Just me but......

I would have called the Intrigue by Oldsmobile, the Oldsmobile Cutlass.....or at the very least, the Oldsmobile Intrigue.
I also would have combined the "Autobahn" package with the 3.5 and called it the W-31 package. And I would have had the audacity to advertise it.

 

My father said the Aura is doing something weird in second gear....Oh dear.

 

As a owner of an Intrigue, it is a great car. My complaints are few with this car, the 3.5 DOHC engine is a great little engine that likes to rev but its light on torque down low and the transmission gearing doesn't help. Its obvious the gearing was set to try and boost mpg #s closer to the what the 3.8L gets. Overdrive comes in way to early around 40mph and at that speed the engine is almost lugging and the least little pressure on the gas pedal makes it shift back out of overdrive. All of this shifting back and fourth is really annoying in town and you are better off keeping it in 3rd if you want to save the transmission.

Other than those shortcomings its a great car, I love the interior, the layout, the use of different materials and contrasting colors. Much different from most GM products at the time that used the corporate all gray interiors. The leather seats are actually thick high quality leather that wears really good and doesn't look plasticy. Our Intrigue is 6 almost 7 years old and just past the 100K miles mark, the drivers seat side bolsters are not showing any wear at all and the seat bottom where your butt sits is starting to show some wrinkles in the leather, I wish I could say that about my Z28.

By the way I've never heard of the "Autobahn" pkg. How can you tell if an Intrigue has the autobahn pkg. I know some later models had a stability control system and had a badge on the rear deck. But I don't think I've ever seen any autobahn pkg. emblems on a Intrigue.

 

I was lucky enough to get one as a rental car back in 2001 for a 1+ week vacation. I drove it from Nashville to Atlanta to Lexington (stopping at Bowling Green the last day).

My recollection is that it didn't actually shift out of OD but just unlocked and locked the converter a lot. The car had one of those flex lockup converters (not sure of the real name) that seems to be pretty standard in the GM FWD transmissions. With the flex lock, you can have a progressive lockup of the clutch without excessive heat and wear that you'd have with a standard clutch. I want to say it's a urethane-type material, but that's probably wrong.

Anyway, I don't think it actually puts extra wear on the transmission, but it was a bit annoying to me. But only a bit.

If it had been a RWD, I would have bought one

 

I'll take a stab at this one, since I have looked into the Autobahn cars - although my search was Aurora focused. I toyed with the notion of picking one up, almost did, but didn't - yet. An Autobahn car is a pretty rare car and people (including dealers) selling them don't necessarily know if it is or not. Now, I'd probably go for a second gen car. Anyway, here goes:

The Autobahn package as set up for the Intrigue included 25mm bigger front disc brakes , H-rated 225/60 tires and a top speed potential of 128 mph, versus 107 for the non-Autobahn cars.

The package for the (1st gen) Aurora was a little more extensive (if that's the word to use) and featured P235/60R16 Michelin V-rated tires and a 3.71:1 axle ratio--an improvement over the standard Goodyear Eagle GA P235/60R-16 tires and the standard axle ratio of 3.48:1 and a 140mph speed limiter - up from 110mph. In addition to a greater maximum speed the optional transaxle ratio also gave quicker acceleration.

To see if a car (Aurora) was Autobahn equipped check the tire information label inside the driver's door and see if it lists V rated tires or look at the RPO codes as an Autobahn car will have a code of QQX for the V rated tires, and a code of FV4 for the final drive ratio of 3.71.

For the second gen car, I believe it was just wrapped into the whole package but included 17 inch rims and tires. Autobahn was not an option with the 4 litre Generation 2 Auroras, they had H rated tires standard, as well as the 3.71 final drive ratio and they were speed limited to 135 mph.

 

Using Charlie's own words pretty much describes my thoughts as well...

