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With the ’01 Saturn L200 yesterday and the ’01 Pontiac Aztek the day before that, we’re having a 21st Century Junkyard Find week. I’ll continue that with today’s find: Dodge’s high-performance version of the second-gen Dodge Intrepid: The Intrepid R/T.
You got the 242-horsepower 3.5 liter V6 in this car, which was pretty decent for a front-wheel-drive family sedan.
The LH platform had been around for quite a while at this point, so the novelty of the cool-looking-at-first “cab-forward” design had long since worn off by 2000.
I often suggest that 24 Hours of LeMons teams run a Chrysler LH, but so far only one has shown up (and it threw a rod 100 yards into the race).
Roomy. Well-equipped. Cheap.
92 Comments on “Junkyard Find: 2000 Dodge Intrepid R/T...”
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That used-up bottle of AXE is pretty much everyone who currently drives a ’00s LH car…
I’m surprised that it has all the same colored body panels. It’s last oil change and set of tires was probably in George W Bush’s first term. Maybe some used Triangle or Geostar tires were put on before 2010.
The fact that you know what Triangle tires are makes me love you lots.
I’d actually exclude this one from central casting for “Craptasia – The New Millennium”. Curious to know what others think.
These were mostly pretty good cars. With this engine, not uncommon to see them in good running order with 200K+ miles. The achilles heel is the timing belt, which if neglected can take out the valves when it slips or snaps.
I believe the 2nd gen 3.5 (this one) was absolutely an interference engine. The 1st gen, while on the books as an interference engine, could lose the belt and not crash valves. My 97 LHS did just that while on the highway (tensioner crapped out) and suffered no damage. Replaced belt, tensioner and WP and was done. I think the 3.5 was a great motor and allpar has a decent write-up related to the development and testing of the motor. It was pretty solid.
Yep these 2nd gen ones were definitely interference. The service manual is quite clear on that. Most of the ones I’ve encountered where owners gave up on them were because of neglected belts.
A close friend has an ’02 300M which he bought new. It’s been a great car – 170,000 miles and still going strong. Other than fluids and filters, I think his only issues have been:
– relatively inexpensive brake and suspension part replacements.
– a dead heating element in the driver’s seat, which he’s deemed too expensive to fix.
– dead power lock in the right-rear door. You can still unlock it manually, and it’s also something he’s not worried about fixing.
As the poor man’s 300M, I imagine a lot of Intrepid R/T’s went to 2nd or 3rd owners who neglected them badly.
I have a 2001 version of one of these that we use as a 2nd/3rd vehicle that I picked up for very little at auction. They aren’t worth much because of the bad reputation the base engine gave the whole lineup. I hadn’t had one pass through my hands in a long time and forgot how great the interior packaging is. Tons of room.
This. Whatever one might think of cab-forward, it made for huge interiors. I rented one once and was blown away at how big it was inside.
Big, and comparatively light compared to comparable cars today. These things only weighed in at 3400-3500lbs. A plus to the way they drove and handled, but a negative whenever I scrap one.
I preferred the LHS and New Yorker/Concorde over these. The Intrepid and Vision were too common, and used in too many “normal people” TV shows.
I read the 300M was supposed to become the next Eagle Vision but it was made a Chrysler when Eagle was dropped, which is why it was so much different (better?) than the other LH cars.
That makes sense, since the Vision was the “sports sedan” of the LH team and so was the 300M.
Being one who has always liked smooth, understated, streamlined styling, these cars are some of my all time favorites.
I’m with you there; I liked the shape of this car when it came out, and I think it’s held up well over time.
Ditto. A buddy of mine in high school had a black 300M with the 3.5 for a couple of years, and I remember always being pretty impressed with it. Even though his was a couple years old, it never looked too out of place in the student lot next to the rick kids’ newer BMWs and Mercs (when it was clean).
The 3.5 wasn’t a bad engine either, it was sorta fun…
While I still see lots of of Tauruses and W-body cars from this time period on the road, there aren’t a lot of these left. Most of the remaining Intrepids are R/Ts like this car. The 2.7L cars were terrible.
I rented a 2.7 for a ski trip with three rug rats. The large interior fit the bill. I considered buying one until word got out on the 2.7 engine.
