any suggestions are appreciated.
check out this cut and paste from allpar.com. the original citadel may have been based on the lh platform, but it appears that the production version will be built on the minivan platform.
"The new vehicle, code-named CS, uses design cues from the Chrysler Citadel concept car, but is built on the Grand Caravan platform and in the Grand Caravan plant. It is powered by the 3.5 liter V6, and will reportedly be available with both front and all wheel drive. Prices are set in the mid to upper $30,000 range."
I remember looking at a fully loaded Intrepid ES in the showroom for the first time...must've been around 93-94. I was shocked that the thing had a $25K window sticker. I was thinking "25K for a Dodge...what's the world coming to!"
Buick is another one that I've noticed has really crept up there. When I was a kid, my grandparents bought a brand new '85 LeSabre, just about fully loaded, for $16,200. Nowadays, I've seen LeSabres with $30K stickers, and Park Avenues pushing $40K!
I don't think I've caught up with the times yet, because to me $30-40K is Cadillac territory! So until Chrysler slaps an Imperial badge on something (and something worthwhile, this time!), I don't think it should be in that range! (But then, isn't Cadillac territory more like $50K+ by now?)
-Andre
and got them much cheaper than priced. the 93 vision listed at 20k - got it for 16.5k
95 intrepid 19k - got it for 17.2 - the 98 intrepid was 21k - paid 19.1 and i think i may have been able to do better on the 2 dodges (not the eagle - that was the best deal i've gotten on a new car) but actually i was quite happy with the prices. i guess my point is you can most always get them at a lower price. still have the eagle by the way - still running strong at 135k
Paid 13,500. I love the way the car drives and handles. Gas milage 23 a gal.
Any advice would be helpful
- Transmission use to not switch gears smoothly, now it is stuck in first gear. I called the dealler and he says that the computer puts it in safe mode when something is wrong with the tranny. Dealler says could be a lot of different things. I have seen some web sights and they have a number of things to try. Meanwhile, the mechanic wants 1800 to rebuild it, but I read here that it should cost 2,000 for a new one.
- Before the transmission problem, the car was pulling back when driving on the highway.
- My Water pump and timming belt went about a month ago (they charged me $1,000 for it.)
- The rear tires are wearing on the inside, they seem to go out of allignment easily (happened to a friend of mine as well.)
Read other notes in this stream for ideas
-$1,000 for timing belt and water pump seems really high. I had my timing belt replaced for around $200-$250 and I know the water pump is not an expensive part.
-I just had my tires rotated, have been doing that every 5,000 miles. My tire center says to rotate them every 3,000 miles. They seemed to mention something about uneven wear. I have the service contract with my tires (free rotations)so they had no incentive to lie to me on that one. It may help your tires wear better.
-My transmission went out at 65k miles. Sounds like yours is in limp-home mode. My mechanic told me it could be several things as well, but couldn't find out until they looked at it. Apparently I needed a rebuild, and it cost me over $2k. If you do rebuild it, try installing an auxiliary transmission cooler to further protect it. That is, if you plan to keep the car for any length of time.
Good luck!