1998 Dodge Intrepid ES 3.2 liter

Summary:

Bar none, best car I ever owned

Faults:

I can't believe all the problems everybody has had with their Intrepids. Mine was as close to perfect as I've ever had. The One and ONLY problem I ever had was the rear view mirror came off the windshield.

Awesome acceleration, great brakes, (especially with the carbon fiber pads), very comfortable, handles like it's on rails. My girlfriend at the time had a 98 mustang 3.8 and the Intrepid would eat it for lunch in all catagories.

I didn't baby this car either, I drove it over 100mph on a semi-daily basis. The ECM did shut the engine down at 119mph, which was annoying, but if I needed to get there faster I'd drive my work car (crown vic interceptor) Actually the Intrepid out-accelerated the vic, but the top end is better in the cruiser.

General Comments:

Great car, best I ever owned.

One thing I did notice on this site, everybody with an ES was perfectly happy with theirs. Maybe it's the base model that had some problems. The base has the 2.7 liter and mine has the 3.2.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th February, 2004

9th Feb 2004, 22:00

I find it funny that you "drove it over 100mph on a semi-daily basis" when obviously you are a police officer, since your work car is a crown vic interceptor. Next time before you give someone a speeding ticket, bear in mind your own lead-footed driving habits, and maybe you will let them go with a warning :P.

17th Dec 2004, 13:20

I tend to agree that the ES model, or more especially the 3.2 liter engine is probably more reliable than the 2.7 liter engine. But then its probably just a numbers thing. I have heard that less than 10 percent of Intrepids were produced with the 3.2 liter engine. And people are generally more eager to post about problems than to praise. My 1999 Intrepid ES now has in excess of 212,000 miles with no major or expensive repairs. Only routine maintenance. I have never owned a car until this one that the transmission lasted beyond 100,000 miles. Kudos to Dodge...

30th Jul 2007, 03:41

I have a 98 Intrepid with a 3.2L lots of issues, but we bought it knowing what to expect and are willing to tolerate issues in a fun car. Some car manufacturers concentrate on quality, I think Dodge concentrates on the driver experience more than owner experience. Dodges are the most fun cars to drive and I have owned several and will continue to buy them despite the problems. If my choice was to pay $2000 to fix an Intrepid I love or $400 to fix a Honda I don't care for, I'll take the Intrepid every time. Despite the problems, FUN and LOVE for the car are more important, you should be passionate about what you drive whether it breaks or not. If it doesn't get your blood pumping then don't buy it. All you people that want to get rid of your car because of a few problems, enjoy getting divorced because your spouse will have more problems than the car. I'll be fixing my problems!!

1998 Dodge Intrepid 2.7 DOHC V6

Summary:

A beautiful piece of crap

Faults:

The coils rusted and had to be replaced at a cost of 400+ dollars.

The engine leaked oil from numerous areas.

Random engine spudder or skipping due to multiple problems.

The engine gave out after 2 days of wacky warning light problems. The engine oil light came on and the car started knocking immediately. I checked the oil and it was fine. The cost of this was a new engine for 3,900 dollars.

General Comments:

The cars perfromance was fine and overall comfort was exceptional compared to my previous cars.

The color and spaciousness of the car was fantastic.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th January, 2004