I'm pretty confident I'm the only one here who was on the front lines when the announcement came down about Olds. Traditional Olds owners gnashed their teeth, still angry because the Intrigue didn't have a bench seat, and defected to Buick

Other people that walked into my Pontiac/Oldsmobile showroom often considered going with a Pontiac Grand Prix or Grand Am over an Olds equivalent due to the concern over parts and resale value. The 5/60 GMPP and "double rebate" GM offered (for most of the '01 model year, Olds had a $2k rebate while Pontiac had $1k...who knew $4k rebates were yet to come???) helped to keep sales spurred through the rest of '01, and many people were pleasantly surprised by the interior quality and the amenities offered by the Olds. The Alero was a car that routinely saw Accords and Camrys being traded in on it. The Intrigue, as some may recall, actually WON a '99 comparison test between it, the Accord and Camry. The LX5 DOHC 3.5 was far superior to the 3800 in response, performance and NVH. I've wound countless LX5's out throughout the years, and while no powerhouse today, in their time they were very competitive.

So many Olds buyers defected to Buick, the numbers for both divisions are skewed IMO. Olds buyers really, REALLY got pissed at no bench seat, and bought a Buick...hurting Olds and helping Buick. So now where did these buyers go???

A lot are already 6 feet under...

But there was a new wave of buyers coming through the door in 2001. People who had never thought of anything but a Toyota or Honda were giving Olds a shot. The problem was, as word of the demise of Olds spread further, fears of resale and service headaches kept more people from coming in. Add that to the defection of people to Buick, and it all makes sense...or so it appears...

If GM had waited a couple years, Buick would be dead IMO and Olds would be what it was aiming to be...an awesome import alternative. Saturn could have been left to be a Scion-type fighter, and Buick would have been shot. THEN, you wouldn't be left trying to remake Buick AND Saturn. Saturn could have stayed where it was, and the investment in Buick could have made better Olds' (the groundwork had been laid starting with the Aurora in '95, and continued with the Intrigue in '98 and Alero in '99), and today you wouldn't have been left with trying to convince people Buicks are hip and Saturns are premium

In the end, it will all work out, but it would have been easier if they'd waited and seen the writing on the wall. GM is famous for killing **** after FINALLY getting it right.

And by the way, I would have bought an Olds myself had they stayed in business...I too was freaked out over resale (being an auction buyer proved that theory correct!!), and chose my '02 Grand Am GT with its **** body cladding and $2 interior over an Alero GL2 4 banger/M5 for about $1,500 less. I shoulda bought the Olds...it was a better car, and would have been more fun. I guess I just picture how much cooler the Aura would have been to me if it was a Gen 2 Alero, the way it should have been...

BTW, my dad would still buy an Olds too The Bravada was so much nicer than the '05 TrailBlazer LT he has...

 

FWIW, regarding the Autobahn package...bravo on the research Back in '98, my dad wanted to order an Intrigue GL with the Autobahn package, only to have my mother insist on the Grand Prix GT they ended up ordering instead

AFAIK, the Gen 2 Auroras did not offer an Autobahn package...I used to order these cars. V6s had 16" Eagle RSA's IIRC, while I know all V8s had Michelin 17s...

 

I tell ya, there is so many buick haters on this forum. lol. Maybe I'm just biased towards buick, but i was exactly the opposite, I've always had buicks, and have never been satisfied with Olds. Buick may have the stigma of being for old people but they are probably the most reliable of any of the vehicles I've owned. I've had quite a few gentlemen who switched to honda/toyota/and hyundai when the Lesabre, regal, and century were cut tell me how much they missed Buicks.
My dads buddy, has owned nothing but buicks for 30 years...told me he would have bought a new regal or lesabre without a second thought, but a Lacrosse...no chance.
I couldn't stand the Aurora or Intrigue when they came out. The 3800 had a history of reliability and I didn't want anything to do with DOHC engines. Still don't.

 

I too, think that this was a huge factor in the public not getting into the new Oldsmobiles - at least from 2001 on. It was like a plague to be avoided despite the good deals and enhanced warranty although curiously, the Aurora warranty slipped from the 4 yr warranty offered on the first gen Aurora back to the 3 yr warranty offered on most other GM cars.

At the time (97-00), I really liked the Intrigue and came within a hairs breath of buying one - twice. It's still a pretty attractive sedan, IMO. After 2001 though I really shifted my interest to the Aurora and did some serious pondering/research and came close to buying one (each gen at different points in time).

My in-laws bought an Alero in 2004 with a 4 yr warranty. It's been a very reliable car for them.

Thanks for chiming in and from the ordering/(knowledgeable) dealer side of things no less, I was pretty sure that the Autobahn package was just absorbed by the standard Aurora 4.0 as opposed to remaining an option. I personally think that this car's styling is aging pretty well and still comes off as very classy.