My 98 has 210k miles on it
As a Brit looking in on the US car market, I’ve always thought these LH cars were very cool. Going on holiday to Florida as a kid, I remember one of the first sights that greeted me after getting out of the airport was a long row of white Intrepids at the car rental office. Our family only got a Chevy Corsica. Not so cool.
as a Brazilian doing the same, I agree. These Chrysler cars were at the top of the design game back then. And still look good.
Count me as a fan. Great styling, plenty of room. Long ago (2000?) I rented one of the 2.7 versions at LAX and drove it all week during a business trip; no powerhouse, but a fine car. Later that week I rented a Malibu and drove it to Vegas via the Angeles Crest Highway. Miserable and old fashioned by comparison.
I cross shopped the Intrepid with its cousin Chrysler LH, the previously mentioned Saturn L200, and my final choice, a 2000 Chevy 3.4L Impala. I wanted to by a 3.3L Intrepid as it had fold down rear seats vs. a small pass-through in the LH. But our local dealer mostly had the awful 2.7L versions, so I still drive the (Zackman approved) 6 seat Chevy, which I cannot replace today.
These are really starting to hit close to home. Fond memories of shuttling my boss around in a Concorde company car with the 3.5 for a couple of years. It was a really a nice ride and had an excellent trunk.
I owned a 1998 Concorde with the 3.2L for awhile. I really liked that car. The only issues I had were related to the A/C and heater core. I agree that it rode really nice.
I firmly believe that had it not been for equipping most of the 2nd generation LH cars with that wretched 2.7L engine, modern versions of Intrepids & Concordes might still be around. What a darned shame they chose to install that crappy, underpowered engine on this platform (and then later on the LX’s, jeez). With the optional engines, these cars were great.
The 2.7 could’ve been a gem of an engine much like the 1.8 VW engine of the era, if a little more thought had been put into their design.
Didnt the 1.8T back then have all sorts of oil sludging issues as well?
My wife wanted one of these in the worst way back in the day. I was in love with the original Intrepid, but I thought this was a melted mess compared to that car. The one that REALLY caught my eye was the Chrysler 300M instead. If I had my way back then in 2000, I probably would have gotten a Pontiac Grand Prix GT or a 300M over this car on looks alone. That’s how little I liked the 2nd gen Intrepids…
Agreed with others, the 2.7 was a colossal mistake in these (or any other) cars, at least in the configuration it was at that time…
The Chrysler LH cars were beautiful cars. Very American in their long and low design, with huge interiors. Unique in the right ways. Of course the modern 300 has some of that but instead relies on retro styling as opposed to the futuristic almost art/deco look of the LH cars.
Typical Chrysler story, however (seems it never changes no matter who actually owns them), great/risky styling and awful execution in regards to long-term durability. There are a lot of these in junkyards, not a lot on the roads. Maybe it’s the 2.7, maybe it’s transmissions, or all of the above. I see some people here singing praises for “durable” 3.5’s, however, this morning on my drive to work I saw multiple late 90’s Camry’s still looking/driving great (and not many in junkyards) can’t say that about the LH sedans.
Nice post.
Ahh, the reverse-color gauge fad of the late 90s/early 00s…
Yeah, I remember shelling out $600 for some Apexi EL gauges at the time. I took them out to put in better matching stuff a few years ago, and found that I couldn’t give them away on Ebay.
My 2000 corolla had those. There is a thirty minute period around twilight time where they are impossible to read regardless of lights being on of off.
Casey was abstract.
Casey pushed his cart through the throngs of his peers assaulting the checkout lines. He glanced down at his Black Friday kill, a 32″ Element LCD television with abstract glee. His girlfriend Christy piped up again, “Case, we forgot Jesse’s Pamper.” Casey pivoted around, somewhat struck dumb, and said “YOU forgot the Pampers. If you need them, go git em. You’re payin’. I got nothin’ left after buyin’ all this. Ain’t my kid any damn way.”
