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[RonaldMcBurger]

I am afraid that the end has arrived for my Omega family now. After much deliberation and consideration, we have decided that the Omega has to go in order to make way for something that does not require its own bank account and full time mechanic.

Don't et me wrong here guys. I love the Omega. No I don't, that was a lie. I hate it. I have never owned any car that required so much 'preventative maintenance'. This is ridiculous. Dis pack yesterday, steering problems today. Naaaaah. Enough already. It goes and that is that.

The hunt is on for another Volvo Estate. I had 9 of them over the years. No, they are not perfect. No they don't go around corners like a sports car and no, they don;t have self levelling dis packs or electronical heater town bypasses. But, they do not require the same level of repairs either. In fact, neither did my Mondeo (which I still own) or any other cars we have owned, except perhaps the truly awful Range Rovers. Oh and there was the magnificent montego's that were simply dire. But for a modern (ish) car, these are just crap guys. Yes I said crap.

Do I sound bitter, twisted and really hacked off? Yes. Am I? yes. Do you care? No.

Now. before you all jump on the 'the Omega is great' bandwagon, take a deep breath and ask yourself this. Will my Omega need any money spending on it this month? If the answer is 'yes, of course' or 'yes, it still needs.....' or ' Dont all cars?' I rest my case.

I am sorry, but I don't want to own any cars that I have to think carefully about what size trolley jack to own and whether my own Tech 2 may pay for itself. Or even, will the car make it to birmingham?

OK.... let me hear it?.........

[TheBoy]

My MV6 has been ultra reliable apart from one incident. Cheap to run (fuel aside), comfy.

[TheBoy]

Even if you do get rid of Omega   :-? , best of luck with whatever you do get to replace it

[jonny2112]

My Reflection has been grand for the time I have owned it, apart from rocker gaskets (which now need done again), and the lacquer peeling off the bootlid spoiler,  so I guess I can't grumble, and I really do love the car.
I see where you're coming from though, and my question is does this also mean the end of the dancing chicken?
Naaah.......?

[sounds2k]

sorry to hear you've come to that decision (again) ... but not entirely unexpected ... miggys do tend to generate a love/hate ownership experience - love 'em when they work and hate 'em when they don't  

I have one as my only car, but I don't do a huge amount of miles and if needs be I could use alternative mthods of transport for a short period if (when ??) it ends up being off the road.

Now this probably really will generate flames, but the car I had before my first miggy (a n-reg micra) was 100% reliable and didn't need its' DIS pack, HT leads, rocker cover, head gasket or oil cooler changing ... there again it didn't have many of those to start with anyway ...

Miggy's are great if you like the comfort, toys and can afford (in terms of time, money and effort) to keep them running - but priorities change and sometimes you have to call it a day ...

Good luck with the ADI venture, hope it works out OK and don't be a stranger - your knowledge, advice, trials and tribulations have been enlightening  

[Bo Bo]

Apart from the usual bits & bobs (brakes/exhaust/bulbs & battery) all have to replace in over three years of ownership is a windscreen washer jet, but maybe I've been one of the lucky ones!

[Markie]

My MV6 has been ultra reliable apart from one incident. Cheap to run (fuel aside), comfy.

sorry to gang up Ronnie but i am with Jamie on the mv6  - ive done nothing in two years outside consumables like brakes and tyres.....two mot`s two straight passes, but i guess my day of woe will come  :-/ soon   even sooner than that now i have spoken  

[Doughboy]

Had mine 6 months, front pipe with cat, couple of fuses, cracking noise from doors, Climate problem (trying to trace), Plugs, bit jittery under acceleration, won't start first time on the odd occasion and the battery is on its way out. OHH and a front end smash with a crap Vx dealer repair

Reversed into a BIG STEEL POLE!!!! scaped the mirror on driveway gate. Plus the usual problem finding a space big enough to fit in.

Excellent Car  

And my Churchill Noding dog (with piercings) won't stay still  

[omegaV6CD]

I think every used car needs loads of attention, to your point i have been spending on an average of 60£ a month for maintenance in order to keep on top of it. But it has rewarded me with 27thousand fast and comfortable miles with 2 trips to Greece and back in the middle of the summer with 40degrees ambient and my lead foot. You are fed up after all these project cars and i understand it mate, if i was you i would get a good one(e.g something like Laidback66's elite) and keep it.  

