1999 Intrepid v.s. 2001 Sebring

Discussion in 'Sebring' started by wgemini, May 4, 2006.

  1. wgemini

    wgemini Guest

    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.
     
    wgemini, May 4, 2006
    #1
  2. wgemini

    Bill Putney Guest

    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')
     
    Bill Putney, May 5, 2006
    #2
  3. wgemini

    wgemini Guest

    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.
     
    wgemini, May 5, 2006
    #3
  4. wgemini

    Bill Putney Guest

    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')
     
    Bill Putney, May 5, 2006
    #4
  5. wgemini

    RM Guest

    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?
     
    RM, May 5, 2006
    #5
  6. wgemini

    Bill Putney Guest

    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')
     
    Bill Putney, May 6, 2006
    #6
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