A little update:
Today I drove 2 other Omegas.
1998 2.5 diesel with the BMW engine, automatic. This car drove surprisingly good. It looks a bit rough. But didn't skip a bit. Response to the pedal was not bad for the engine and being an automatic. The steering DEFINITELY didn't feel like the 3.0 manual. Yes, it drives more like a Cadillac or older Mercedes. But it is not bad. It's nice to drive. Drives like a barge, as it should I guess. So I really think the defective power steering pump in the 3.0 manual was messing the driving experience up. That or that car has some steering or front suspension related problem. This 2.5 diesel definitely felt better in the steering. The throttle response is hard to judge. Maybe when I drove the 3.0 manual I was expecting too much and now that I have had my expectations readjusted I'm looking at the 2.5 diesel response differently I don't know. I would need to drive the 3.0 manual again to be certain and compare.
2001 2.0 diesel manual. This car is very nice. It has about 100,000km on the clock only. Looks and drives VERY nice. Just got a new MOT too. But it's weak. The 2.0 engine is just too weak for the size. You can floor it and it won't really do much. The steering felt very good. I have no problems with it the way it is. I don't need Lotus Elise precision and quickness in steering. This is good enough for a car such as the Omega. Again, the 3.0 manual was really not representative of the way the Omega steers compared to this car. This cars was really nice, comfortable and smooth to drive and if it was a 2.5 V6 petro I would probably buy it on the spot. Everything works, no rust, not even scratches.
So I'm starting to build a reference point about Omegas. One thing is for sure. Driving them makes me sure I want one.
It's a lot of car for the money. A LOT!