How good is the 3.5L V6 in the Intrigue and Aurora?

I had a '99 Intrigue with this engine (owned it for 2.5 years, 42k-65k
miles, sold it to buy a mini-van) and always wondered how the engine would
have held up long-term.

While I had the car, I replaced crankshaft sensors and half-heartedly
researched a noise (like a piston-slap) which only occurred when it was cold
outside (below 50 deg?) and went away once the car warmed up. Olds dealer
said it sounded normal, but it was there every winter morning until the
summer came.

Another characteristic was oil consumption -- seemed to eat 1.5 - 2 quarts
of oil between changes. A Jiffy-lube employee I met said it was common in
all the Intrigues they serviced... ?

Any other weird characteristics about these motors?

Long-term life expectancy = ??

I ask 'cause I'm thinking of an Aurora with the 3.5L sometime in the future
might be a nice fit for me...

Thanks
Dave