[theolodian]

Yeah, not looking cheap to run, but a lot of car for the purchase price and parts are cheaper than other German.  I've spent 300 on mine in first month.  Expect to hit 800-1K in first year, we'll see how it goes from there.  Anything I like more is just going to cost more.  My dad's A6 had cambelt and cam cover gaskets done this summer, and other 'typical' repairs.  Bill was 2,000 quid, far more than the 300 I spent doing mine.  It's aggravating to always have problems, especially when you put so much effort into trying to take care of it.  I am thinking that an Omega is best left alone except for cambelt and cam covers.  Only do other work when becomes a serious problem.

If you want dead reliable get a Honda Accord.  Those are ridiculously cheap over here compared to US.  Best selling car in US, and not cheap there!

[Doughboy]

Don't touch Mazda, extortionate. H plate 626, full electrics. £260 for exhaust, Plugs and leads etc £149. the Dizzy cap was £68 on its own. Brilliant car though, fast as, comfy and started first time every time (after dizzy cap and rotor were replaced).

Auctioned that car with 8 months MOT 4 Months tax and got £30. Auctioneers waved the full commission and I got a cheque for £1.86p.

Think I'll just get a bus pass, keep gettin ripped off or screwed over.

[omegaV6CD]

Yeah, not looking cheap to run, but a lot of car for the purchase price and parts are cheaper than other German.  I've spent 300 on mine in first month.  Expect to hit 800-1K in first year, we'll see how it goes from there.  Anything I like more is just going to cost more.  My dad's A6 had cambelt and cam cover gaskets done this summer, and other 'typical' repairs.  Bill was 2,000 quid, far more than the 300 I spent doing mine.  It's aggravating to always have problems, especially when you put so much effort into trying to take care of it.  I am thinking that an Omega is best left alone except for cambelt and cam covers.  Only do other work when becomes a serious problem.

If you want dead reliable get a Honda Accord.  Those are ridiculously cheap over here compared to US.  Best selling car in US, and not cheap there!

Well the Honda accord is pretty good  but i have seen a few 5 year old ones and underneith they had more rust than the titanic. I think with any used car that you get you spend money at first but then it should settle. I want to see another engine with 140k that has no oil consumption and virtually no blow by.

[HI2DVY]

Have to disagree. There are far worse cars than the meega. For what you get - V6 power and a load of comfort - you would normally pay a lot more. I recently had a Jag S-type 3.0 V6. It cost me about £2k at every service (every 10k miles or 3 months for me) and I lost about £8k when I sold it after one year. So all in all cost of ownership for one year was about £16000 !!! My W reg meega only cost me £2k so I figure even if it lasts 6 months and dies completely I'll still be better off.

Dave

[JamesV6CDX]

I am afraid that the end has arrived for my Omega family now. After much deliberation and consideration, we have decided that the Omega has to go in order to make way for something that does not require its own bank account and full time mechanic.

Don't et me wrong here guys. I love the Omega. No I don't, that was a lie. I hate it. I have never owned any car that required so much 'preventative maintenance'. This is ridiculous. Dis pack yesterday, steering problems today. Naaaaah. Enough already. It goes and that is that.

The hunt is on for another Volvo Estate. I had 9 of them over the years. No, they are not perfect. No they don't go around corners like a sports car and no, they don;t have self levelling dis packs or electronical heater town bypasses. But, they do not require the same level of repairs either. In fact, neither did my Mondeo (which I still own) or any other cars we have owned, except perhaps the truly awful Range Rovers. Oh and there was the magnificent montego's that were simply dire. But for a modern (ish) car, these are just crap guys. Yes I said crap.

Do I sound bitter, twisted and really hacked off? Yes. Am I? yes. Do you care? No.

Now. before you all jump on the 'the Omega is great' bandwagon, take a deep breath and ask yourself this. Will my Omega need any money spending on it this month? If the answer is 'yes, of course' or 'yes, it still needs.....' or ' Dont all cars?' I rest my case.

I am sorry, but I don't want to own any cars that I have to think carefully about what size trolley jack to own and whether my own Tech 2 may pay for itself. Or even, will the car make it to birmingham?

OK.... let me hear it?.........

