1996 Dodge Intrepid ES review from North America

I purchased a used 1996 Dodge Intrepid ES (w/ auto-stick & every other option.) @ about 70,000 miles. (is now 110,000) I purchased the car because it seemed to run extremely well and was a very comfortable, plush ride.

But behind the comfort of the leather interior and the infinity sound system, was a wretched car. Dealers try to hype up the decor of the car so much, so that the attention is taken off of the engine etc...

I never had a problem with it until I moved to Arizona. (*from Minnesota.) First, on a drive from Mexico to Phoenix... I lost 3 lug nuts off of the driver side tire. My mechanic (who owns the same car) said that this had happened to him before. The whole lug nut assembly had broken off, it hadn't just unscrewed...

Then, (within a month) my battery died. I noticed that if you listen closely to the glove box while the car is turned off, you can hear a little fan running. I have no idea what it is (I really have no serious knowledge of cars.).

Then (one week later) my transmission blew up. (well, it didn't blow up, but its having problems... I almost want to blow it up myself... Do you think my insurance would cover that?)

What happened was this... on a recent shopping trip with my Mother, after shifting out of park, the car became stuck in 2nd gear. I tried to auto-stick my way out of it, but the engine was not responding to my stick movements. Now when I start it up, it starts off in 2nd instead of 1st and will not shift up or down. On the few occasions that I could get it to shift into 4th gear (auto-stick skipped 3rd gear), when slowing to a stop, the engine would cut right into 2nd gear again and stick itself there. I will never own another computer driven auto-stick. This car has been a pain in my pocketbook. I can't sell it yet, because the amount of my loan is much higher than the costs of repair which is nice (the repairs for a BMW are much more expensive!!!).

If you are subject to a vehicle of this sort, please place the automobile into the netrual position, and slowly roll off of a nearby cliff.