Used Intrigues

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skipcar - 08 Sep 2003 01:57 GMT

I am in the market for a used Intrigue. My wife and I are expecting our
second child and will need a larger car for me. My current car is a '93
Saturn SL2..my wife has an '03 TrailBlazer EXT. I've always been a fan of
the Intrigue's styling, so it makes a logical choice for me.

I drove a '98 Intrigue GX with 79K on the odometer Friday night and was
shocked at how poorly it drove. It drove worse than my Saturn that has 200K
on the odometer. In fact, my SL2 was tight in comparison. Is this
indicative of used Intrigues or is this an anomoly? The wild-card here is
that the car had been driven by a teenage girl for the past three years. I
would assume she might not have been the most-gentle of drivers. She
obviously didn't care to keep the upholstery and carpet clean. The girl's
father wanted $5500 for it...I wouldn't have given $3000 for it after having
driven it. It will need a lot of work.

One more thing...I would really like to know if the 3.5L DOHC V6 holds up
well. I am familiar with the 3800 V6 and know it is a reliable engine, but
I would prefer the smoother DOHC if it is a reliable engine.

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Harry McGuffin - 11 Sep 2003 23:41 GMT

Don't know much about the used Intrigues. My wife has an '02 purchased new.
Sure hope that it doesn't get in the condition you describe as it ages.
Pardon me for asking what specifically did you notice about how the used one
drove?

> I am in the market for a used Intrigue. My wife and I are expecting our
> second child and will need a larger car for me. My current car is a '93
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> well. I am familiar with the 3800 V6 and know it is a reliable engine, but
> I would prefer the smoother DOHC if it is a reliable engine.

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skipcar - 12 Sep 2003 00:08 GMT

VERY loose suspension. It knocked over slight undulations in the road. I
think the CV joints were bad, too...lots of knocking when you turned the
wheel. As I said, I believe a lot can be attributed to hard driving by a
teenage driver. I just wondered if anyone else had taken great care of one
and yet it still did that. I'm familiar with large GM cars and this is the
first one that I'd ever driven that felt like that. It only had 79K on it.
My parents have two Lesabres (both with over 150K and they both feel tighter
than that Intrigue did.

I think I'm going to set my sights on a 2000 GL.

> Don't know much about the used Intrigues. My wife has an '02 purchased new.
> Sure hope that it doesn't get in the condition you describe as it ages.
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> but
> > I would prefer the smoother DOHC if it is a reliable engine.

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Robin - 12 Sep 2003 16:32 GMT

The "knocking" in the steering mechanism is a well-known problem for
Intrigues. My 1998 (original owner) has that problem, as well as the
following (common) problems:
1) Brake rotors warp--I've had mine turned a few times
2) Chrome door trim migrates backward and impede door closure--I just use a
mallet to knock it back in place.

Some other minor problems that I don't even recall.

Robin

> VERY loose suspension. It knocked over slight undulations in the road. I
> think the CV joints were bad, too...lots of knocking when you turned the
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
> > but
> > > I would prefer the smoother DOHC if it is a reliable engine.

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- Mr.C.J.- - 12 Sep 2003 19:38 GMT

>1) Brake rotors warp--I've had mine turned a few times

i got lucky. mine were *replaced* three times...

- Mr.C.J. - S.T.P. - B.H.C. - S.O. - STALKER ORIGINAL -

"...that i could get sold, rolled, and cornholed for
a negotiable price!" - Pilot

-{ http://www.oldtimehardcore.com/biography/stp.asp }-

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