Hi,
my mate has the Elite version of the above car for sale @ £1800. With 70k on the clock and full service history I feel this is alot of car for the money, and am thinking of buying it.
Does anyone know if this engine tends to encounter problems around the 70k mark. Are they reliable? This car is 9 years old so I wouldn't expect it to be mechanically tip top, but I don't want it to be on the verge of blowing up either.
The funny thing is he's selling it because he wasn't happy with his Honda Accord Type R's fuel consumption, so he bought the Omega instead, and is selling it one month later after finding out it's worse. Not suprising.
T.I.A AdyBeee..
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i have got the 2.5 v6 omega and have never had a problem with it. its got 97k on the clock. but i am only getting 22mpg. but its one hell of a car to drive. am very happy with mine...
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Hell, I get more than out my 1999 2.5 V6 manual petrol Omega. 24/25 around town, 28 on more of a mixed drive and 32/34 on long distance motorway runs. I'd expect a 3.0 to be thirstier and an auto to be even thirstier.
Since the dealer fixed all my teething problems two years ago when I bought it, I haven't had anything much go wrong, but I feel I've got some expense just around the corner.
Let's face it - these aren't cheap cars to run and I don't think they got their poor reliability reputation for nothing. BUT they're cheap to buy and nice to drive so what you lose on the swings .....
People I know cringe when they hear how much my tyres cost and how quickly I can wear them out, without giving a thought to just how much their eurobox is costing then in depreciation. Someone else took most of that hit for me.
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Adybeee,
I've been running a 94/5 Elite 3.0 Auto for around 2.5 years and 35K miles now (almost 130K on the clock). Yes, they can be juicy depending on how you drive - but I consistently get 20mpg urban/short journeys, 25-7mpg on slightly longer trips and on M'way journeys at a steady 80-90mph around 30mpg (as 4th gear is quite high).
Fuel is not the only cost though .... my car has never left me stranded but I've listed some of the items that I've had done (and rough cost inc labour) apart from the usual wear'n'tear, though some do depend on how long you intend to keep the car;
* infamous 3-way heater valve replaced -£100
* All 4 Shocks replaced - £300
* Rocker covers and gaskets replaced - £150
* HT leads replaced - £150
* Front suspension wishbone arms replaced - £150
In addition you may have to budget for a cambelt change if that hasn't been done already (ideally every 40K) which could set you back £300+.
If your not bothered by the potential costs and the "mini-cab" image, the gadgets for money factor is hard to beat. The spec on the Elite is great - full leather, electric everything, A/C... I could go on and on.
I certainly consider the lack of image a positive thing as I don't attract "unwanted" attention in the same way as my previous BMW 535 did.
It ticks all the boxes for me - able to carry 4 + luggage in comfort, great high-speed M'way cruiser, good performance and handling (for a big car) and it never fails to make me smile, especially when in "sport" mode.
Chad.
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I?d suggest you search the backroom archive for Omega problems, also join the ?Omega_owners? group over on Yahoo!. From personal experience common Omega issues include:-
1) HT leads last about 100K & cost nearly 200 quid ( parts only from VX) to replace.
2) Idle air control vales get gunged up due to blocked crankcase breathers & causing stalling on idle.
3) Cam & crank sensors often seem to last about 50K
4) Plastic cam cover / gaskets leak, causing oil to drip onto the exhaust - 100 quid plus labour to fix
Particularly with an Elite bear in mind that if any of the expensive toys go wrong, they might well cost a significant proportion of the car?s value to fix.
In terms of fuel consumption my wife?s V6 manual estate manages mid 20s on short round town trips, mid 30s on a gentle motorway cruise ? bear in mind these beasts are nearly 2 tons loaded, so it takes a lot of energy to get them moving quickly!
On a 9 year old V6 I'd also make absolutely sure that the cooling system is up to scratch before buying, they do tend to get gunged up due to lack of bi-annual collant / corrosion inhibitor changes.
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I'll give the engine, ie, coolant sytstem and gaskets a good looking over when I see my mate at the weekend, and find out about the cam belt. This always worries me with V's. Can't wait to bend valves in both heads.
I'm used to a biggish engine in my 2.5L Galant so the petrol cost's don't bother me too much, but it'll be nice to have a 200+ BHP engine to pootle around in.
AdyBeee..
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