Is the 3.5 Intrigue worth it in the long run?

[dizzle1]

My 00 Intrigue gx is at 98k and I gun it sometime’s mid throttle too. I’m surprised that it got 26.5mpg average on highway which was 90% of the driving and once got 28mpg but easy driving 60-75mph. Accelerating to get up to speed then tap the gas didn't even use cruise control. But that’s not it what if the engine goes or a gasket I haven't heard of people fixing these engine or northstar's. And the trans you'll need to drop half the front sub-frame to change that. The value of the car has also dropped recently being a money pit. I don't think this engine can be rebuilt Chevy used the impala with a 3.8 for a reason in the 9C1 00-05 they are strong engines with cast iron block's. I don't want to work on a 3.5 because nothing is out there for it and GM rips off people. The 3.8 is a common engine to work on build, trans is another story. Theirs the thought of dumping a 3.8 SC engine and trans but cars are better than that today. Just buy a car that had one regal gs gtp ss. Mpg is a factor and V8's SS, GXP's are powerful but not for gas they might be the best GM W bodies. I just want a car that I can work on. This one might be the one to ditch before it digs a hole in your pocket.

[harmankardon35]

while the 3.5l is an ok engine if maintained, if you want to build up then the 3800 is the engine you want. If you blow the 3.5 then its time for a new motor, 3800 is easily obtainable and rebuildable and it a very robust engine

[dtownfb]

I have a 2000 Intrigue with 161k miles on it. Keep up with the maintenance. And more importantly, read through this forum and you will see some very common issues with this vehicle. If you can identify them early and are handy under the hood, you can keep this car running for a while longer. The 3.5L engine is a pretty solid engine. Other then the burning oil, i have not read of other issues concerning the engine itself. I would worry more about the transmission.

The members on this forum are great with sharing information and helping folks solve their problems. Most have experienced all the problems associated with this vehicle.

Up until aobut 2 month ago, I was averaging 25-27 mpg with my daily commute. I have a bunch of minor issues that would be unacceptable if I were buying this car used (small dent in door, driver seat sags, water get in on passenger side, multiple attempts to start vehicle, black trim along door is dried and brittle, charging port doesn't stay in place, plastic piece that where window button and lock is falling off, flickering headlights, burns quart of oil every 1000-1550 mmiles, etc.). I have great comfort knowing I have a car that has been paid off for 3 years and still gets good gas mileage in light of $4 gas. I'll keep it going for another 3-4 months, should put me close to 170k miles, before looking for another used car. Up until the new Malibu, I think the Intrigue was GM's best non-luxury car. Killing Oldsmobile at the time of its best lineup was one of GM's worst bonehead moves. The biggest is the Saturn unit.

[panzer dragoon]

you can get an Intrigue for ~$3000. And it will beat most cars in a drag race, drive 100mph all day etc.

I am only waiting for the Intrigue to get down to the $1000 part car level.

And with fuel costs going crazy new cars will only be slower.

[LittleHoov]

The 3.5 really doesnt have a reputation for any major problems that would require the engine being replaced, although it does happen every once in a while. Usually what isnt told is that the engine was run hot at some point. With the aluminum heads, if its run hot, its almost certain to warp and have gasket issues.

For the size and power of the engine, it gets excellent mileage, especially highway, as you have noticed. Also for the overall size of the vehicle.

Parts are a little more expensive compared to the 3.8 but even so, if you can do the work yourself, its not too bad.

Most of the cars you listed all use the same transmission as the one in your Intrigue, so thats not really an issue.

The 3.8 SC really does well in the gas mileage department, but to get those figures, youll have to use premium fuel, so the overall cost will be higher.

Im kinda in the same boat as dtownfb, I just paid off my Intrigue, so that extra couple hundred dollars a month goes a long way toward gas and any repairs I might have to make.

From my conservative point of view, its going to take a lot of repairs before you will have accumulated the cost of a new vehicle, and I dont car what they tell you, they all have problems eventually.

For what its worth, Ive got about 156,000 miles or better on mine. Very few issues really, basic maintenance items and a few other things. It does have a few quirks at the moment, just because I havent wanted to drop the money to fix it. But it would only cost 2-300 dollars to fix almost everything wrong with it.

[msg44]

Its definitely a tough decision. On several occasions I toyed with the idea of selling the car and getting something smaller (mpg's!); however, everytime I look for other cars I realize the intrigue is ALOT of car for the price paid. Its loaded compared to cars of similar price range.

I have a 99 3.5 liter. For over a year I thought I had tranny problems, hard shifts and occational slipping. Come to find out that it was my Positioning Sensors and Mass Flow Sensor. After replacing those (on my own, much cheaper), its back to running great. I feel that if you treat your tranny nice and do the general maintenance you will have a car worth much more that its valuation. Its a keeper in my book. I average 27 mpg at around 80 mph.

[harmankardon35]

Originally Posted by msg44

Its definitely a tough decision. On several occasions I toyed with the idea of selling the car and getting something smaller (mpg's!); however, everytime I look for other cars I realize the intrigue is ALOT of car for the price paid. Its loaded compared to cars of similar price range.

I have a 99 3.5 liter. For over a year I thought I had tranny problems, hard shifts and occational slipping. Come to find out that it was my Positioning Sensors and Mass Flow Sensor. After replacing those (on my own, much cheaper), its back to running great. I feel that if you treat your tranny nice and do the general maintenance you will have a car worth much more that its valuation. Its a keeper in my book. I average 27 mpg at around 80 mph.

positioning sensors?...this fixed your hard shifting/slipping issues? Im about set to replace my PCM but this may be worth a try...please explain

[msg44]

Originally Posted by harmankardon35

positioning sensors?...this fixed your hard shifting/slipping issues? Im about set to replace my PCM but this may be worth a try...please explain

The Tranny expert told me that the Mass Air Flow Sensor was the cause of all the weird shifting (usually hard and occasionally felt like "slipping."). I didn't really believe him cause the tranny felt really bad. If I ever rev'd hard and it slipped, it would start hard shifting and it literally felt like a sledge hammer every shift after that. I learned to pull over and shut of the car. This usually helped. I further learned to drive it like a manual; right when the tranny was about to shift, I would lighten up on the gas. I did this for over a year (pretty dumb, I know. But I thought for sure I would have to replace the tranny).