Mate, I understand where you're coming from... As far as Omega's go, it's a love-hate thing.

Love them when they work, and hate them when they don't!

There are two sides to it I guess - admittedly the Omega can require a lot of maintenance - on the other hand, it's all stuff that a competent DIYer can do, which isnt' the case on many other cars. One big reason I keep an Omega (Apart from that I love driving them with a passion) is that I've learned so much about them from here, it's cheaper for me to pay out for parts/consumables a little more often, and do it myself with the aid of this great forum - rather than pay dealership prices every time I have an issue.

I would sincerely hope that, even if you do end up not owning an Omega, that you will stay as an active member of this forum and stay involved with the conversations/events etc.

I reckon though, that once you've been without a Meega for a while, you'll start getting broody and want another! A volvo doen't drive anything like as nice as an Omega

A year or so ago I decided my omega was too thirsty, so I traded it in for a Pug 406 diesel. It just wasn't in the same league, and within a month I was desperate to get shot of the Pug and get another omega!

Why not get rid of the Mondeo - Get rid of the silver estate - and keep that really nice champagne Elite you've got with the nice leather, and get rid of all the other cars. Keep this as a toy - and abandon any other "project" cars, unless you particularly want one. Then just use the Corsa for teaching young ladies to drive...

[Doughboy]

With the experience you have on meegas it would be a waste for you to dissapear. i know I've only been on here a couple of weeks but you are an excellent source of advice for many.

Even if you do get shot of the meega I for one would like the Ronny McBurger knowledge and wit to stay around the forum  

[STMO123]

We've been here before. Omegas are cheap and as good as bmw/bottom end merc?
Omegas ARE cheap...to buy, but expensive to maintain, so you end up paying the same eventually. It just hurts more with an omega, cause you keep convincing yourself "'that's it, no more!". But theres ALWAYS more.

[RonaldMcBurger]

Oh no, the omega goes. i stay!

[Marks DTM Calib]

Not fixed anything on my facelift in 3 years......serviced it but never repaired a thing!

Thats what you get with cheap cars of unknown origin, you have to correct the neglect first in the same way I have had to on the estate.....now its a good car and will be trouble free. This is true of all cars.....

Dont worry people, its just MrMcB having a moan......he does this sometimes  

The thing is Mr McB, you have never owned one long enough to actualy be able to make a judgement (no offence ment) on the reliability, you buy cheap with problems, fix up and then sell!

[miked]

What you all need is two less cylinders and a lot less toys to go wrong  

[bob.dent]

Well, I agree they can be expensive to maintain at times BUT......having put right most of the usual things, I'm now having my longest stint where nothing major has gone wrong. I think by following the wealth of good advice here on OOF many problems can be prevented. As Mark said in his post, it may have been worth keeping one for a decent length of time to really appreciate them. Having had mine for just over a year I still get a buzz from driving the old barge

All said and done though, I hope you're going to stick around Fin

[STMO123]

I think I can sum my experience up by saying that I'm glad I bought it because I've always wanted one. But, now I've had one, I dont think I would buy another. Saab 9-5 next for me I think.

[TheBoy]

My ownership of the MV6 is coming up to 3yrs now. Other than usual 'consumable' type items (many of which dirt cheap on TC), I have changed (or had changed)

2 x cambelt kits (though this is probably standard service item)
Driver side rocker gasket £40 ish
Both front wishbones £72 each for genuine before they went up in price
Both front shocks £60 ish each
Track rods £180 for the lot
Handbrake cable £45
Crank sensor £70
Climate unit (display damaged when bought) £30 ebay

[STMO123]

My ownership of the MV6 is coming up to 3yrs now. Other than usual 'consumable' type items (many of which dirt cheap on TC), I have changed (or had changed)

2 x cambelt kits (though this is probably standard service item)
Driver side rocker gasket £40 ish
Both front wishbones £72 each for genuine before they went up in price
Both front shocks £60 ish each
Track rods £180 for the lot
Handbrake cable £45
Crank sensor £70
Climate unit (display damaged when bought) £30 ebay

Sounds reasonable Jaime, but, if you'd have had to pay a garage to do that lot........

