ALL OMEGAS ARE SHITZZZZZZZZZZZ... really?

[Rocket88]

Quite fancy an Omega Estate................any opinions, useless or otherwise?

[vulgalour]

I saw an Omega hearse and matching limousine today, I felt sorry for all the people in the two cars including the deceased.

 

Omegas are at best okay, at worst they'll take your wallet and utterly destroy it for no real gain.  Verdict: avoid.

[babydriver]

I'm Glad to say I had an Omega 2.0 GLS automatic for a few years and it was a dream, never let me down, was good on juice for an auto, I just tickle around these days, roomy large boot and comfy on those 380 mile trecks down to Cornwall for me jollies. I would have another one at the drop of a hat but would like a cd for the bum warmers now I'm getting old and feel the cold!

Go get one, you won't regret it. (Had Nova, Astra & 2.2ltr Carltons before this), I likes me Vauxhalls.

Not all Vauxhalls are crap

[Shep Shepherd]

I like Omegas and drove several late model (2002) examples when they were new, including a 3.2-litre police-spec saloon, which really shifted

 

I think the biggest problem with the car is that it doesn't have a 'prestige' badge. Not that things like that should matter to people like us

[beko1987]

My friend got given his stepdads old one when he was 20, after his s reg land rover snapped its axle (nothing to do with us, honestly...)

 

Couldn't get insured on it for shit! Think it was the 3 litre though.

 

Was nice though. And of course we took it out whilst his step dad was still insuring it, felt proper rapid to me as a passengers my friend doesn't really remember much though, said it was a bit 'meh'

[babydriver]

The boot is soo big you can climb in through the rear seat squab and make lourve, down a dark country lane, so I'm told.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I ran an Mreg 2.0 CDi manual as a work car in about 1998/9. It was ok, but somehow I don't remember it as fondly as the 2.0GL Carlton that preceded it. Nothing broke and it was quite a bit better on petrol, that's a thought it was my last petrol cab and the last without aircon.

To me it didn't seem much bigger inside than a Cavalier or Vectra, the only reason to buy one now is because it's RWD,which seems to have lead to most 3.0s having their diff's welded.

[Madman Of The People]

 

 

I think the biggest problem with the car is that it doesn't have a 'prestige' badge. Not that things like that should matter to people like us

 

 

You can give your Omega "prestige" by getting a Cadillac Catera grille and a set of badges from the USA!

 

 

[xtriple]

I had a 2.2 (? might have been a 2.0 litre) CDX auto as a company car for three years and it was.... great! Totally reliable, comfortable, well equipped (but no cow) and quick enough. Not great on fuel but I wasn't paying the bills! When I left the firm, I kept the car and ran it for another year and apart from a water leak from the bulkhead below the windscreen filling plug holes with water and causing HUGE misfiring problems, it carried on as before.

 

I really liked it, not 'special' in any way, but perfectly adaquate in every way. Also, because it's not a BM/Audi/Merc it's got zero kerb appeal so they are cheap.... lots of them get neglected but a good one is a fine motor. I would have kept mine for even longer but it got broken into and even after repairs, I never felt the same way about it and sold it to a bloke in Plymouth who wanted it as a taxi.

 

But, all Vauxhall dealers are shit! Couldn't fix the misfire and were talking ecu etc (it was the water leak mentioned above - tube of silicone sealant knicked from work) and when they put new discs and pads all round on it at a service, I lost all brakes a couple of miles up the road.... they'd forgotten to put one of the sets of rear pads in!

 

They are reasonably easy to work on but I seem to recall half the engine (four cyl) is buried behing the scuttle which makes some things...interesting. Parts are cheap/plentiful and it never needed many.

 

Get one, great cars if looked after.

[Shep Shepherd]

I saw a Catera parked near some bins at the Opel factory in Russelsheim when I went on a tour of the place in 2003, which is the only time I've ever seen one in real life, even on my visits to the US.

