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Dodge Intrepid

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What is this discussion about? Dodge Intrepid, Sedan

Messages Page 82 of 346

#808 of 3457 2001 Dodge Intrepid SE? by homer61388

Jul 20, 2001 (10:08 am)

After looking at a used 1997 Eagle Vision TSi at my local Dodge dealer for my wife I finally have decided to pass on it. It seemed nice and all but I wasn't sure about reliability and resale value after driving it for 3 years or so. So I decided to look at something else. I saw a 2001 Intrepid with Steel Blue pearl coat and the nice looking alloy sixteen inch wheels. It came with everything including a power seat and sunroof. I liked it and my wife liked it. But I heard that Chrysler has had problems with transmissions. Which is stopping me from purchasing it. We take long trips and I don't want the car to crap out on us halfway through. I'm just curious about the transmission and the engine. My question about the engine is that will it have the power to haul my family and I up inclines and allow us to pass and merge with traffic or will I be required to floor the throttle. I like the engine because of it being easy on the gas. I have a Durango with a 5.9 and it slurps gas. So instead of using the "gas pig" on trips I am thinking about taking the intrepid and these questions are the only ones stopping me from purchasing it. Are there better vehicles with similar dimensions to the intrepid but maybe offer better reliability? If you have a good choice for a family hauler or answers to my questions then write back. Thank you!

#809 of 3457 Homer...my Intrepid experiences by andre1969

Jul 20, 2001 (8:31 pm)

Well, I bought a 2000 Intrepid base model (same essential car as the '01 SE) back in November '99. I now have about 48,000 miles on it, and no tranny problems yet. I did have the transmission serviced at 30K miles (October '00), because I'm kind of rough on cars...short work commute, delivering pizzas, etc.
 
But overall, it's been pretty good. Here's a list of what's happened to it so far...
30,000 miles: new tires, tranny service
35,000 miles: power lock actuator in driver's door fixed under warranty
39,000 miles: new front brake pads (installed by myself)
45,000 miles: passenger side mirror broken, rubber seal on rear door came loose.
 
As for fuel mileage, I've gotten anywhere from 20 mpg (wintertime, delivering pizzas, oxygenated gas) to just over 30 (highway, not pushing it too hard).
 
There are a few things that I don't like about the car though, mainly that legroom is a bit tight up front (but I'm 6'3") with the non-power seat, and if you load up the car and take it on a vacation through the mountains, you might be in for a surprise! The 2.7 is fine with 1-2 people on board, but if you frequently travel with more, I'd suggest test-driving one with the entire family on board to make sure it's got enough power for you.

#810 of 3457 homer by snowman

Jul 20, 2001 (8:43 pm)

I have been following this forum, the last generation Intrepid does not have any transmission problem. These animals are pretty nice and reliable, if I were you I go for it with extended warranty.

#811 of 3457 Unloaded my 98 ES Finally by thewaldo

Jul 22, 2001 (5:28 pm)

I saw a trailer for a movie in the theater the other day of Whoopi Goldberg and someone else driving an Intrepid off a cliff. I thought, "Gee, what a great idea for a movie".
    I've had numerous issues over the 2.5 years I owned it including (but not limited to): Transmsission Control Sensor, Body Control Module replaced twice, replaced all window motors, replaced all door seals (came unglued), air conditioner worked on, blown fuses for the horn/speakers, one day the alarm went off and would NOT shut off, a door lock replaced, actuator replaced, and a very sneaky electrical issue that my dealer couldn't seem to find or fix. I had almost 20 service visits by the time I sold it at 41,000 miles. Some days it would be in a few hours (usually because parts weren't in stock), sometimes a week. It was one thing after another and no lemon rules applied. So I took my problems to the corporate level.
     It would've been one thing if they were responsive to my needs and seemed genuinely concerned. Instead all they ever did was call the dealer who told them it was resolved. Corporate said they were still working on it and were assigning it to an "area manager" who finally called me 2 weeks after I told corporate I sold the car. None of them have returned my calls over the last week and a half about recouping the cost of a replacement part that didn't solve any of the problems.
     The car didn't hold it's value worth a darn, and when you combine that with a 6 year finance and trying to trade it in I ended up not getting what I owed on it. I got a deal that was good enough for me.
     I understand that not all Dodge products should be driven off a cliff and that things like this happen from time to time. But the dealers ineptitude, and corporate customer services' laid back approach turned me off to Dodge. No offers to cover the costs incurred by me, the time I wasted missing work, to pay off the car or at least get a good deal on another one, and I got ONE rental the last time I took it in- a Neon. They know how I feel from the constant contact and they didn't have the decency to at least pretend to take me seriously. I always thought the adage about catching more flies with honey was true and maybe I was too nice to them. Maybe I should've whined and complained more and could've caught more flies with shi*.
     For those that still own them, good luck to you. My mom liked mine so much she went and bought one. She's getting the window motors replaced as I write this. Despite my problems, I loved the car. It did everything my family needed it to do except the one thing that I demanded- reliability. It was roomy, great looking body style, drove and handled superbly, but it was too much of a pain in the ass to keep and worry about constantly.

