1999 Intrepid v.s. 2001 Sebring

Hi,

I was looking for a 2001-2002 Sebring v6 when I stumbled across a
1999 Intrepid v6 2.7 with 85000 km on it. I really liked it when I test
drove it and I heard it share the same engine as the Sebring v6 anyway
(Intrepid is heavier though). I was almost commited to buy it, but this
morning I suddenly heard all the horror stories about the v6 2.7L
engine in the Intrepid. So now I am wondering whether I should continue
to look for the Sebring. Do they indeed share the same engine? Does
using better engine oil help with the engine problem? $5600 cnd is not
that bad a deal, but I don't want the car to blow up on me within a
couple of months. Any suggestions?
Many thanks.

 

To quote Clint Eastwood, "The question is 'Do you feel lucky?' Well -
do ya - punk!?"

Seriously, unless you know the history of the car - primarily (1) Was it
mostly highway driven vs. short-trip stop & go (2) Did it have regular
oil changes - I'd say pass on one with that many miles on it - its fate,
good or bad, is probably pretty much determined by those factors
regardless of what you do to correct/prevent problems now - especially
if it is badly sludged up - anything you do to flush/clean it out at
this point (if it is heavily sludged) is liable to absolutely destroy
the engine from all the crap that will be released inside the engine if
it is badly sludged up now.

Also, keep in mind that, based on my reading of LH car forums, I have
concluded that the large majority of 2.7L catastrophic failures occur at
roughly 95,000 to 130,000 km. You have to consider that the previous
owner may have noticed some subtle warning signs or been warned by a
friendly mechanic and decided to sell to avoid the risk.

*IF* you know the history of the car, then you might ignore the above -
perhaps the dealer will provide you with name and phone number of the
previous owner so you can talk to them and see what they have to say
(about maintenance and how it was used/driven - assuming you can believe
it)?

I bought my '99 Concorde with 2.7L at 58k miles (93,000 km). I did not
know about the problems with the 2.7L before I bought it, but I was
later able to determine that it had been a fleet sales car with hiway
miles and regular maintenance. It now gets driven 80 miles/day, and I
use Marvel Mystery Oil in it for gradual cleanout and preventative. It
now has 165,000+ miles (266,000 km) and is running great - so I was 'lucky'.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Thanks. Do you know whether the Sebring v6 and Intrepid share the same
engine? Because if they do and I buy a 2001 SeBring, it would probably
have even higher mileage and thus the same problem. Or should I avoid
both cars and perhaps go with the 4 cylinder model? Thanks.

 

You're welcome.

I'm not an expert on Sebrings, but I do believe they do come with the
2.7L - if it is a 2.7L, then it is definitely the same engine.

Be aware that DC did do some unpublicized modifications in the '00-'01
time frame to alleviate the sludging problems, and they are using the
engine (further modified??) in their new platform, so somewhere along
the line they must have genuinely fixed the problems. I don't know how
effective those changes were, so the '01 might be a safer bet than a
'99, but no certainty.

Sorry I can't be more definite - you have to make the decision on the
risk. If you were to buy either, you should certainly use the publicity
over the problems to lower the price to make whatever risk you're taking
more worthwhile.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

it is badly sludged up now.

I just bought a 98 sebring LXi v6 with 140k miles on the speedo and it seems
to run great and is getting 25+ mpg. It looks to be very well taken care of
so should I be worried now?

 

IMO probably not. I'm assuming that it's making it this far is due to
regular oil and filter changes (not at 7500 mile intervals but at 4000
mile or shorter intervals), and more highway than city driving. Don't
slack off on the oil changes.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')