RobT Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 It's not obscure nor that interesting, but the two motivating factors were want and cheapness (even by my mingebag standards). So I'm on my usual train for a Monday morning. Normally it's rammed, not today... Cavcraft, The Moog, Rusty_Rocket and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Breadvan72 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 May the Farce be with you! Junkman and RobT 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Breadvan72 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 A mark 1 Astra with purulent seat fabric. Junkman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twiggy Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Good luck - and it`s a Mk 2 Zafira 1.6 petrol. RobT and Junkman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 Moar desertedness. I'm the only bod going to Ealing Broadway to collect a Vauxhall then. billyboy406v6, oldcars, Jerzy Woking and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Breadvan72 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I lived in Ealing once long ago. IT was OK, but fooken miles from London. Do they have cars there now? RobT and Junkman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizzer Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Can't see you in a Zafira, it's not nearly executive enough. I'm guessing Omega. Good luck sir! Junkman and RobT 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 I lived in Ealing once long ago. IT was OK, but fooken miles from London. Do they have cars there now?I've seen several so far, and buses too. They even have amusing* chod related shop names. eddyramrod, BorniteIdentity, Junkman and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 An early Vauxhall omega, velour, badermatic. RobT, Supernaut and Junkman 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 M/N/P plate for the classic insurance, and some London parking damage to make it cheap and bargainous says mystic meg. RobT and Junkman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_Q Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Our ebay stalkometer sez: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-OMEGA-2-0-16VGLS-AUTO-1997-/201900476702?hash=item2f0234c91e:g:n5kAAOSwpkFY6~NZ Springer, Supernaut, trigger and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Good detective work!!!! Gotta be it My reasoning was talk of bargain/cheapness= lots of metal for the money, and Carltons/ senators aren't that cheap anymore. Plus this is rob- connoisseur of velour and auto gearboxes. Junkman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartacus Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Oo, I'm going to have an educated guess at this, having had a brief but car related meeting with you.I'm sure I remember you saying you liked autos, and I have a feeling you prefer bigger cars. Working on them isn't so easy though, so it's not got to be so old and rusty​that it needs constant attention... Hang on, that rules out any Vauxhall over warrantee age! No, I'm guessing an auto Omega, of the smallest available petrol engine variety? Edit, I did start writing this post before the E bay stalk-o-meter spoiler! Junkman and Dave_Q 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyboy406v6 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Ford Transit with Vauxhall 1.6 engine swap ? CreepingJesus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 Collection successful, now just a 30 miles or so drive home. Interior is a bit whiffy but everything seems to work which is a good start. EssDeeWon, oldcars, Joey spud and 26 others 29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 Our ebay stalkometer sez: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VAUXHALL-OMEGA-2-0-16VGLS-AUTO-1997-/201900476702?hash=item2f0234c91e:g:n5kAAOSwpkFY6~NZThat's the beast. Mid-spec GLS with the smallest engine, hence cheap! Dave_Q and holbeck 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Well bought Rob. I do like Omega's, never had an early one though all of mine have been facelifts. Chuck the keys in the Safrane if you don't mind mate I'mHappy to bring both of them back north 😆 RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 My reasoning was talk of bargain/cheapness= lots of metal for the money, and Carltons/ senators aren't that cheap anymore. Plus this is rob- connoisseur of velour and auto gearboxes.Nail on the head there! The last Senator I had in my watch list went for over 2k, albeit a nice 3.0 24v. Made it home via much waft. As the saying goes, is a silent is as a fish, and it pulls like a great. I'm glad I didn't push the boat out and get a V6, as this will do nicely. Interior stinks and needs a good Vulgalouring, but is otherwise fine with no trim rattles. Plenty of beige too! The ride is superb, even better than the Safrane which has a tendency to be a bit crashy over really bad surfaces. These balloon like tyres probably help. Note the giffer scrape and self-tapper holding trim in place. It's a case of one old boy owner since 1998, and the guy selling it was his mechanic so it's been looked after (apart from when it needed a new engine in 2002 at 49,000 miles). He made the point that he didn't know the car back then....so the current engine has done just 53,000. The only immediate issue is the fugger likes pulling to the left, with the NS front