Five staffers have now complained about a feature that initially attracts many consumers to cars like the Intrepid: AutoStick. The pitch is that you can have a car with an automatic transmission but still shift the gears manually (without a clutch) if and when desired. The problem is that if you're used to driving an automatic, you often forget to switch gears. So (and here's where it gets really strange), companies like Chrysler have modified AutoStick (or their version of it) so that it shifts automatically when it reaches the rev limiter. But ... isn't that pretty much the same thing as an automatic? We don't get the appeal. Here are a few choice comments from our staff:

"Who in the hell invented AutoStick? This worthless piece of equipment should be called DipStick. The car gives no feedback to what gear you're in, it upshifts when it hits the rev limiter and downshifts when you come to a stop. This basically means that while driving with AutoStick, you are allowed to change your own gears as long as the engine speed is not too fast or too slow. Wow, that's exciting."

-B. Grant Whitmore, Managing Editor

"Stupid AutoStick thingie! I keep testing the rev limits because I forget to shift. Then it shifts automatically at redline..."

-John Davis, Senior Media Specialist

AutoStick griping aside, the Intrepid continues to please. One driver who went from driving the Oldsmobile Intrigue straight into our Intrepid test car noticed that the Dodge felt much longer than the Olds. He also noted that the interior materials on the Dodge were of much higher quality and, when friends came into town, they enjoyed the spacious interior.

Christy Wardlaw spent a good deal of time driving the Intrepid during September. She still enjoys it, finding it roomy, powerful and attractive. Negative comments are that the front dimensions of the car are difficult to judge (she shattered a five-gallon water jug in the garage one day and has scraped the front fascia on numerous parking curbs) and notes that cleaning the inside of the steeply raked rear window is difficult. Though the interior cleans up nicely after daughter Sarah decimates the rear quarters, the dark carpet and leather upholstery show everything.

The paint on the body and rear fascia seems to be fading at different rates; the bumper cover looks darker than the rest of the car. And, the steering wheel has begun to wobble a bit at low speeds, as if a rim was bent or there was suspension damage from hitting an obstacle. We plan to have this checked out at the upcoming service interval. Reliability on this Chrysler product seems to be holding up since nothing mechanical has gone awry this month.

Best Fuel Economy: 21.5 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 18.5 mpg
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Wobbly steering wheel at low speeds.