After a short verbal altercation with store management about not adhering to the Black Friday electronics purchase process, that beautiful TV was wheeled out to the Intrepid. God, he couldn’t wait to hook that baby up and watch NASCAR until the sun came down. The cavernous trunk of the Dodge was packed with a Graco stroller plus the day’s quarry, and Casey had trouble getting the television and case of Coors to fit. “Here, hold this sh^t on yer lap.”, he said to little Johnny, dumping the lifesize “bull$h^t” styrene Santa across the rear seat. Johnny barked “I don’t want this thing.”, but it fell on deaf ears. He punched it in the face, slightly denting it. Casey left the shopping cart a derelict at the mercy of the wind next to a nearby Civic shod with Nordfrosts.
Casey dropped down into his Intrepid that was specially prepared by Dodge for road and track service. As he did so, a puff of warm B.O. came out of his winter coat. He retrieved the Axe from the center console. “Aaargh.”, he shouted. He had forgotten to grab more. “…barely a squirt of pi$$ left in this b*tch.” The can was spent after extinguishing only one pit. He replaced the cap and tossed it over his shoulder. The 3.5 took a long time to fire up. Casey and his girlfriend looked at each other before it stumbled to life. The clan then made haste to Penney’s.
“It ain’t shiftin’ agin.”, Casey commented while jostling the Autostick back and forth. The 3.5 revved sky high, and the Dodge lethargically made it to the turn lane across 3 lanes of traffic. Cars honked as the trio made their way across the intersection. Casey pulled over and shut the car off. He restarted the Intrepid, and the malady disappeared as it had many times before. The engine silhouette still remained illuminated in the cluster with it’s orange glow of spite however. “Probly the sole noid or the speedometer again.”, twelve-year old Johnny commented from the back. Casey looked out the cracked open window with disgust, and said nothing as he flitted the cellophane from his Skoal value pack out of the slit.
When the group returned to the cold Intrepid lit by the JCPenney sign, it could not be resuscitated. “Sumb*tch!!” The starter clicked away after the engine gasped a few times, and the battery fell flat. Christy and Johnny ventured off to the bus stop, resembling a pair of pack mules. Casey was left to flag down passing shoppers for an ultimately futile jumpstart. He left the Dodge in the barren lot, and returned to the apartment around 2AM, exhausted after carrying the flat screen for nearly a mile.
The Penney’s sales associate wasn’t quite sure how to deal with the irate Casey. “Sir, if it’s been sitting there for five days, then it’s probably been towed. I…think there might be a sign for the towing company out in the parking lot.”
Casey responded obliviously.
“Look lady, I can see towing away a piece of crap junker, but that thing was almost brand new.”
“Casey left the shopping cart a derelict at the mercy of the wind next to a nearby Civic shod with Nordfrosts.”
Nice touch!
I think Casey shops at my local Walmart.
Casey shops at everyone’s local Walmart. Bravo, Crabspirits!
And the reason I stay out at the far end of parking lots and on end-spaces when possible!
(Or, if it extends past the length of the adjacent parking spot, directly next to the cart corral if the space is available!)
Wonderful, CS.
well done.
Great story. Especially the last line.
Ya have a gift… Dude !
How come surviving LH drivers never actually cart around THEIR spawn?
Because their babymamas are living with part-time roofers named Bryce who drive post-ovoid Tauruses.
I had a 2001 Concorde with the 3.5 and I loved it. While all my friends were driving mid 2000s Civics and Cobalts, I was motoring around in my Concorde. The interior room, trunk space, and ride quality on long hauls made it the go to road trip vehicle for our group of friends. A family friend had a 2002 Intrepid R/T much like the one above that went well into the 500,000 km mark with few problems.
When I worked at Hertz during the summer in college we had a bunch of these. I remember thinking the Autostick was cool. Not many “average” cars had that feature at the time, remember.
I actually think the styling was a home run for these, at least on the outside. Just a very clean, modern look that has aged well. So much better looking than the same year Ford Taurus, Chevy Lumina or Toyota Camry.
The interior though is horrible, like something in a kid’s plastic pretend car.
Even though they made a lot of these, you simply never see them because of Chrysler quality. They went to the scrap yard very quickly. I think the 2.7L was supposed to be the really horrible engine?
The interiors of the first generation Intrepids, Concordes, and LHS were much nicer and class-competitive than the second generation’s, IMHO. Wolfgang Bernhardt and his stormbeancounters probably had an active hand in the cheapening of these.
