Our long-term Intrepid has had as busy a summer as the rest of us. It ended the month of June with a vacation to Cape Cod with our editor-in-chief and his family. This trip reminded our editor of the car's wonderfully cavernous trunk, roomy backseat that allowed his 2-year-old to swing her legs wide without contacting the front seatback, and exceptionally comfortable front seats. He also rediscovered some negative traits about the car: parking is a guessing game due to the driver's inability to see the front and rear corners of the car, side-view mirrors are too small, and the dark gray monochromatic interior shows every speck of dirt and dust in the car.

At a July Fourth barbecue, one guest showed up in a 1998 base Intrepid and couldn't stop talking about what a great car it was. At 13,000 miles, he had no problems to speak of and loves the car's handling and power. Later, after a miscalculation at the beach, our editor had to pile seven people into the Dodge for a short trip home. Amazingly, everyone fit without complaint.

After transferring his fam and luggage into an Isuzu Rodeo a few days later, our editor found that, in contrast to the Dodge, the Isuzu rides like a hay wagon and steers with all the feedback of the Exxon Valdez. Why is it again that so many people buy SUVs?

From Cape Cod, our long-term Intrepid headed off on another adventure to North Carolina, and then on to Florida. This 1500-mile excursion reiterated how much we enjoy the Intrepid's powertrain and interior. Its 225-horsepower V6 engine is powerful (though a bit noisy at high revs), handling is aggressive, the suspension is smooth, seats are comfortable, and fuel efficiency is admirable, averaging about 24 mpg.

Minor gripes about the Dodge revolve around build quality. Some door seals and light-fixture seals are beginning to weaken and curl, and the driver's door squeaks loudly. One driver wishes the Intrepid's radio had a scan mode and notes that the right front speaker exhibits a buzzing sound, leading him to wonder if there is a Metallica fan on staff. The Intrepid's latest driver complained about excessive noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels, wind noise around the B-pillar and road rumble.

Total Odometer Reading: 24,886
Best Fuel Economy: 26.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 21.9 mpg
Body Repair Costs: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Squeaky driver's door and buzzing front speaker.