1999 Dodge Intrepid SE review from North America

Transmission replaced at 112k at a cost of US $3400.

Fuel pump went at 108k on a hot summer day on the freeway. We had to tow it to a different dealer and they were horrible. It took them an extra day and we had to take it back because the car was leaking gas vapor.

Rear passenger side door has had problems. The panel is loose. The power window and lock have both malfunctioned in the past.

Battery replaced, and this is only significant because of its location. It is under the air cleaner and requires removing the passenger side front tire to replace.

Air conditioning does not really work anymore, but it probably just needs recharging.

There is a constant hissing noise when the blower is going. This is only a nuisance and the blower works just fine.

Rear brakes were just replaced a second time. The only nice thing the dealer did was let us keep the loaner Mitsubishi Montero Limited for a week for free because they did not have the parts in stock.

The engine will sometimes seem to be giving half its normal power. It does this intermittently and I have no idea why.

Enormous trunk and tons of interior space.

Seats are very comfortable. We drove 26 hours straight without any major complaining.

Normal gas mileage is about 26 miles per gallon, but on that long trip we averaged 33.

The 2.7L V6 is rated at 200 horsepower, but I don't buy it. This thing is not slow, but if you want performance get an ES or an R/T.

Cruise control has a perfect interface as five buttons on the steering wheel. It also works to keep a constant speed very well without being overly fussy. I can press resume at 25MPH and it takes me back up to 60.

Ergonomics are excellent. The car is not by any means fully-loaded, but everything is easy to use and logical. Only problem is I sometimes turn the wipers on when using the turn signals.

The car is pretty easy to drive, but hard to park. The rear end is very large and has poor visibility.

Interior lighting fades off when you close the door.

We've never had an alignment done on the car. It has simply never needed one for some odd reason.

Ride is very smooth, but it can still handle.

Mine is an absolute base model, and there is no ABS. Dodge did a good job of choosing the standard features, like A/C, cruise, power windows and locks, and rear air vents. The only things we are wishing it has are a fold-down rear seat and a manual transmission, both of which are not even options.