27th Jan 2006, 09:57
I have owned my Intrepid R/T about two years now without a glitch and I have no idea what could have caused the problems mentioned. Maybe this was a used (and abused) car or an earlier generation with many miles on it? But we aren't given this information. My 2002 was a year old when purchased and now has 34,000 miles on it.
I know many Intrepid owners - R/T, ES, and SE - through a car club and except for some early 2.7L engine problems we are all quite happy with our cars...
8th Mar 2008, 00:19
Hi, have owned Intrepid R/T 3.5L model for 6 years now, Vancouver BC.
Great roomy family car, used to handle great, struts are weak now after 90 000 km, and pricey, can only get front struts from dealer and price is $250 each.
Relatively minor problems with car:
- it really rains a lot here, car has interior water leaks.
- R/T suspension and my driving ruined factory Michelin Tires (have yet to see another car with same tires...) causing terrible balancing problems even with frequent rotations. New tires are Falken 912, smoooooth...
- this damn car can't keep front brake rotors from warping. Second set warped now, and even bought expensive slotted rotors and HPS pads.
- unsolvable belt noise when engine is cold, a low rpm growl.
- hard starting from cold these days, have read the fuel injectors may be leaking parked, flooding cylinders. Not sure about this, but the smell is evidence.
- oil filter hell to get off, until I swapped to a deeper model, off a vintage 383/440!
- tranny cooler leak at upper rad fitting.
Other than this stuff, which I consider minor, except for the brake rotors... great performing car, the autostick shifts HARD.
22nd Dec 2008, 18:06
I have a 3.5L R/T Intrepid. I'm not a big Dodge fan, but this car has been pretty good to me. Oil changes on time and it's got decent speed.
Only problem is that it is easy to steal. Mine was stolen and the police officer that came to my house, hers was stolen also, so if you get one, have some type of security system or anything.
11th Aug 2009, 11:59
I have had my 2001 3.5L R/T Intrepid for about 3 years now. I bought it with 101,000 miles on it and it now has almost 150,000 miles on it.
So far, I have not had any repairs to make on this car besides regular maintenance (brakes, tires, flushes, oil changes). I think most of the complaints are for the 2.7L engine that I've seen so far, so I am very lucky to have gotten a 3.5L. I look forward to driving it for a few more years and still have no signs of anything ready to break or fall apart. Regular maintenance is a huge part in this, any noise I hear that sounds a little different I have someone in my family look at.
A few little quirks about the car is that the headlights are fogged over, cabin lights sometimes come on randomly, and a little fading on the black molding around windows. Overall, I would recommend the 3.5L R/T Intrepid. It's worked very well as my second car.
9th Nov 2010, 16:16
I ordered a 2001 Intrepid R/T as my company car in January 2001. After taking delivery in March, I proceeded to put on ~95,000 miles over the next 3 years with about 80% of that being highway miles. I purchased the car in 2004 at turn-in time, and have continued to drive it for personal use to this day. It now has over 215,000 miles on the clock, and I still love driving it. Knowing that I intended to buy it, it drinks only Mobil 1 oil, beginning with its first oil change and thereafter at every 6-8,000 miles. Other ownership costs:
Front brake changes between 50 - 75K, rears 90-100K.
Replaced front and rear struts, bushings, etc at ~ 140K. Cost: $1500. It's probably time again, but it still drives well for highway commuting.
Bridgestone Turanzas (great handling M&S tire) last ~60K on front and 85K on the rear.
Still using the original battery!
The one big issue was my fault: I never changed the timing belt, and when it finally broke under high rev acceleration at ~160K miles, valves bent in both heads :-(
Dealer replaced both, including water pump and belt for $2600 out the door (a very good deal).
100% recommend this as a used car, IF it has been taken care of!
20th May 2004, 14:05
I am not the writer of this review, but I have some pointers for you. Usually, when something is about to break, there is some sort of warning sound. By warning sound I mean a different kind of sound that usual. The windows, probably started to go up and down slowly, or the motors might have started to make funny noises before they broke. The engine fans: You should keep a close eye on your temperature gauge. When the fans usually just don't' stop over night. They usually stop while driving, therefore causing the car to start overheating. As for the second one, you should have been prepared after the first one. The rest is just common sense. Look and listen for warning signs from your car. Don't be like others and have that "it will fix it self" opinion.