GTP Cool Wall: 1998-2004 Dodge Intrepid

[Snikle]

Poll 1284: 1998-2004 Dodge Intrepid nominated by @GranTurNismo

Body Style: 4dr sedan
Engine: 2.7 L EER V6, 3.2 L EGW V6, 3.5 L EGJ V6, 3.5 L EGG V6
Power: 200-250 hp
Torque: 190-250 lb-ft
Weight: 1,552 kg
Transmission: 4-speed auto
Drivetrain: FF
Country: USA

Spoiler: Additional Pictures

 

[Snikle]

I know I'm usually pretty optimistic with how I vote, but nothing really saves this from SU. Not even that little smiley in the windshield in the main picture.

 

[Neddo]

GT2 presence bumps it to meh

 

[edawg456]

SU all day.

 

[kikie]

I wanted to vote uncool but changed my mind after reading these few posts and voted Seriously Uncool.

 

[Snikle]

We're seriously on track to send this thing to hell.

Carry on.

 

[Ze Elephant]

I kinda liked them when I had my Stratus, and the Intrepid R/T had pretentions of being cool.

Uncool.

 

[Volksauto]

My uncle had an Intrepid. Nice comfortable car. And that’s all it really was.
Uncool.
Meh

 

[Roger the Horse]

In today's sea of overstyled horrors (looking at BMW and Lexus here) this is refreshing subtle while still remaining distinct.

 

[EngieDiesel]

I've been told that out of all the Daimler-Chrysler cars, this was easily the most nightmarish to work on, at least if you had to do anything with the transmission or drivetrain. Which is probably why they had such generous warranties on that particular part of the car.

That said, I still do really like the exterior styling, and it had a pretty good run in various motorsports (at least in sheetmetal form, since we're talking mostly NASCAR and drag racing), but almost all Daimler-Chrysler cars are pretty crap for one reason or another. Uncool.

 

[GranTurNismo]

Meh. Nominated this car since it's my mom's daily driver (an '01 ES in Candy Apple Red). I might be biased but I think it's truly one of the nicest looking full-size cars to come from America in recent years. It looked quite modern when it came out and has aged pretty well 20 years later. The only major red flag is the reliability. Ours has the 225hp 3.2L V6 which has never had any issues, but the 200hp 2.7L V6 is notorious for being one of the most unreliable engines ever made. Seriously, the majority of these didn't make it to 100k miles, sometimes not even 75k. These engines would mysteriously build up this thick oil sludge and would eventually wear down the engine to the point where it could no longer run. A main reason why Intrepids aren't common on the roads anymore compared with other cars their age is because most of them were fitted with the god-awful 2.7L V6.

 

[Centroid]

On the plus side it is interesting. Anything that eschews the standard 3 box shape for a sedan is a plus in my book. On the flip side, the front is rather inelegant. Did they make a proper hot version? As that would probably be cool but as it stands I think the best I can give it is Meh.

 

[TheCracker]

Very much a meh car. Meh segment, meh brand, meh styling, meh performance etc etc. Granted i'm not from a country where these were sold, but i don't see anything about it that makes it uncool. It's not trying to be something it's not. It is what it is. I do like it's sleek shape though.

 

[Darla Starch]

I don't actively like or dislike it, thoroughly average by early 2000's standards so meh.

 

[ZGBox]

Meh, but sure is interesting from an european point of view.
I mean, it looks like a background car from a tv series from the '90s

 

[MDDeGrande]

In today's sea of overstyled horrors (looking at BMW and Lexus here) this is refreshing subtle while still remaining distinct.

The current Lexus cars are gorgeous (at least to me), especially the LC500 and last generation LS. If you don't count in their huge grills, of course.

 

[Sage Ages]

It doesn't exist.

 

[GranTurNismo]

It doesn't exist.

In what way?

 

[Sage Ages]

In what way?

It just doesn't.

 

[GranTurNismo]

It just doesn't.

That’s 100% true for the 2.7L models, but the 3.2 and 3.5 ones are mostly still on the road.

