In general how many miles can a car take...

[Fredrick_NP]

before its junk? Specifically the Dodge Intrepid 2.7L.

I hear the engine can be pretty crummy... but other then that. I really need a car and these things seem great because they look nice and are cheap.

[curtis73]

That's a really difficult question. They weren't a very consistent car. My uncle had two of them; one lasted 110k before becoming a money pit, and the other one lasted to almost 200k before he sold it out of fear that it might fail

As with most FWD American cars, they are somewhat disposable (and I don't mean that in a bad way) but as time goes by, the unibody loses some rigidity, electrical things begin to eutrify, and although most things can be replaced there comes a point at which its no longer a "wise" investment to continue. I think if you get a good one, that point might be 200k, but in general as a ballpark guess, I wouldn't buy one after about 120k. 60-80k would be something I'd consider but only after a careful inspection. But, keep in mind that I'm a sucker for really low-mileage American classics, so the mileage where I would buy a car may be a little lower than most.

[jveik]

lol the amount of time your car will last is linked at least somewhat to your driving habits. if you start it in the morning and sit there revving it without being in gear, plus the engine's still cold, i would bet you're in for a little surprise in a few thousand miles. also, some cars have wierd quirks. the group of cars that consists of my 88 honda accord are known for having really crappy automatic trannies, whereas the manual trannies will last as long as you want, with a few clutch replacements lol.

dont drive like an idiot and your car "should" last a very long time

[Fredrick_NP]

Oh and I rememeber hearing a lot of the engines problems are related to haveing a "sludge buildup". Well... couldnt you just clean that out? Or is that something that is a huge pain?...

[beef_bourito]

sludge buildup generally doesn't cause problems if it's in the intake or cylender, it just decreases performance. if it's in the oil system or the cooling system it can cause some damage to parts and cost alot of money to replace if it's a significant ammount. if you keep up with your general maintenance there shouldn't be anything harmful in the oil system, you should also flush your cooling system every once in a while, your vehicle handbook should have the time between flushes, and every oil change or two you might want to think about maybe using one of those engine cleaners in your fuel tank to clean up your intake and cylenders.

[Fredrick_NP]

Originally Posted by beef_bourito

sludge buildup generally doesn't cause problems if it's in the intake or cylender, it just decreases performance. if it's in the oil system or the cooling system it can cause some damage to parts and cost alot of money to replace if it's a significant ammount. if you keep up with your general maintenance there shouldn't be anything harmful in the oil system, you should also flush your cooling system every once in a while, your vehicle handbook should have the time between flushes, and every oil change or two you might want to think about maybe using one of those engine cleaners in your fuel tank to clean up your intake and cylenders.

^Well it is the oil system that gets messed up. Even when you change the oil frequently people have problems with it. They say there isnt enough circulation so the oil starts to burn and sludge up. Is there a way to clean that out other then just doing an oil change?

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by beef_bourito

sludge buildup generally doesn't cause problems if it's in the intake or cylender, it just decreases performance. if it's in the oil system or the cooling system it can cause some damage to parts and cost alot of money to replace if it's a significant ammount. if you keep up with your general maintenance there shouldn't be anything harmful in the oil system, you should also flush your cooling system every once in a while, your vehicle handbook should have the time between flushes, and every oil change or two you might want to think about maybe using one of those engine cleaners in your fuel tank to clean up your intake and cylenders.

Sometimes, the info contained in the owners manual can become outdated from the time it was printed. A good example of this is owners of vehicles whose radiators contain DexCool coolant. GM originally stated DexCool was good for 5 years or 150,000 miles. There have been a lot of problems reported with DexCool, some as the result of owners not maintaining their cooling systems properly,( some may look at the long term associated with DexCool use as a "maintenance free" type product to which it is not.) As a result, some vehicles had air enter their cooling system, and sludge developed. Other vehicles had faulty intake manifold gaskets which caused the coolant to leak out of the engine, and caused a whole slew of other problems. The current recommendation is to have your DexCool system flushed and refilled sooner than the previous 5/150 duration.( I do mine every 2 years,or 30,000 miles)At this time it is a good idea to replace the radiator cap, as some have been discovered to have a faulty seal and leak air into the cooling system. It is a cheaper alternative to replace the cap than to deal with the problems later on resulting from the air infiltration into the cooling system from a faulty cap.

[MagicRat]

Folks, we have two seperate issues here.

one is how long a typical vehicle lasts, and the other is about this particular vehicle.

The year of this Dodge is not mentioned, but this is important.

-The 2.7 has SERIOUS sludge problems due to design defects. Unlike most cars, this problem is not related to lack of maitenance.
It is a problem inherent in this engine.

The 3.2 liter V6 which was optional in these cars does not have a sludge problem.

The steering systems in these cars had serious issues as well, which directly affect safety.
Pre-1997 models are worse, but newer ones are not perfect.

The 4 speed automatic transmissions loved to go bad between 50k to 100 k miles. Again, older models are worse. Generally anything made from 1993 to '98 is pretty much guarenteed to go bad.
The transmission life can be greatly increased by using the Chrysler brand of trans fluid (ATF+4, I think). NEVER use Dextron III.
However, who knows what is in the transmission of a used car?

Also, for some reason the power window regulators of all these cars are failure prone, for most years.

Look here for more details.
http://www.daimlerchryslervehicleproblems.com/

I know this site is a bit over-the-top and histerical, but my experiences with my '99 Voyager and my dad's '98 Concorde tell me they are on the right track.


IMO I would buy a '99 or later 3.2 liter Intrepid, but never buy a 2.7 liter or an older Intrepid unless the mileage is really low and the price is really cheap.