Is there a way to make a universal device to allow Murilee to pull the mileage from cars with electronic odometers? I’d throw some money towards the cause.
A small 12V battery out of an emergency hall light with a set of alligator clips would probably work, assuming the fuse box hasn’t been picked clean and the car still has an ECM… generally speaking if there’s a battery present, you can push the trip/reset button and it’ll display. Generally.
I usually just go by the last Jiffy Lube, whatever sticker on the windshield if it has one.
Jiffy Lube is probably who put this car in the yard.
I am pretty sure that I own toothbrushes with a higher resale value than these ever had.
As a wise commenter once said, you can learn a lot about the harsh truths of this world by watching to see who drives a used Chrysler LH.
Are there any new cars besides Audis that have a longitudinal engine, front-wheel drive layout like these?
Nope. The north-south front drive layout in these actually seemed to make a huge difference in how these things drove. It was actually a much better feeling than most FWD cars. The A606 seemed to be massively more reliable than the dreaded 604, despite having similar construction and sharing similar parts. Don’t know why, but this engine layout seemed to die out across all manufacturers in the early 2000’s.
I’ve always found the drivetrain mounting position interesting in the Chrysler LH. I read in Allpar the reason the drivetrain was mounted this was was due to the Eagle/Renault Premier. Wikipedia confirms the LH was inspired by the AMC/Renault designed FWD Chrysler B platform. I’ve also read the LH was originally set up to offer AWD but the feature was dropped in pre-production designs.
“The Premier inspired many of the LH platform’s design features. François Castaing, formerly AMC’s Vice President of product engineering and development, became Chrysler’s Vice President of vehicle engineering in 1988, and as a result, the Premier was the starting point for Chrysler’s new LH sedans. Although the cab forward styling was quite different, the engines in the LH cars were mounted longitudinally, like the Premier. This was “a hallmark of Renault’s front-wheel-drive designs” and unlike any other car built by Chrysler to that time.[31] The LH platform’s dedicated transmission, the A606, was also quite similar in design to the electronically controlled automatic featured in four-cylinder Premiers. The Premier’s body shell was used for LH prototype development mules, under which the LH drivetrain was tested”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Premier
I worked at Chrysler right as the first gen LH cars were coming out, a fascinating time to be there. They still had a few Premier mule’s used for emissions testing (and some Spririt / Cirrus mules). They almost looked cool with their giant flares to accommodate the wider track of the LH.
I got to drive a lot of first gen LH cars, awesome highway cars, more room than our current Roadmaster. Way better packaging. I have only driven a few second gens, but I agree the 300M is the one to have.
Thx for sharing.
Didn’t they do an Imperial concept or two off this platform?
(I know they did a drawing of an LX-based Imp, but can’t for the life of me remember if a concept was done, and I’m too lazy to look at allpar.com at the moment.)
That looks like a longitudinally-mounted engine…just like my dad’s Legend. Were all LH engines like that?
I’d say that 90% of surviving LH cars I see on the road are trailing a cloud of blue smoke.
All the engines in the LH’s are mounted that way.
There was talk at some point about AWD or even RWD, but nothing came of it.
It kinda did. My understanding is the original LX platform can be thought of as a “Super-LH” platform with the W211 E-class multilink rear end and W220 S-class from control arms.
I have always found the LX to be an odd duck. It’s a design that was originally Amero-Franco (Eagle Premier), evolved further by an American company (Chrysler), and enhanced with German suspension components. It’s certainly been around the Western world.
So from that point of view, they finally got around to RWD/AWD with the LH when they did the LX cars.
Yes the LX was supposed to be a refresh of the LH that included dusting off the IRS to make it RWD and AWD. They were supposedly ready to tool when Mercedes mandated the use of the Merc suspension pieces which pushed back the intro.
One time not long ago on the highway, I saw some special edition Indy 500 or something Intrepid. Or maybe like an SRT or something? It was gold and black (stripes and decals), and looked both ridiculous and like it was a factory special edition.
Any idears?
They did do an Intrepid R/T “Motorsports” edition in 2001 with yellow-letter goodyear tires on them. The equipment list was as follows:
Motorsports Limited Edition Group:
Floor mats- “Dodge Motorsports” Logo
Decal-“Dodge Motorsports” on Front Doors
Decal- Dodge, Windshield(In track bag)
Spoiler- Trunklid
Tires- P225/55r/17 Yellow Letters AS/T
Weels- 17″ Cast Aluminum
Yep I think this is what I saw. Though this particular instance was gold and black, and all I see in Google Images is red and black.
