Faults:
Transmission had to be rebuilt at 86000.
Transmission cable broke at 147000.
Driver and passenger side power windows broke 138000.
Other than that, just routine maintenance.
General Comments:
My dad owns a Subway franchise, and he bought this car in November 1999 to commute amongst his three stores in Marlow, Anadarko and Lawton. He wanted a big car for the family, that was fuel efficient. He bought the Intrepid cause it fit the criteria, and he loved the way it looked.
We have a big family of five, with my mom being the smallest at 5'8 140, and me the biggest at 6'4 205, and we could all fit in this car in relative comfort on big trips.
The car has excellent handling, especially considering the size (almost as big as a Town Car), and on the back roads to Anadarko it will easily hit long sweeps at 95 mph+.
It is also a great highway cruiser with supportive seating, plenty of head and leg room, and that 3.2 just loafs along. It will run 3000 rpm at 100mph.
I run Royal Purple and added a K&N cold air intake. I see between 19-21mpg in the city, and on the highway between 27-32mpg; depends on the highway. If it's the interstate at 80mph I'll see 27-28, but going to Anadarko at 65, that bad boy will see the lower 30's; not bad for a 17 foot long car.
My only complaint is the transmission; it really needs one more gear, and the tranny just saps too much power, besides being unreliable.
22nd Sep 2009, 16:09
Update: just passed 300,000 kilometers, and still no problems.