Your engine light should be on if any of the 3 sensors are bad (crank, cam and mass flow).

Miraculously, all the problems disappeared after I replaced all 3. Believe me that I was ecstatic when I drove it clunk free.

Good luck and feel free to ask more questions.

[harmankardon35]

I have the same issue, no engine light...but i do have a p1811 code wich would indicate a bad PCS in the trans.

I too drive the car like a standard just to ease off the rough shifting...seems to help. It wont slip in 1st gear either, only in higher gears (again, fault of the PCS)

[msg44]

Originally Posted by harmankardon35

I have the same issue, no engine light...but i do have a p1811 code wich would indicate a bad PCS in the trans.

I too drive the car like a standard just to ease off the rough shifting...seems to help. It wont slip in 1st gear either, only in higher gears (again, fault of the PCS)

Fortunately for me, my problem was not the PCS in the tranny. You might consider just disconnecing your batter to reset things and then drive it normal to see if the same code pops back again (if you haven't already).

Mine too seemed to have the worst slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear. YOu could always just go to autozone and swapp-out the mass flow and if it doen't change anything just return it. It take all of 15-20 minutes to change out (its between your air filter and the engine).

Good luck.

Mike

[Jimmy Olsen]

Bought my GLS Intrigue new in 12/99 for, after rebates, about $16500. Car now has 102k miles and still drives like new (even with severe service).
That comes out to about 16 cents a mile or $1941 a year. The drivers seat (leather and power) shows no sag.

Be active in maintenance. Flush out the brake lines every 6 years and power flush the cooling system every 5.

[phewop118]

The 3.5 is a great engine, though in my opinion, not quite as effortlessly maintainable as a 3.8. The 3.5 was only made for a few years for 2 low volume vehicles, so specific parts can be harder to find in years to come. However, that being said, the engine is quite reliable for many miles, aside from some common minor issues that generally manifest themselves well under 100k miles, such as the crankshaft position sensor, or the fuel pressure regulator. The biggest danger to these engines is heat and you need to make sure to change the coolant every few years. It is also wise to run the air if the engine starts to get warm, as it kicks the fans in earlier. The head gaskets are known to warp on these engines if they overheat and in my opinion, the coolant system isn't quite up to keeping the heat down on hot days when idling or travling in traffic.

The thing to worry about on these cars is the transmissions, which are expensive even when the most common minor problems happen, such as the pressure control solenoid going bad due to debris.

Right now, I have 115k miles on my 3.5 and it still runs great (a little noisy when cold and humid, but thats from the water pump). I have seen people with over 200k miles and still running strong. However, I generally see more high mileage 3800's.

It's a shame GM didn't use the 3.5 in other cars or develop a second generation of it with variable valve timing, direct injection, etc., as it would be one hell of a motor.

[ND4SP]

Originally Posted by phewop118

The 3.5 is a great engine, though in my opinion, not quite as effortlessly maintainable as a 3.8. The 3.5 was only made for a few years for 2 low volume vehicles, so specific parts can be harder to find in years to come. However, that being said, the engine is quite reliable for many miles, aside from some common minor issues that generally manifest themselves well under 100k miles, such as the crankshaft position sensor, or the fuel pressure regulator. The biggest danger to these engines is heat and you need to make sure to change the coolant every few years. It is also wise to run the air if the engine starts to get warm, as it kicks the fans in earlier. The head gaskets are known to warp on these engines if they overheat and in my opinion, the coolant system isn't quite up to keeping the heat down on hot days when idling or travling in traffic.

The thing to worry about on these cars is the transmissions, which are expensive even when the most common minor problems happen, such as the pressure control solenoid going bad due to debris.

Right now, I have 115k miles on my 3.5 and it still runs great (a little noisy when cold and humid, but thats from the water pump). I have seen people with over 200k miles and still running strong. However, I generally see more high mileage 3800's.

It's a shame GM didn't use the 3.5 in other cars or develop a second generation of it with variable valve timing, direct injection, etc., as it would be one hell of a motor.

Phewop118. you said that the water pump makes noise on these engines. Where did you find that out or hear that?? I noticed mine made more noise when it was more humid too, except if it is raining, seems to be quieter again.. I thought that it was piston slap. Just curious to learn more about the 3.5.

[phewop118]

It is common on GM engines around that era for the waterpump to make noise and eventually die due to coolant seeping through it (from poor design, in my opinion). Actually, I have heard more about it happening on the 3800 and Northstar than on the 3.5, but it could be common, as the 3.5 is similar to both engines in some sense. Mine makes noise, but for you it may be something else, though I never heard any stories before of piston slap on the LX5.

[dizzle1]

Right now I have a few problems with my car. 1st Most annoying one is the anti-lock light, 2nd is the water pump, people who are with me around the car say they smell coolant and I add half a cup every week if driven alot. 3rd would be my ac compressor clutch but i think the glass cuting sound went away haven't used the ac enough to notice. 4th slightly off alignment not bad though need new inner or outer tie rods. 5th Got to change my rear left pads and rotor I already have the rear rotors and pads waiting the left rotor is rough. Could this slove the antilock problem at any chance.