 

That is exactly correct Jason. And that goes exactly to my point. Had the Oldsmobile brand managers not been so ineptly anti-Oldsmobile and counterproductive in their marketing, Olds would have made it longer. In the interim, Buick would have died of natural causes, taking the heat off of Olds to fold up.

 

No, Buick would have died because of neglect and mis-management - as any of GM's brands could do if left in the same situation. In 1998, Buick had four 4-door sedans, and two (Century and Regal) were virtual duplicates, as were the other two (LeSabre and Park Avenue). What kind of line-up was that? I'm sorry that GM killed Oldsmobile, but constantly harping about it should have been Buick or why wasn't it Saturn is not going to bring Olds back. It will only further alienate GM fans. Buick is now aligned with Pontiac and GMC, so why not celebrate that by wanting the best products for each of those makes?

 

What year is this Bravada? It is the newest one I could find.

To me that car just doesn't look very...healthy...

 

Mustang,

With all due respect, why the HELL would that guy buy a Century or Regal, but not a Lacrosse? The Century is nothing but a vanilla body wrapped around a subpar-tuned chassis with a weak 175hp V6 topped off with a sh!tty plasticky interior. The Regal doesn't fair a whole lot better, save for GS form. The Lacrosse is pretty much better in every conceivable way, especially inside!!!

Charlie,

Unfortunately, you and I can cry in our beer to the enth degree on this one, and probably a lot of the "enthusiast" crowd here won't get it. I can see Guy's points, and they definitely have merit. However, Olds didn't need the ax. Buick did, and in a way still does...but I know it won't get it. How many times have we heard the Martian say it will be a cold day in hell before another division is canned? How many BILLIONS did it cost to write off Olds? I agree GM has/had too many brands...but it killed the wrong one. What IDIOT looked at the demographics and said "well, Buick sells great to the 70+ set, and sells in better #s than Olds...yeah, lets kill Olds."

I know Scott has said multiple times on here that Olds was a perpetual black hole that sucked up $$$, what with the LX5, Aurora, nicer interiors, etc. However, the LX5 was SUPPOSED to replace the 3800...when the other divisions saw the cost increase, they all kept the 3800. IMO, while I love the 3800, that was an asinine move...the LX5 was a better engine, period. If the engine had been more widely used, the cost brunt would have been far less to Olds.

I'm sorry, but I remember the buzz around the Alero when it came out...the sweet OSV concepts...the positive press on the Intrigue...the first '95 Aurora I ever saw...the first time I ran through the gears to 7,200 RPMs on a '93 Acheiva SCX W41 (anyone here remember those?? ) in '97 on a used car lot...Olds was more than what it got.

What the hell has Buick done except keep the 3800 alive, lose more sales, and watch its customer base die off? The Lacrosse now isn't even as nice looking as the Intrigue was in 1997, the Lucerne doesn't have the cache the Aurora ever had, etc...

Maybe I'm taking too negative an approach, and I don't know the full story. But, in my mind then and now, they made a bad, bad choice...

 

So, they change the little sticker from "LeSabre" to "LaCrosse" and a loyal customer runs off and buys a Toyota. Ug.

I guess that sort of thing explains some of the ridiculously conservative product decisions GM tends to make.

 

Jason,
No disrespect taken. the 5th gen Camaro is supposed to be worlds better then what the 4th or other generations was...but if GM decided to change the name to the Chevy Camrade or something else, I'm sure their would be a ton of camaro buyers who would cry foul. Would they look to Pontiac or Saturn for a new vehicle? Or would they test the waters and try outside of GM. Probably some of column A and B.

And your discription of the Century sounds a whole lot like the 00-05 Impala my parents drive...Subpar suspension...180hp v6, plasticy interior, uncomfortable bench seat... And look how many of them GM sold over those years. Not every style of buyer is perceiving the same things..

FWIW, I got a buddy whose been a college professor for awhile. Hes about 49 now. Has probably enough money to buy any level mercedes, BMW, or cadillac he wants...but he'll swear all day that his 2nd car--91 Regal coupe(non-GS) with bench seat is the best/most comfortable/reliable car he's ever owned...and wishes he could get another just like it. As far as I can count, him and his father have only owned Buick or Oldsmobile since the 70's. All bought new.