[rml2345]

Haven't owned one but FATHA_RML has a 2.2 CD auto saloon. It's quite comfortable to drive and has enough poke to be amusing but the steering is too light and utterly devoid of feel.

Shame really as it can be hustled through bends much quicker than the Volvo but without even half the feedback of the 940.

It hasn't exactly been a paradigm of reliability either.

[Madman Of The People]

I saw a Catera parked near some bins at the Opel factory in Russelsheim when I went on a tour of the place in 2003, which is the only time I've ever seen one in real life, even on my visits to the US.

 

 

That's weird, considering the last Cateras were made at Russelsheim in 2001.  Maybe they forgot to ship it over?

[r.welfare]

Had a very early (94M) 3-litre Elite estate which, surprisingly for a civilian version, had a manual 'box.  Nice enough but fairly troublesome.  The V6s can provide fun with oil cooler and rocker cover gasket failures, amongst other things.

[bub2006]

Borrowed my uncles 2.2 cd model briefly. Automatic and felt so slow. Used 35 quid of juice in 75 mile. Gearbox was whistling though so may be why!

[Junkman]

I owned a 2.6 CDXI.

 

 

 

 

It all looks very promising, but ultimately disappoints in every respect.

It is one of the harshest and most uncomfortable cars I've ever driven.

 

Most annoying is that the first gear is too high geared, like a crawler gear, and the gap between

first and second is too big. This rendered the car practically useless in mountainous .at

 

ORL VRXLZ IZ SHIT M8

[Cavcraft]

Really nice to drive, the 2.0 ones are far quicker than you'd imagine too. I had a 3.0 litre once that was just immense fun, incredibly, stupidly quick and nicely equipped.

They're getting thin on the ground now, exhausts are often mega money, so make sure the system is ok if you get one. Autos nicer to drive, as they're something of a barge I suppose, but although we're not supposed to like Vauxhalls on here, I bet a decent one would surprise you with how nice it is.

[HH-R]

I saw an Omega hearse and matching limousine today, I felt sorry for all the people in the two cars including the deceased.

 

Omegas are at best okay, at worst they'll take your wallet and utterly destroy it for no real gain.  Verdict: avoid.

That's gonna be my one and only stipulation in my will, put me in a bin, chucked in the canal or whatever but no flippin Vectra/Insignia/Omega hearse (will update it over the years to reflect whatever their big car is called at the time).

[dave21478]

I bought an MV6 years back from a guy living on a stereotypical sink estate, with old sofas and a washing machine in the garden. It was an ex police one and had a badly broken windscreen, but was really very cheap.

 

It died on the M6 on the way home. It suddenly went massively down on power and started rattling badly. I limped it off and onto some street in Gretna or somewhere like that near the Scottish border where it crapped out and refused to restart. I got the train home.

 

I put a post up on the blue forum saying anyone who wanted it was free to go and get it, I had left the keys in the glovebox and some dude went round with a beavertail iirc but it had already gone. Probably pikies as this was when scrap was worth a fortune.

[John F]

The V6s are a great source of engine upgrades for V6 Calibras...

[mat_the_cat]

FIL had an MV6 estate for many years - it was ex-Police but a training car so only 60k miles or so in 8 years. I used to borrow it quite a bit, and it went well and for its size handled quite tidily. And when the shape was still currentish, people seemed in a big hurry to get out of my way on motorways, especially if I hung my fluorescent yellow workman's jacket in the window...

 

Once it got over 100k miles, it started to become apparent that those Police miles were hard miles. Everything started to get a bit loose and floppy feeling, but it served him for another 15k more. I remember one time he parked it up briefly, and there was a strange noise when he turned it off. I leaned in through the open window to restart it so I could listen again, only to discover he'd left it in gear because the handbrake was barely working. Cue the amusing sight of the car driving down the yard with my legs out the driver's window, trying in vain to reach the clutch and brake pedals. before it hit something. Ended up demolishing a water butt before gently coming to rest into the side of a barn, fortunately with little damage.

