Looks tough, doesn’t it? Honestly, the wheels make me like it almost as much as a black ‘96 Impala SS when they were police equipped. In this case, it’s definitely the wheels. Photo from policecararchives.org.
The one I saw was old, too, an early nineties model in that super-common green colour. Sure, the clear coat was baked off everywhere, the wheels didn’t match, there was a thick coat of primer on all the typically problematic rust spots, and it sounded like a tractor, but it was still on the road. I’ve always thought the Intrepid was a pretty good car. I was a kid when they first started showing up around here, and they looked sleek. Compared to everything else on the road, they were smooth and futuristic, especially from the back with that big, wrap-around tail light lens. They handled pretty well, had adequate power, and seemed fairly durable, considering how many high-mileage examples I remember.
Inside, they were fairly roomy and really comfortable. I always found it odd that the police never used them, but back then, all police fleet vehicles were rear-wheel drive, possibly for durability, but probably for the purpose of “throttle steering,” a police term for drifting around corners. Right at the end of the Intrepid, right before the Chrysler 300 took over, they actually did try them. The results look pretty good.
The Intrepid was used briefly as a police vehicle in certain areas from 2002 to 2004. Being front-wheel drive, they required a different style of driver, but with a 3.5 litre V6 putting out 242 horsepower, they were able to get where they needed to be as fast as necessary. The suspension was upgraded over the already-capable civilian stuff, so much so that it could out-manoeuvre the Crown Victoria and the Caprice. Why, then, wasn’t it more widely used? First, it was nearing the end of the platform, so everyone knew that something, hopefully, better, would replace the Intrepid. There were also a few mechanical reasons, not uncommon from the brand back then. Chrysler had transmission issues at that point in history (GM wasn’t innocent either, for what it’s worth). We all know someone who had a Dodge Ram that had no reverse or nothing except for low and reverse, and it seems the Intrepid also suffered from transmission problems. Second is a problem that I’ve experienced personally, time and time again, which is CV joint failures. An issue that will immobilize you instantly if it’s serious enough. Finally, the brakes were heavy-duty but not heavy-duty enough for a stop-and-go pursuit. Brake fade can be an issue, but the Intrepid was next level and suffered from brake fires due to insane amounts of overheating. Even though they weren’t ideal at a Police level, I still think it would be a cool dressed-up daily driver. Black, navy blue, or dark charcoal with the black wheels, small hubcaps, and a couple of dummy spotlights, and you could have yourself a pretty cool daily driver. I wouldn’t be against a push bar either if there’s some meat up front to mount it.