 

[JohnBM01]

I always thought the Intrepid was a cool-looking car. It doesn't blow you away with any gaudy performance figures or anything, but it was a very above-average car. Saying "meh" would be great disrespect to me on this model Intrepid even though I talked it down to a great extent. So tab me for "Cool" on this one.

 

[Sage Ages]

That’s 100% true for the 2.7L models, but the 3.2 and 3.5 ones are mostly still on the road.

No they aren't.

 

[MoLiEG]

I've always liked this thing. Like, A LOT.

And I can't explain why, I just love it.

Sub Zero.

 

[MisterWaffles]

If dreary in the dictionary had an accompanying image, this would be it.

 

[EngieDiesel]

That’s 100% true for the 2.7L models, but the 3.2 and 3.5 ones are mostly still on the road.

I dunno about that. I've seen exactly one Intrepid of this vintage in the last decade, and even then it sounded pretty rough when I passed by it. I'm willing to bet most of the ones that didn't prematurely die of engine gunking were scrapped when Cash For Clunkers happened, that's right about the time the drivetrain warranty on the majority of them would have run out (assuming they didn't hit the mileage limit first of course).

 

[GranTurNismo]

I dunno about that. I've seen exactly one Intrepid of this vintage in the last decade, and even then it sounded pretty rough when I passed by it. I'm willing to bet most of the ones that didn't prematurely die of engine gunking were scrapped when Cash For Clunkers happened, that's right about the time the drivetrain warranty on the majority of them would have run out (assuming they didn't hit the mileage limit first of course).

In the last decade? I never to intended to imply that they're still common cars, but just doesn't add up. I still see them somewhat regularly, especially in an area of the country where foreign makes greatly outsell American ones more than anywhere else. I'd say that they're only slightly more rare than the Impala or Taurus of that era.

 

[Tornado]

I think the only cars in this class of this era that have survived in any numbers are the Buick W-Bodies and the Camrys; plus the ones that garnered some sort of emotional response from people so they took care of them (hotted up Grand Prixs and the 300M). Even the Accords from then are pretty thin on the ground nowadays, undoubtedly due to the transmissions exploding.

 

[GranTurNismo]

I think the only cars in this class of this era that have survived in any numbers are the Buick W-Bodies and the Camrys; plus the ones that garnered some sort of emotional response from people so they took care of them (hotted up Grand Prixs and the 300M). Even the Accords from then are pretty thin on the ground nowadays, undoubtedly due to the transmissions exploding.

I'm not so sure about that. Altimas, Maximas, Avalons, Malibus, and Impalas of the late 1990s and 2000s still seem to be quite common. And of course, certain sedans of that era which were once common have completely died out, like the Stratus/Breeze, Galant, Passat, 626, and anything Korean. But yes, Centuries/Regals as well CamCords are without a doubt the most common of the late 1990s sedans.

 

[Jezza819]

Meh.

My family had a Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge-Jeep dealership from 1978-2012 so I had a lot of experience with these cars. To me, looks wise the 1st gen. from 1993-1997 looked better. It looked more aggressive. But this redo subdued the car too much IMO. Even in the ES it didn't look all that sporty.

But the 1st gen cars had their issues as well. The headlights were much too small so visibility was terrible at night. The black D pillar appliques would crack and or start turning white after only a few years. So this 2nd gen fixed some of that but it also brought new reliability problems like the 2.7 oil sludge problem and a bad coolant leak issue (I think I remember those two being a big deal back in the day).

The LH platform (Intrepid, Concorde, 300M) was a huge step forward for us back then. These cars (when new) were much more solid and quieter than the Dodge Dynasty and Chrysler New Yorker that they replaced. They had more room inside thanks to the cab forward design (extending the windshield to over the front tires). I couldn't believe how quiet the first one I drove back in 1993 was. We just weren't used to that. But it didn't take too long for Chrysler quality to overcome all of that causing them to be problem cars after only a few years.

But I will say of this 2nd gen, powertrain wise the 3.5 in Intrepid ES, Concorde, and 300M was a pretty good engine. It was just the rest of the car that wouldn't hold up.

 

[Snikle]

The turnout in this thread versus the ones around it is similar to the infamous Dodge Aeries thread from a few years ago.

Quick, nominate more anonymous old Dodges!