tyre showing excessive wear on the outside edge. Will check the pressures and get the tracking done. The steering wheel is on the piss which indicates something is up. It's more spacious than I expected, with loads of head room (no sunroof which is good) and plenty of rear legroom. Dollywobbler's estate seemed to have much less, but I suppose they were chiefly meant as a load lugger. I'm itching to take it for a motorway run down to the coast, so will see if I can persuade Mrs T it'll be fine! nacho man, dome, Skizzer and 23 others 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 With it pulling to the left, my 2.6 MV6 did this before i took it off road and also my 3.2 MV6 which is now New PODS did it. Bottom arms were the solution for him I seem to recall and are a common issue RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_Rocket Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Nice buy Rob! They have quite an 'involved' steering setup don't they? I seem to remember drag links with numerous balljoints?I think odd tyre wear is common on the front, there always seems to be a lot of negative camber. My one never pulled to either direction though.Bottom arm bushes are a good shout though, worn ones make them feel awful. Looks like a good one as far as the rust is concerned! RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizzer Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Two-tone velour - tick. Self-tapper holding the bumper trim on - tick. No satanroof - tick. Verdict: The boy done excellent. Isaac Hunt, RobT and The Moog 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CreepingJesus Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Very nice, it's a 'just enough' spec in my book. Not too flash, not too dull. Just enough.Bonus bank holiday travellage too! RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobT Posted May 1, 2017 Author Share Posted May 1, 2017 ^^Think I've been lucky with this Skizz, time will tell! Thanks for the information John, I'll get my friendly mechanic to take a look. Rust wise, it had advisories at the last MoT for rear rot and 'unable to access outer sills as they are covered'. I'll leave all that alone until September when the MoT runs out. Top of the rear doors have a bit too but nothing too serious. The documents contained these, which might go some way to explaining the knackered engine. Rusty_Rocket, NorfolkNWeigh, Dave_Q and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I prefer the earlier ones - facelift cars just look like they have a cheap bodykit fitted. I would imagine timing belt issues killed the old engine. RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_Rocket Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 The X20XEV in the Omega does seem to die sooner than if fitted to smaller cars. I'm not sure why, but suppose the extra weigh and stresses of the RWD driveline don't help. For maximum shite points, a 'Select' model was available.. with the C20NE (8v) engine! RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavcraft Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 A bit like saying grass is green and the sky is blue, but here goes anyway: YOU'RE A WINNER. RobT, Dave_Q, cms206 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liggle Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I had an X20XEV Astra G, bought off a lad at where I worked at the time with a random misfire on cylinder 2. Local Vauxhall dealer were terrible, just kept plugging it in and eventually tried to persuade him it needed a new engine loom at £900 after several trips and various repairs including a new injector. After some proper diagnosis without a laptop it turns out injector plug/clip wouldn't hold still so a few cable ties and a set of spark plugs later it was as good as new. I also gave the throttle body and ICV a good going over with carb cleaner as it was quite lumpy on idle, a common problem iirc. TL;DR - if you get a misfire at all examine the injector plugs. If you get a lumpy idle clean the throttle body and ICV with carb cleaner. holbeck, Uncle Jimmy and RobT 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Breadvan72 Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 The great PJ O'Rourke says that the best car in the World is ALWAYS a rental car. A car that you can parallel park at 60 mph. A car in which you can shift from top gear direct into reverse. A car that you can park by Braille. The only thing better than renting a rental car may be owning a rental car. It's like marrying the World's Greatest Prostitute . This is what puts the WIN in (autobox) whine. RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holbeck Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Nice car Rob. Omega's have never even been on may radar. However now...... RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hendry Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Much prefer the interior on the pre facelifts. Pals mums ex partner had an N reg 2.5 V6 GLS auto estate in white, about 170,000 miles on it, ex traffic cop car, still went well and was a nice place to sit. I remember thinking the omission of rear electric windows was weird on a big car aimed at the sorta executive market but other than that the spec was spot on, this one even had wheel trims. RobT 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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