Thanks!
Ah, the junkyard. Where this POS should have been all along. I can even recall the hideous, nauseating smell of cheap plastics from memory.
I’ve always liked the Intrepid so it is not a knock against it. The part that gets me is how does this exist in R/T trim. It is whats wrong with American car companies. Once badges like R/T or SS meant something. Then the big three decided to slap SVT or R/T on any penalty box and say ‘but its sporty’. There is nothing sporty or performance about this car and the fact it has embroidered cloth seats just makes me shake my head. At least they got serious with the trim-brand-trim SRT.
You have to look at in the perspective of the times. It was a reasonably good performer in both acceleration and handling for the period. Even compared to the “R/T” muscle cars of yore, the performance is decent. Then again, there’s an R/T trim minivan now, though it matches this car in acceleration.
I remember the Malibu Maxx SS!
I actually liked the superchunk 5 spoke wheels Chevy fitted to the Malibu/Maxx SS and Cobalt SS quite a bit…
We had a maxx ss for a few years. The maxx was a great idea, half baked like so many good GM ideas. The build quality was questionable, and ours had been abused by the previous owner which didn’t help.
It handled well and had a huge backseat. Otherwise, there wasn’t much SS going on there.
I had a Mxx too! Brilliant packaging, hopeless execution. GM couldn’t even make a straight piece of glass. The interior quality truly laughable, but yeah, the idea was great. And then Toyota comes along and builds the Venza and says, “here’s how you build a versatile wagon/sedan thingy right.” In my dreams GM, built a 2nd generation where they fixed the quality and materials issue, made it all wheel drive and created a whole new market for wagons.
The Venza is f*cking HIDEOUS, though.
Actually you are wrong, the SS badge started out as simply a badge/trim package. Any old straight six power glide Malibu could be ordered as an SS for a paltry additional charge. R/T was typically a package of existing options rolled into one with some badges and stickers thrown in. They may have come with a turbo or a 5.9 in place of the base engines but those engines were available separately along with most of not all other performance related parts, thus making R/T its self mostly a badge job. Same for fords GT.
Not always with the R/T…as far as I can tell, you could not get the 5.9 in a non-R/T Durango or Dakota, just like how only the 5.9 Limited Grand Cherokee had that motor.
The Ram, however, offered the 5.9 outside of its sport trims.
You could get a non-R/T Durango with the 5.9L, but the R/T version had wider tires, different exhaust, and a different engine controller. I don’t think the 5.9L was available in a non-R/T Dakota.
And, I’m not an expert on Dodge option package history, but I don’t think one could “officially” get above a 383 in the Coronet or Charger in ’68-’71 without opting for the Super Bee or R/T package (maybe a tow package came with the 4bbl 440?). However, the suspension upgrades that came with the R/T or Bee were available in a Rallye package on the lower trims.
Interestingly, the Dakota R/T was RWD only while the Durango R/T was available with AWD. It wouldn’t be hard at all to have a 5.9 4×4 Dakota though.
5.9L was available in Dakota Quad/Crew versions, I had an 02 Quad Cab SLT 4×4 with the 5.9L. 5.9 was dropped after 2003.
I was once a proud owner of a 2004 Dodge Intrepid ES, pearl white with a black leather interior. 3.5L engine, sunroof, impeccably maintained. I bought this car back in 2008 after my 1997 Concorde, my first car in high school, was sideswiped while parked on the street. As much as I loved my Concorde, it was fiscally prudent to accept it as a total loss and to take the insurance check rather than to fix it.
Now that I actually owned a first-generation LH, I wanted a second-gen LH. I liked the Intrepid best for that generation.
It took me a few months to find the exact model I wanted: it had to be white with a black leather interior, and had to have less than 70,000 miles. After searching through a sea of Intrepids doomed with the 2.7L, or ones with neglected mechanicals, interiors and exteriors, I scored one via private party; the guy who sold it to me was an optometrist and was the only onwer. He had the maintenance records from day one and it showed. I never had any problem whatsoever.