[TheBoy]

My ownership of the MV6 is coming up to 3yrs now. Other than usual 'consumable' type items (many of which dirt cheap on TC), I have changed (or had changed)

2 x cambelt kits (though this is probably standard service item)
Driver side rocker gasket £40 ish
Both front wishbones £72 each for genuine before they went up in price
Both front shocks £60 ish each
Track rods £180 for the lot
Handbrake cable £45
Crank sensor £70
Climate unit (display damaged when bought) £30 ebay

Sounds reasonable Jaime, but, if you'd have had to pay a garage to do that lot........

Find a good, trustworthy mechanic for those jobs you can't do.

[Marks DTM Calib]

Cambelt is a service item, shocks and wishbone bushes are consumables....they go on all cars at high mileage (most manufactures recommend changing shocks every 50-60K miles!)

[STMO123]

My ownership of the MV6 is coming up to 3yrs now. Other than usual 'consumable' type items (many of which dirt cheap on TC), I have changed (or had changed)

2 x cambelt kits (though this is probably standard service item)
Driver side rocker gasket £40 ish
Both front wishbones £72 each for genuine before they went up in price
Both front shocks £60 ish each
Track rods £180 for the lot
Handbrake cable £45
Crank sensor £70
Climate unit (display damaged when bought) £30 ebay

Sounds reasonable Jaime, but, if you'd have had to pay a garage to do that lot........

Find a good, trustworthy mechanic for those jobs you can't do.

Like the fella in the post above?

[TheBoy]

My ownership of the MV6 is coming up to 3yrs now. Other than usual 'consumable' type items (many of which dirt cheap on TC), I have changed (or had changed)

2 x cambelt kits (though this is probably standard service item)
Driver side rocker gasket £40 ish
Both front wishbones £72 each for genuine before they went up in price
Both front shocks £60 ish each
Track rods £180 for the lot
Handbrake cable £45
Crank sensor £70
Climate unit (display damaged when bought) £30 ebay

Sounds reasonable Jaime, but, if you'd have had to pay a garage to do that lot........

Find a good, trustworthy mechanic for those jobs you can't do.

Like the fella in the post above?

If only I lived nearer....  

[TheBoy]

Cambelt is a service item, shocks and wishbone bushes are consumables....they go on all cars at high mileage (most manufactures recommend changing shocks every 50-60K miles!)

and handbrake cable was my own fault  

[Elite Pete]

Not fixed anything on my facelift in 3 years......serviced it but never repaired a thing!

Thats what you get with cheap cars of unknown origin, you have to correct the neglect first in the same way I have had to on the estate.....now its a good car and will be trouble free. This is true of all cars.....

Dont worry people, its just MrMcB having a moan......he does this sometimes  

The thing is Mr McB, you have never owned one long enough to actualy be able to make a judgement (no offence ment) on the reliability, you buy cheap with problems, fix up and then sell!

I think Marks right. You buy a car with over 100000 miles on it that someone sold probably because its started to go wrong and expect to run it with no problems, sometimes if your lucky this happens but most of the time there are issues that need sorting. Now im not trying to teach Fin to suck eggs as what I know about omegas has all come off this site and a lot of it came from Fin but I bought my Omega because the body work was near mint condition, the interior is in good nick and the mechanicals have been well serviced. I knew it tramlined like hell and it got a bit warm but after changing the wishbones, idler arm and radiator, which is nothing for a 8 year old car with 119000 miles up it she has been nothing but reliable and has carried me another 110000 miles in comfort and safety . Give it a year with a Volvo and you will be saying bloody car lets buy another Omega they get under the skin

[Marks DTM Calib]

So its crank sensor, rocker gasket and  failed climate panel which was liek it when you bought it. Track rod ends a maybe......(also wear on all cars)

[TheBoy]

So its crank sensor, rocker gasket and  failed climate panel which was liek it when you bought it. Track rod ends a maybe......(also wear on all cars)

And steering idler which I forgot about.

I changed track rods (not just ends) and steering idler because there was a bit of vagueness in steering, so I just changed it all. Also, one of the track rod adjusters had seized solid.

[TheBoy]

Ah, and a HBV.

[Marks DTM Calib]

And how many miles has it done?

