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2001 Dodge Intrepid R/t on 2040-cars

Year:2001 Mileage:356889
Location:

United States

United States
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I bought this car on eBay back in 2004 from a dealer in Texas. From papers I found in the car, it looks to have been a Coca-Cola executive car in Denver before that. The mileage is not a typo. The car had about 70,000 miles on it when I got it. It has had synthetic oil since then, with oil and filter changes every 7500 miles. The cooling system and transmission have been power flushed every 100K miles and the timing belt has been changed every 100K miles. The engine has never been opened other than to change the intake manifold gaskets. The transmission has been opened to replace the solenoid pack. The pack may have been good, but the gasket failed so I changed the pack just to be safe. I changed the front struts at around 150K miles and spent extra to put in the correct factory R/T parts. I could not tell any difference. Given that, I put off changing the rear struts. I put that off so long that the original rear struts are still in there and seem to work the same as when I bought the car.

Anyone (including the shop that works on things I can't work on and my brother-in-law) who says Dodge does not build reliable cars, is full of crap.

The paint on the hood, roof and trunk is fried (see pic of trunk). The front of the hood has numerous paint chips with several of those fairly large (see pic). There is a small spot of rust on the lower inside seam of the driver's door (see pic). I meant to fix this in 2004, but never did and it has changed very little since. The right rear quarter had a minor scrape when I bought the car. I had it repaired at Carsmetics but it was not their best work. There are some random sanding scratches and there is flaking around the antenna base. The driver's side hood strut mounting stud at the hinge has broken off. The other strut will hold the hood up - for now. The trunk release does not work due to a wiring or connector problem. I have tried three or four different trunk harnesses and can have either the trunk release or third brake light work, but not both. I opted for the brake light. This issue started a couple of years ago. Two days ago I dropped a torx bit and it zeroed the gap between the driver's side headlight and the radiator support panel. When I pulled the light to retrieve the bit, I found that there is coolant seepage from the radiator tank. The car has not been driven much for the past year or so and I have no idea how long this has been going on. The wheels have a little random curb rash but are decent. Three of the Goodyear tires are good and the other fair. I would guess there is another 20K left in the worst one. The driver's seat has a couple of worn-through spots but is not bad considering age and miles. The seat's front vertical adjuster does not work. The other seats look good and all the power functions on the passenger seat work. The carpet is good as are the OEM mats. There is a small leak somewhere above the driver's foot-well and the carpet gets wet when there is a long duration rain. The dash has a 12" horizontal crack along the faux seam above the a/c vents. The computer has set codes P0700 (transmission control system malfunction) and P1684 (battery disconnected within last fifty starts). The TCM was checked a couple of years ago when the P0700 code first began and reported that the torque converter lock-up has issues. When driven at a consistent 40 to 45mph under light load, you can feel the converter struggling to engage or stay engaged. I changed the battery a week ago so the codes were wiped out. P0455 (emission control system gross leak) is off right now but will come back eventually. This has been up for years but has no noticeable effect on anything and was not worth chasing down. The headlights and fog lights are two or three years old and are clear. The coolant recovery bottle is a year or two old. The window tint on both front doors is failing and has large wrinkles. The spare is fair but the jack and hold-down hardware are missing. The remote key fob works and will go with the car.

The transmission recently quit going into reverse, so the car has lost its role as back-up vehicle (no pun intended). I hate to get rid of the R/T but I picked up a 2000 LHS with 105K miles, so something had to go.  

I have tried to mention everything, good or bad, but may have forgotten something. It is thirteen years old with a zillion miles, so assume accordingly.

The car is for sale locally, so I may end the auction early.

If someone buys the car, I will be unable to respond to messages from 29 to 31 May.

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QB says University of Alabama offered him a Corvette to play football

Fri, 16 May 2014

The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team could be in some hot water, following a pair of posts on social media.
The first post was sure to raise a few eyebrows on its own. It's an Instagram of sophomore running back Derrick Henry standing in front of his new Dodge Challenger (we're guessing it's an R/T based on the fender stripes). Complete with a custom set of wheels, the image was enough to trigger more than a few questions about where an unemployed student-athlete came up with the money for such a purchase. Now, this could be harmless. Henry, flush with a full-ride to Bama could have convinced his parents to get him something nice with his college fund.
The second post, though, is a straight-up accusation. It comes from former West Virginia Mountaineer and current CFL quarterback Pat White, who posted the following on his Facebook page.

Dodge recalls 27k Darts for bracket that can disrupt transmission module

Thu, Sep 17 2015

Dodge is recalling 27,520 examples of the 2013-2015 Dart with dual-clutch gearboxes. The mounting bracket for the transmission control module can affect the part's operation and cause the compacts to suddenly shift into neutral. According to the automaker, 23,688 of them are in the US, 3,376 in Canada, 5 in Mexico, and 451 elsewhere. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports these examples carry build dates between February 24, 2012, and June 16, 2015. There are also no reports of accidents or injuries. Because of the way the bracket is mounted, the part can put too much force on the control module's circuit board and cause it to shift out of gear. The engine and airbags remain operable if this happens. To fix things, dealers will install a redesigned mount and replacement module. Related Video: Statement: Mounting Bracket September 14, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US LLC is recalling an estimated 23,688 cars in the U.S. to replace certain control modules and mounting brackets that may contribute to a loss of motive power. The Company is unaware of any related injuries or accidents. An FCA US investigation prompted by a small number of warranty claims discovered a control-module mounting bracket may apply too much force and disrupt the function of a circuit board within the module. This condition, unique to certain cars equipped with dual dry-clutch transmissions (DDCT), may cause the transmission to shift into neutral. However, the engine remains on and the vehicle's air-bags, as well as other safety features, are unaffected. The condition may also be preceded by the illumination of a dashboard warning light. Customers who observe this are urged to contact their dealers. The campaign is limited to certain 2013-2015 Dodge Darts equipped with DDCTs. Additional vehicles will be recalled in Canada (3,376), Mexico (five) and outside the NAFTA region (451). Affected customers will be advised when they may schedule service, which will be performed free of charge. Service will entail installation of a redesigned mounting bracket and replacement of the control module. Customers with additional questions may call the FCA US Customer Information Center at 1-800-853-1403.

FCA CEO Mike Manley will run Americas for Stellantis after PSA merger

Sun, Dec 20 2020

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley will run operations in the Americas when his company merges with FranceÂ’s PSA Peugeot early next year. FCA Chairman John Elkann announced ManleyÂ’s new post on Friday in a letter to employees. ManleyÂ’s role in the merged company had been a mystery. PSA CEO Carlos Tavares will run the overall company, to be named Stellantis. Shareholders of both companies will vote on the merger Jan. 4 to seal the deal creating the worldÂ’s fourth-largest automaker. The merger is expected to be completed by the end of March. PSA will get six seats on the new companyÂ’s 11-member board, which will be chaired by Elkann. The Americas, especially the U.S., are key to the new companyÂ’s success. Fiat ChryslerÂ’s Jeep and Ram brands are highly profitable, and Tavares has long wanted to sell PSA vehicles in the U.S. Manley has been the Italian-American automakerÂ’s CEO for 2 1/2 years, taking over when Sergio Marchionne died in 2018. Stellantis will have the capacity to produce 8.7 million cars a year, just behind Volkswagen, the Renault-Nissan alliance and Toyota. Related Video: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot Mike Manley Stellantis