While I was quite fond of my Concorde, the Intrepid will definitely be the best car I will ever own in my opinion. I kick myself from time to time for trading it in for my 200. I wanted to save a little on fuel and was starting to think about the long-term situation in regards to commuting in an older car, even though the Intrepid didn’t show even a hint of stopping. I didn’t have garage space at the time, so I traded it. (I feel so dumb!) Don’t get me wrong, I like my 200, but relistically, it isn’t the same.
Unfortunately, they’re only getting older. The ones that remain are typically neglected and are now bought and owned by those that cannot afford or are too careless to look after a car. I very likely won’t be able to find another one in the condition that mine was in again.
It makes me feel both sad and old to see 2000s cars go to the crusher. Hell, people born when this car was made will get their drivers’ licenses soon.
Longitudally mounted FWD evidence the weird anglo/french roots of this car.
And remember one of the original names for the Oldsmobile Toronado was Intrepid! There’s a sleek style that has held up extremely well for almost FIFTY years!!
I rented an Intrepid once when visiting LA. The torque steer was alarming. These days the cab forward style is very normal but it merely means a huge reflecting dash top. What it doesn’t do is increase passenger space. It’s a long cabin from bulkhead to rear seats and side to side width that does. I tried a ’84 Opel Senator last weekend. It is roomy but the windscreen base is very close to the driver.
They must have rented you one with some type of defect, because torque steer was not a characteristic of these…perhaps the rental vehicle you got was in some type of accident or had been abused.
Hey Murilee, I talked to you a long time back on Jalopnik about the lot full of Citroen DS in Denver, actually across the street from 6435 Colorado Boulevard, Commerce City. I asked the Citroen club guys here in SF and they said it belongs to a big Citroen guy named John Reed. Everyone thought they were crushed, I haven’t been by there in a couple years so I don’t know if they are still around, google street view probably hasn’t been updated. I’d still like to know what’s inside the building on the property! Maybe for a story you could contact him and see if he has any plans, take a tour. One thing I read makes it sound like he lives somewhere else.
Great, now I feel compelled to look up used car prices on these, because I always liked these.
Thanks!
These were designed at a time when Chrysler was the most efficient and profitable car company in the world. Then the Germans took over and the rest is unfortunate history.
The 90s was the last time Detroit engineered and designed decent cars in-house. There were some pretty competitive car released during this time. Then a few years later Detroit started rebadging Holden’s, Opel’s, and Volvos. The rebadged cars were hated by the consumers and bankruptcy soon followed for GM and Chrysler.
The worse of these rebadged cars were the delta cars(astra) which were the the basis of the ION and Cobalt.
From the first time I saw one, I’ve always found the 2nd gen Intrepid to be one of the most beautifully styled sedans I’ve ever seen. Gorgeous lines.
It was a beautiful car and handled well. Felt like much smaller vehicle. Interior was huge. But used ones had interior worn out, door panels falling out, it simply did not instill much confidence in quality. And Dodge’s reputation rivaled one of Mitsubishi – they were related companies anyway. Mitsubishi also made good looking cars at some point, like Galant and Pajero. It is interesting – Dodge partnered with Mitsu, Ford with Mazda (actually it owned it) and GM with Toyota – do you notice similarities between partners?
If you see an LH (particularly 1st-gen, but the 2nd-gen suffered from this as well) car on a hot day driving with the windows up, congratulate the owner on the epic amount of money they surely spent getting the AC working again.
Those things were subject to a bewildering array of HVAC issues, most of which resulted in the vents blowing fetid air at you when what you most needed (and asked the HVAC for) was a 41-degree Blue Norther.
Evaporators, selector and blend door servos, control heads… you name it, it’d crap out on you just as you pulled on to Galveston Island for the July 4 weekend.
Even when I was in Detroit, most LH cars drove around in the summer with the windows down. Here in Houston, I’ve seen improvised swamp coolers deployed.
The first generation of these cars were the first to use the new refrigerant mandated to save the ozone. So these cars shipped with new refrigerant and iirc had systems upsized by about 35 percent to cope with the inefficiency caused by the new refrigerant. Not surprised that they had problems. The second generation having ac problems is all on M.B.