Update: after having the steering shaft replaced and the rotors turned under warranty, my Intrigue is much more satisfying to drive. Though I still have some issues with the interior, for the money I now feel this is a five point car (I previously rated it a four), as long as you buy one used. New it is a four-star car.

As I also mentioned in my Ford Contour review, I like to buy cars that both perform and depreciate well when they are one year old. That way someone else takes a bath and there are still about two years left on the warranty. The Intrigue is one such car. I bought a '98 in '99 with 14k miles. The car has every GL option except the chrome wheels, which I personally dislike. The factory sticker was $25,800. I paid $16,750. While the Intrigue compares favorably to other cars in its new car price range, it's unbeatable compared to similarly priced one-year-old cars.

Here's what my Intrigue included for this price:
--great styling, very good performance and comfort
--leather
--moonroof
--ABS and traction control
--Bose stereo with 12 disk CD changer
--automatic dual zone climate control

The Intrigue is not perfect. This is partly because Oldsmobile can't decide what they want the car to be. On one hand, they want it to be a uniquely designed sports sedan. The ads proclaim the Intrigue to be "A sophisticated twist on a sports sedan." On the other hand, Olds wants the Intrigue to compete primarily with the Accord and Camry. As a result, while the styling lives up to the sports sedan billing the overall feel of the car, while smooth and comfortable, is too bland to be sporting.

What initially attracted me to the Intrigue was the styling. Since I first saw it I have thought it is one of the best-looking sedans, period. Granted, it is a fairly subtle design. To most people it looks just like any other mainstream sedan on the road. The eye of the average person only recognizes a car's styling as distinct if it's way out there, like a pre-2000 Taurus or a Grand Prix GTP. I personally prefer more subtle designs. For me, the subtle fender flares of the Intrigue blend perfectly into its well-proportioned body. In my experience, people who own Intrigues recognize the excellence and distinctiveness of its styling, but very few non-owners do.

In contrast to the exterior styling, the interior is derivative. Here the desire to compete with the Japanese won out. Think Lexus knock-off. The basic appearance is very similar to the LS 400's interior. This makes sense, since the Lexus interior is the best looking on the market in the eyes of many. The LS400 is not, however, a sports sedan, nor does it have a sports sedan interior. A little more sportiness in the interior would go a long way. Something between the Intrigue interior and the 2001 Aurora interior would be nice.

Unfortunately, the interior materials were not copied from Lexus. Too many of the interior pieces are made of cheap feeling hard plastic. This is where GM cut costs to keep the car under $30k. The worst example is the plastic around the window buttons. It's hard, feels cheaply hollow when your fingernails tap it, discolors so it doesn't quite match the rest of the interior, etc. Rarely have I seen one part that could have so much impact if it were improved. While I'm no fan of fake wood, the trim added to the GLS helps here.

Powertrain: the engine (3.8 in my car) has more than enough power for everyday driving, and the transmission is extremely smooth. It feels great on the highway and around town, but it doesn't make you want to seek out some twisty roads. (I have also driven the DOHC 3.5 in the newer Intrigues. This engine sounds nicer but does not change the basic character of the car like I thought it might.) Again, more luxury sedan than sports sedan.

Ditto the handling. The steering effort is fairly light. While the car handles precisely, the tires stick well, and the chassis feels very balanced (it never feels like it might swap ends, no matter what you do), the Intrigue doesn't really involve the driver like a good sports sedan does. Update: after having the steering shaft replaced under warranty to fix a common '98 problem, the steering of the car now feels more sporting to me. I guess the bad shaft detracted more from the driving experience than I realized.

The ride is a mixed bag. Most of the time it feels very fluid and smooth. Every once in a while, however, the Intrigue hits a surface it does not like, and the car suddenly feels a bit rough. The car shudders and the interior pieces creak against one another (mostly in the dash). This doesn't happen too often, but when it does the Intrigue falls about $10k in perceived price. Update: the steering shaft replacement and rotor resurfacing, common '98 warranty fixes, improved the perceived quality of the car considerably. The steering shaft was a major source of shuddering previously. I don't notice this anymore. Somehow I don't notice the dash creaking so much either anymore.

My car has the Autobahn package, which includes the uprated tires. I'm not sure these are a good idea. I've also driven the car with the standard tires. While the uprated tires do make the car handle a bit sharper, they make the ride slightly jittery on some surfaces. Nothing uncomfortable, but you notice it. When the tires wear out I plan to replace them with better riding tires, which will be more consistent with the basic character of the car.

Comfort: I've driven this car for 750 miles in one day, twice. The seats are very firm, but generally supportive. I feel a touch sore in the lower back after very long drives, but I've felt much worse in other seats. The basic shape of the seats is very good, but they could use additional adjustments. The lumbar support and headrests in particular need to be more adjustable. The headrest does not adjust fore-and-aft. When sitting upright this is not much of a problem. When you recline in the passenger seat, though, it it too far forward. This quickly produces neck discomfort for me. The armrest on the door is too hard, resulting in a sore elbow if you drive like I do, with only the left hand on the wheel and the left elbow on the armrest.

Room: very roomy for four people. Many useful storage areas can be found inside the car. The trunk is also very usable. The hinges are the type that do not descend into the cargo area. It helps that the rear seats fold down. The pass-through could be larger, though.

Quietness: very good, but well short of Lexus levels. Even short of Camry levels. This is the major area that keeps the Intrigue from feeling like a luxury car.

Stereo: Bose stereo is outstanding; very versatile with CD and cassette in head unit, and 12-CD changer in trunk

Quality: I've already mentioned the interior materials and the occasional creaking. My car also has had the same problems most '98s have had: warped brake rotors, broken intermediate steering shaft, shifting driver's door trim. The cure for the later is that every few months I have to get out my rubber mallet and tap the trim back into place. Newer Intrigues supposedly do not have these problems.

Fuel economy: 18-22 around town, 28 on the highway.

Sum: Sophisticated twist on a Camry. A very good sedan, but I've driven sports sedans, and this is no sports sedan. If you don't expect it to be a sports sedan, it's an excellent car for the money. Especially as a used car.

Update: after having the steering and brakes fixed, I now find the Intrigue much more satisfying to drive. The dynamics of this car are excellent. Now if they could just upgrade the interior...

Oldsmobile Intrigue Reliability

We replaced this car with a PT Cruiser in 2004. It proved reliable throughout--I never had the opportunity to use the extended warranty. Good thing, as the extended warranty went bankrupt.

People often email me asking about the reliability of the cars and trucks they are considering. Existing sources of reliability information just aren't helpful enough.

In response, my website, truedelta.com, will more clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an Intrigue rather than something else by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). Those who help provide the data--which will require just a few minutes a year--will earn free access to the site's reliability information. To encourage participation, this access will otherwise cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.