1998 Dodge Intrepid ES review from North America

The notable bad:

· When the odometer hit about 9,000 miles, the AC stuck on high and would not shut off. I took the car into the dealership for repair. The repair involved replacing a main board component of the computer, and to get to it, half the dash was dissembled. I returned to the dealership awhile later because I forgot my coat in the car. As I approached the car I could see the dash laying all over the place with wires and computer boards hanging out from every direction and the mechanic in a ranting fit of frustration. I was understanding and accepted his apology that preceded his speech about how little training they had on these new sophisticated computers.

· When the odometer hit about 9,020 miles, I noticed that periodically my interior dome light would come on by itself in addition to my center console light where the shifter is, going off for long periods of time. I assumed that this issue was most likely related to the recent computer/electrical work that was done to fix the AC controller.

· The “premium” stereo sounded like all the speakers were ripped or something. It was absolutely heinous. I brought the car in to the dealership where their techs acknowledged that there were known issues with the stereo in my model and they tried various “spacer” configurations behind the speakers on multiple occasions, but the problem remained. During these visits to the dealership I also asked them the check the electrical for the dome light and shifter light issue mentioned above, but they were never able to “reproduce” the problem as it was intermittent.

· Unable to tolerate garbage can / ripped speaker sounding stereo any longer, I went to my favorite car stereo store and had them install a new stereo with all new speakers. While I am still very happy with this decision, the dealership subsequently blamed my aforementioned electrical issues on the after market stereo installation and would no longer accept responsibility for correcting it. The flickering dome light and center console light issue remains to this day.

· At about 11,000 miles the transmission began to have intermittent problems. Occasionally when putting the car into reverse, it would behave as if it were still in park. It also periodically made horrid sounds as if I was dragging a metal garbage can behind the car. I brought the car in to the dealership reporting these issues to them, on five separate occasions, took test drives with mechanics and so on, but they were never able to find anything. Each time they would explain to me that if something was wrong, the computer would tell them, and there is no way I could be having the problems I spoke of.

At 15,488 miles, as I was driving to work, the transmission completely seized up and the wheels locked. The car could not even be pushed off the road out of the way of traffic. I had the car towed into the dealership where after they had diagnosed the problem, and all but scolded me for not bringing the car in and continuing to drive it. I kindly pointed them at the records indicating that it was actually their failure to properly diagnose the problem as I had brought the car in 5 times and all 5 times the diagnosis was incorrectly diagnosed as operator error. Apparently the transmission is known to have a design flaw that results in a coupling or some such thing, becoming “fused” together with some other thing. The kicker here is that they replaced my transmission with a rebuilt (“remanufactured”) transmission instead of a new one, because they replace them with new ones prior to 12,000 (or was it 15,000?) miles. I argued that I had been bringing the car in before 12,000 miles when the problem first started, but they were steadfast in their decision to install a rebuilt.

· The outside rubber trim and rubber door seals didn’t last more than 4 years before giving way to corrosion and breakdown of the glue and rubber. Very ugly.

· At about 75,000 miles the right rear window motor died.

· The alternator has been replaced twice and the battery has been replaced 4 times (probably due to my high wattage stereo system).

· The car no longer has the stopping capability it once had, even though I have kept up the brake system and tires. It just skids as if the ABS is completely off line. ABS diagnostics do not indicate any problems.

· The AC temperature fluctuates wildly now. This was not always the case.

· The overhead computer console indicates that the outside temperature is oscillating from 35F to 90F over and over. This is probably what is confusing the AC system. This is a recent malfunction (started around 90,000 miles).

· The engine has always, from day 1, made a knocking sound particularly pronounced when it is cold. I am told it is from the lifters and due to a sub optimal lubrication system design. Basically the engine is wearing out due to bad design.

· The dealership maintenance plan was mostly a waste of money. They were ridiculously over booked every day so it took up to an hour just to get queued up to the line for check in even if you made an appointment in advance. The line of cars was so long that it trailed out of the dealership into the main street, blocking traffic. It was truly a heinous experience every time. The “coupons” expired before I could use them all, at about 50% usage.

· Every 10,000 miles or so, I have to get the catalytic converter shields tightened because they work loose and start to make an awful and embarrassing noise.

The 1998 Dodge Intrepid ES 3.2Liter 6 Cylinder Ownership Review.

I am the original owner of my 1998 Intrepid ES. This car was the only new car purchase I had made aside from my Saturn a year before, which did nothing to prepare me for the haggling you must do at most dealerships. That said, I financed this car for the total sum of $42,760 (ouch!!). The car was fresh on the lot (’98 model when it was still 1997) and the Chrysler 300M’s were not at this dealership yet (otherwise I would have gone for the 300M at that price).

My ES was upgraded with many factory and aftermarket luxuries including: Aftermarket “premium” leather upholstery that has actually remained in great shape unlike typical factory grade leather does, tinted windows that held up without bubbling for about 7 years, power everything, upgraded infinity stereo, AC, cruise, upgraded dashboard trim, etc., the works (except for the sun/moon roof). They also chrome dipped the wheels for me. The dealers must have liked the car since it already had about 7,000 miles on it when I bought it. Oh yes and I fell for the prepaid maintenance plan “at a discount” also. Now you know the product I am reviewing here.

The notable good:

· I find this car to be very comfortable for general commuting as well as for long trips of up to 4 people, and 5 people can manage for shorter journeys without issue. The large cab area is great.

· The trunk is very spacious. My wife and I have no problems taking our two children on road trips and vacations, even despite the fact that I installed a multitude of stereo equipment in the trunk that includes two gigantic in cabinet 15” woofers/

· The gas mileage for this size of a car is fantastic.

· My wife thinks it’s a monstrous boat (and compared to her Lexus IS it is), but I find that its front wheel drive and long wheel base coupled with its suspension configuration actually give it some respectable grip to the road, all things considered.

· 225 BHP / 225 Torque. Nice pep to the step when needed.

· The overhead computer is a nice feature to have.

· Safety ratings were pretty good as per 1998 standards at the time. I don’t know how it rates by today’s standards, but 5 stars from every direction is one of the major things that attracted me to this car.

· I have smashed the front end up pretty good on two separate occasions. The car takes a beating really well, or, at least, the auto body shop I used in both cases did an awesome job a putting the car back together.