There was a time when Oldsmobile seemed to be hitting its stride. After years of attempting to build a car that European brand loyalists could be compelled to buy, GM’s Oldsmobile group seemed to be getting closer than even Cadillac at the time. Did they still have inherent weaknesses? Yes, but sedans like the Intrigue were making a valiant effort to convince buyers of entry-level 3-Series to stop by the Oldsmobile dealer first. This 2002 Intrigue listed here on eBay shows just 36K miles and is offered for $7,999 or best offer.
I want to give a shout out to Barn Finds reader Curvette who sent in a honey of an Oldsmobile Alero with low miles and great colors; sadly, it sold before I could post it, showing you just how good of a deal it was. This Intrigue isn’t far behind, and has lower miles than that Alero. It’s not the top banana spec with polished/chrome wheels and a leather interior – in fact, it’s more or less a glorified rental car – but that’s OK. There are staggeringly few Intrigues still on the road in clean condition, so this one warrants a closer look. It’s also curiously similar to another tan, low-mileage Intrigue I wrote up in 2018, here on Barn Finds.
But perhaps that comment about being a rental car spec example isn’t that far off. If you take that into consideration, and if the rental car companies have a mileage “shelf” where they begin selling off inventory, perhaps both this Intrigue and the one from 2018 were former occupants of your local Hertz lot. The details of the Intrigue are what make me such a fan of this midsize sedan, including the nicely-bolstered seats that were standard equipment; a clutter-free, driver-oriented cockpit; four-wheel independent suspension; and the punchy Shortstar 3.5L V6 under the hood (215 horsepower and 230 lb-ft of torque).
Now, some loyalists will tell you that the pre-99 cars are the ones to buy, since they still had the venerable 3800 Series V6 under the hood, and they’re likely correct. The Intrigue did have reliability issues, and still suffered from the same cheap build quality of other GM products (which is likely why relatively few import shoppers made the switch.) However, I will still fondly remember the days of watching X-Files and seeing the Intrigue used as a prop in commercials for the feature film, thinking it was the coolest sedan ever made with Fox Mulder at the wheel. Nostalgia – it’s a hell of a drug!
I had bought a used blue 2001 Olds Alero 10 years ago from the family of the deceased Mom. 2000 dollars and one new battery later I had a work vehicle. It was a good car, got me where I had to go, and never let me down. The interior looked a lot like this one. It was comfortable. This one looks great, and someones going to have a comfortable Olds to drive in.