#812 of 3457 I wonder how many problems... by andre1969

Jul 23, 2001 (12:11 pm)

...are caused by lousy dealerships and service centers? I used to have a co-worker with a '97 Sebring that she had no end of troubles with. It seemed like it was in the shop more often than on the street. She kept all her receipts, which is a good thing, because the dealership started denying that some of the problems had existed. She ended up threatening to sue, and it got really nasty, but they finally fixed the car right, and she hasn't had a bit of trouble.
 
My roommate has a '98 Tracker. Diffrerent company, but still an excellent example. Today, after work, I'm meeting him at the Chevy dealership because he has to drop his Tracker off to get it fixed. It was just in last week, because of the transmission acting up, but now the problem is coming back. That thing has needed serious transmission work around 25K, 50K, and 75K miles. Now it's around the 80K mark, and still acting up.
 
A few months ago, it had to go in for repairs because of a fuel leak. He got it back, and it proceeded to leak fuel all over the place! He bought it at a dealership that I'd always believed to be unreputable. If I'd known him before he bought it, I would've warned him!
 
Thewaldo, I agree with you. I think if I had the problems that you've had, that it would turn me off to Dodge forever! The main reason I bought a new car was because of the reliability and peace-of-mind that supposedly comes with owning a newer car. But if it's going to break down all the time, what's the point? You'd think that when they DO break, the dealership would at least try to make the ordeal as painless as possible. After all, if you're not happy, you're not going to be dealing with them for long. I guess, though, that for every person they burn, someone else will come along.
 
Just curious, what did you trade your Intrepid in on?

#814 of 3457 My Intrepid by thewaldo

Jul 24, 2001 (8:28 pm)

I traded it in for a Toyota Sienna. We have 2 kids and the wife is pestering me for a third. I told her if she could guarantee me a boy I'd be willing to work on it.
     We spent a lot of time looking at Mini-vans and the one category we were obviously concerned about was reliability given our experiences with the Intrepid. Toyota gets great ratings and has great word of mouth. Needless to say we didn't bother looking at the Caravans.
     We also have a 94 Honda with almost 100K on it, and we've certainly gotten our money's worth out of that car. I just hope our luck holds up with it. With a Toyota and a Honda in the garage, I would like to think we'll be ok in the car department for awhile.

#815 of 3457 Sienna by jsylvester

Jul 25, 2001 (10:20 pm)

You know with the mini-van, you are guaranteed the third child - resign yourself to the fact now. She has a vehicle she has to fill up! Actually, children are always a blessing, at least until they hit 13 or so.
 
Don't blame you based upon your bad history with the car. I've got a 00 R/T, and had a tranny repair at about 2,400 miles, looking back I recall it shifted funny during the test drive. Now has almost 11,000 miles, no other problems (unless you count the urge to go 80-90 mph everywhere to get the engine in it's "sweet" range) My sister in law had a 94 that other than the air conditioner condenser replacment and a few cosmetic issues that never needed repair, served well, she sold it last month for $4,800.
 
It is one of the few family cars out there with any individual styling - most the rest are cookie-cutters. Complements my Miata well, though thinking of getting a collector big American convertible or sedan to replace that, I love those tail fins and a big v-8!

#816 of 3457 I almost bought a '94 Intrepid... by andre1969

Jul 26, 2001 (7:24 am)

a couple years ago, my co-worker's mom was going to trade in her '94 Intrepid 3.3 on a brand-new '99 base model. It only had about 30,000 miles on it. The dealer was going to give her $7500 trade-in on it.
 
I was tempted, but decided to drive my old car a while longer, and then finally bought my '00 a few months later. As for my co-worker, his mom never really liked the '99. Even though the base engine went from 161 to 200 hp, torque, which is what you feel at the low-end, actually went down. And you had to stomp it to really get the advantage of the added hp. This woman is in her 70's, so it would be pretty hard to change her driving habits after all these years! She ended up selling it about a month ago (only had about 11,000 miles on it), and bought a new, fully-loaded 300M.

#817 of 3457 '57 Saratoga by dhughes3

Jul 26, 2001 (5:14 pm)

Cool pics. I'd say that pretty much proves it had a Polyhead. MoPar did that a lot with Dodges, DeSotos, and Chryslers in the late 50's. Lower level cars got the Poly and the higher lines got the Hemi. Hey, ever hear of anyone owning a '55 Plymouth with a 241 cu in Poly? They listed it as an option, but I've never seen a test or live car with anything other than a 260. I'd better quit this. I'll turn the Intrepid site into a fifties nostalgia site!

Messages Page 82 of 346

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