This is my first post - hope somebody out there can help me out! I've recently bought a mint full dealer history 1999 Omega CDX 2.0 auto estate with leather with slightly high miles (81,000), in navy metallic with mushroom leather. I think I had a good deal - paid £5100 for it but am interested to hear hwat anybody else thinks about the deal.
According to the trip computer and my own calculations I'm averaging 22mpg. Nearly all the driving is urban but even then I was hoping for a bit better fuel economy: a friend has a manual version, 5 years older than mine and averages almost 30mpg. Is my car's mpg about right or heavy?
Also because of the consumption I'm thinking of converting to LPG. I've done the maths and anticipate a payback period of about 14months which is fine as I love the car and intend to keep it for much longer than that. Does anybody have any advice to assist? I've done a bit of searching for help elsewhere but you chaps seem to be the most knowledgeable. Hope you can help me out,
regards
GaryJ
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I have a 2.2 Litre Vectra auto and that only averages 24\'ish on urban runs. Had it down to 18 mpg on occasion with heavier footwear!! Your Omega is bigger than my Vectra, so 22 mpg sounds about right for urban. All depends on how much throttle you give it. If I feather my throttle then I can get around 27-28, but it isn\'t as much fun.
There are plenty of threads here regarding Omega\'s. Just use the search bar at the top of the screen. Here\'s one for example:- www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=i&t=10...2
ps, I\'ve moved this over to discussion as I feel more people will answer your other questions there.
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Dynamic Dave
Back Room Moderator
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The deal seems pretty keen to me; depending on spec, mileage etc this usually lands in £6-7k territory, though prices will be starting to tail off a bit now.
Not really surprised at the economy: heavy car, not over-burdened with power and the auto will take a toll on top of that. If your mileage is mostly urban and you do a fair amount of stop/start it will spend a lot of time on rich mixture and drink accordingly. Best economy is cruising in the 50-70mph band.
If you're keeping the car for a long time then the cost of an LPG conversion might make some sense, but don't expect fireworks on the economy front: it's still a heavyweight auto.
Alternatives are to swop for something which already has bi-fuel or trade in for a diesel, which is patricularly good at coping with urban conditions without burning a hole in your pocket
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Unless it's an automatic Omega diesel, in which case you'll be getting up to the heady levels of 28mpg if you're lucky...
As an urban car, 22mpg isn't disastrous at all for something of this size with an auto. The deal was keen though; I assume at this price it is an older shape T plater; even so, the mileage is perfectly sensible for a car of its age, and if it's in good nick then you've done pretty well for yourself.
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Thanks for the responses Gents. For the record it is fully loaded (dual zone climate control, heated leather electric seats, cruise control, 6 stack CD etc etc)and in near perfect condition (small scratch over rear o/s wheel arch only). I'm over the moon with it but the fuel thing is going to take some getting used to!
Any recommendations on servicing costs and performance at Vauxhall dealers? It has a full main dealer history to date and am keen to cossett it in the manner it's used to.
Anybody heard of any problems with running the 2.0 litre Ecotec engine on LPG? And a rough guide to cost of conversion? Thanks agaijn for your much appreciated help,
GaryJ
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MO - what sort of money would an LPG conversion be?
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Don't know the specifics, but I'd have thought a few hundred at least. You're looking at installing an additional tank (usually in the spare wheel well), ancillary pipework, switching and regulators, plus an additional fuel filler. Fair bit of work, in other words.
Makes sense on something like a large capacity 4x4, but I get the impression that the LPG market isn't enjoying the growth some people expected. Factory-fitted bi-fuels will always sell better than aftermarket conversions, too.
I get the impression car makers are doing no more than dipping a toe in the water with this one, even though it's an easy 'fix' because you don't have to redesign engines.
All the talk at the moment is about further refinements of petrol/diesel and continuing large scale research into hydrogen or fuel cell vehicles.
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As the unbelievably happy owner of a similar year 2.5CDX saloon, I'm happy to comment.
I get around 24mpg around a not too urban short trip to work, through town and out into the country, but early in the morning with little traffic and few lights. Longer trips mean that I average around 30 overall.
My Brother in Law has converted his identical model to yours Omega Estate to lpg and he swears blind it's a bargain. However, I once did the maths and though I can't remember specific details came up with him having to keep the car for five or six years to benefit. He also got a cheaper conversion than you are likely to get. At the time he had his converted (this may have changed) he could only get a powershift grant because it was under a year or 18 months old.
Before moving to LPG, I think you need to think of the reasons you're doing it. If it's for the cash rather than the environment then you need to sit down with a calculator and work out how many miles you need to do to get payback. Include the extra servicing costs. Too many people (my B-i-L included) seem to get the conversion done regardless of the maths, then think they are saving money just because it hurts a bit less when they fill up.
As regards servicing, I wouldn't have mine through the door of a Vauxhall dealer if you paid me. Get a good local garage to do the servicing. You'll save money and almost certainly get better service. Try the good garage page on this site. When your car's this age, you'll not affect the value by going to a local garage.
Finally, enjoy the car. I think they are a bargain beyond belief and I suspect you'll agree after owning it for a while.
V
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IIRC, isn't there a problem with the Vx 2.5/3.0 "ECOTEC" engines and LPG conversions? I seem to remember reading somewhere that you couldn't convert the ECOTEC engines due to some tech design feature.
Is this correct and does it also apply to the newer 2.6/3.2 V6s?
Chad.R
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An LPG conversion at an LPGA approved installer will be around £1500 to £2000 depending on the tank options. IMHO, it's worth it if you do lots of miles and will keep the car for a few years. Converted cars do seem to fetch more money, the installer who did a jeep for me had no trouble selling them at a premium price. He told me the £2k conversion on the jeep would add about £1k to its value. This was proved correct when my dearly beloved wrote the thing off and the assessor allowed an extra £1k for the conversion, as long as it had been done by an approved installer and had the certificate. DON'T DIY it or get a backstreet place to do it. Your insurance company wouldn't like it and Which? magazine reported loads of problems with LPG conversions, but non from approved installers.
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MO - what sort of money would an LPG conversion be?
Last year, TV progs like 5th Gear and Driven were saying around £1500 for the average vehicle; but the actual price is a lot cheaper because you can get a conversion grant of up to 70% paid for by the government.
www.shellgas.co.uk/site/page/32/lang/en
www.powershift.org.uk/register/powershift/vsearch/...l
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Just doing some quick sums : assuming LPG is around 40 p per litre cheaper than UL, and that the car does around 26 mpg; then £1500 cost would be recovered in 23k miles ish.
That's about 7 months driving for me; maybe worth looking into.
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Thanks again for all the advice gents. I 'm told by a 3.0litre Omega Elite taxi driving friend that he paid about £950 for his conversion and can get LPG for 32p/litre. The chap is genuine and has put 45,000m on the vehicle in 18 months with only a few minor teething problems at the start - something to do with getting the mixture right or something like that. Obviously he is over the moon with it. On that basis, and including the increase in resale value, it looks an even better option. I'm just naturally cautious and wanted to hear if anybody had any horror stories before I let anybody start working on my Omega.
Thanks
Garyj
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GaryJ, I am not a moderator and nor do I wish to be one. But, can I ask you to remember that not everyone who posts in the Back Room is male please? I made that mistake when I first started posting and felt bad about it.
Cheers fella! ;-)
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not everyone who posts in the Back Room is male
So is Rob short for Roberta then? ;o)
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Only on alternate Wednesdays...;-)
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