[AldridgePrior]

I think they`re cool old buses with a shitload of room. I had a shot in a 3.2 V6 which went like stink and quicker than it looks. The engine management light wasn`t on at the time in that Vauxhall. Something wrong there.

[Rusty_Rocket]

The best thing about the Omega is their price.. you can't get anything that well built in the class that rivals it for the money.

 

I've had a 2.5CDX saloon and a GLS estate with the same X25XE.

 

I will say the V6 engines must be kept an eye on by someone that knows what they're doing.  Leaking plastic cam covers, failing coil packs and blocked breather units (big plastic thing on the top) are easily sorted by someone who has seen it before but can totally fox the inexperienced.  These cars cannot be bodged or neglected.

The timing belt is simple to do once you've got the gist of it, but really needs the locking kit to do a pukka job.  Autos are nice, but do benefit from a fluid change, regardless of what Mr VX says.  Running gear is otherwise conventional and dead reliable.

Overall, they are cheap because of their badge, which would only bother the VAG fanboys et al.  The vehicle itself is very solid and was easily a rival to stuff twice as expensive in their day.

[red5]

I owned a 2.6 CDXI.

 

 

 

 

It all looks very promising, but ultimately disappoints in every respect.

It is one of the harshest and most uncomfortable cars I've ever driven.

 

Most annoying is that the first gear is too high geared, like a crawler gear, and the gap between

first and second is too big. This rendered the car practically useless in mountainous .at

 

ORL VRXLZ IZ SHIT M8

 

Might well be (in your opinion old chap) , but that's a Carlton..

[John F]

The old (i.e. C or X prefix) Vaux V6 engines are fairly tough old beasts, they seem to rack up impressive mileages with just routine maintenance

 

The leaking cam covers can be cured by fitting alloy covers from a Vectra B (although these are now getting scarce), DIS packs can occasionally go wrong but they're easy to change & not hideously expensive.

 

Other than that, the only other common fault I can think of is that the thermostat can stick open. And that's a bastard to get at because it lives deep down in the middle of the V.

[Rusty_Rocket]

 

 

Other than that, the only other common fault I can think of is that the thermostat can stick open. And that's a bastard to get at because it lives deep down in the middle of the V.

 

The oil cooler used to go porous too (hidden even deeper in the 'V') and I must confess, that was not a pleasant job..

[red5]

The oil cooler used to go porous too (hidden even deeper in the 'V') and I must confess, that was not a pleasant job..

 

Did more seals than coolers - often mis-diagnosed tbh.

[Albert Ross]

Vauxhall Carlton = Opel Omega A.

 

I work for a Vauxhall dealer. Orl Voxhall R shit. Etc. Watch for brake pipe corrosion, front tyre wear, Steering idler arm bearing wear. Cam belt failure due to missed changes, Suspension droop, causing tyre wear. Etc.

[Junkman]

Buy this instead:

 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201410168257661

 

It's simply better.

[Tetleysmooth]

I had a 2 litre Omega. Bought it from a lad on the blue forum funnily enough. I liked it. It was quick enough, but they do like a sensor , these cars.

For chrissake stay away from the V6's. Oil leaks, ABS problems. Sensor problems. I think the V6 have plastic cam covers, so thereby lay the problems.

If you like an engine management light, then these are the cars for you.

If  Vauxhall had fitted the old straight six 12 valve Senator engine, it would have made them a cracking car in my opinion.

I still like them, but definitely wouldn't have another V6. Ever.

 

 

 

That's my old 2 litre. I actually prefer the pre facelift version.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Nearly bought a pre facelift diesel once with the BMW lump.

 

I think the insurance was a bit spicy (I was 18) so I bought a rover 414 instead (bubble shape)

 

Can remember it feeling a lot better screwed together than other vauxhalls of the time. Lovely comfy fabric seats too