[Martin_1962]

I did 4 years 50,000 on my 2.0CD - it was 8 or 9 years old when sold

Apart from tyres, brakes, cam belt, exhaust (consumables) and other service items

Gearbox selector switch
Exhaust manifold gasket (probably caused by the slope and bump where I live)
cam cover gasket
air con condenser (holed)
hand brake cable (age - rusted)
Speakers (blown when bought)
Cill cover clips
dash light bulb

Omega specific problems would be the first three

2.6CD problems excluding service and comsumables (brakes), and new items err nothing!

[TheBoy]

And how many miles has it done?

135k, and is 8.5yrs old....

[Admin]

It is as Mark says, very much down to the previous owners.

The MV6 is an S plate, 138k and had very little overall.

Water pump and cambelt kit.
HBV
Exhaust
Tyres and usual oil  and filter changes etc

My old elite (96 N plate) had cambelt and pump, shocks... and the usual oil etc, that was it!

However, I have seen cars that require considerably more maintenance!
The Omegas have certain weak points, but there are far worse things to own out there...

VW anyone??  

[Tony H]

Had mine just over 2 years no probs up to now "touch wood" only consumables
sevice items
tyres
centre box back exaust
front discs and pads
fuel filter
pollon filter
wiper blades
cam belt+tensioners
thats it

[hotel21]

1998 MV6 for past 18 months.

added 15k miles.
Belt, tensioners and water pump (part warranty, water pump claim paid labour for belt and tensioners!!)
Radiator (see water pump comment)
front and rear shocks (warranty job - get it when you can!!)
Tyres (these wear anyway..... )
oil and filter at 4k intervals
petrol - averaged 22.5 miles to the gallon.

Overall, nowt else, bar resets of windows, aircon and similar that membership of t'other place paid for, before this site was up and running.  I think I got a good deal, happy with the car and its reliability.  As others have said, do (or get) the work done then enjoy the car.  If you chop and change vehicles, you do the work all over again and it really can p!ss you off, so do it once and enjoy the fruit of your labours!!    

HtH

B

[Nickbat]

I am afraid that the end has arrived for my Omega family now. After much deliberation and consideration, we have decided that the Omega has to go in order to make way for something that does not require its own bank account and full time mechanic.

Don't et me wrong here guys. I love the Omega. No I don't, that was a lie. I hate it. I have never owned any car that required so much 'preventative maintenance'. This is ridiculous. Dis pack yesterday, steering problems today. Naaaaah. Enough already. It goes and that is that.

The hunt is on for another Volvo Estate. I had 9 of them over the years. No, they are not perfect. No they don't go around corners like a sports car and no, they don;t have self levelling dis packs or electronical heater town bypasses. But, they do not require the same level of repairs either. In fact, neither did my Mondeo (which I still own) or any other cars we have owned, except perhaps the truly awful Range Rovers. Oh and there was the magnificent montego's that were simply dire. But for a modern (ish) car, these are just crap guys. Yes I said crap.

Do I sound bitter, twisted and really hacked off? Yes. Am I? yes. Do you care? No.

Now. before you all jump on the 'the Omega is great' bandwagon, take a deep breath and ask yourself this. Will my Omega need any money spending on it this month? If the answer is 'yes, of course' or 'yes, it still needs.....' or ' Dont all cars?' I rest my case.

I am sorry, but I don't want to own any cars that I have to think carefully about what size trolley jack to own and whether my own Tech 2 may pay for itself. Or even, will the car make it to birmingham?

OK.... let me hear it?.........

Come, come, Fin. Just think for a moment: what sort of person are you going to meet in the Volvo Estate Owners Forum?  

[STMO123]

Have a look at this Fin:


http://www.specialistcars.net/newspecialistcars/carpages/73.htm

Seems a bit cheap, but......

[RonaldMcBurger]

Now, that's what I'm looking for! very nice. Not a bad price either.

[Elite Pete]

HMMMMM no mention of milage and judging by the nasty steering wheel cover the milage is going to be high, unless the previous owner was Edward Scissorhands

[Nickbat]

Looks good. Rust free (by the look of it), clean engine and seats don't look too bad (leather doesn't wear well usually). May be high mileage, but that's not necessarily bad if it's chalked up on motorways.

Have to say that if I ever give up my Meega, I would consider a Volvo and that example looks really good. Like the number plate, too.

Is there much overall difference in performance between the Volvo 2.5 and an Omega 2.5?

[Del Boy]

Will u still be on the site fin?