Omega Owners Forum

Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: terry paget on 04 April 2018, 16:55:29

Title: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: terry paget on 04 April 2018, 16:55:29
I understand 1 Omega in 5 was sold as a manual. I must have owned 30 in my time, all bought on e-bay. I currently own 6. When one became too costly to repair I would scrap it and buy another one on e-bay. Until now - there seem to be none on e-bay any more. I wonder why? Is the cost of clutch replacement prohibitive?
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 04 April 2018, 17:15:47
I wonder if the later cars were less popular as manuals?

Manuals were dropped on the larger V6 models with the emergence of the 3.2, of course, and my feeling based on the Omegas I've encountered is that, of the models where manual gearboxes were available, later cars are less likely to be manual.

Perhaps where were better options for those wanting to shave a few grams from the CO2 figures by then? Perhaps the Omega was increasingly being purchased as a comfortable cruiser for which an automatic box is the natural choice?

But.. clutch replacement will have become a requirement for most well-used manual cars by now - cars where an automatic box would probably still be happy.
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: TheBoy on 04 April 2018, 18:26:01
I suspect the majority of the manuals were lower spec base or CD models, and being two-a-penny, get scrapped when relatively minor things go wrong or owners get bored.

More loved models like CDX and Elite were mostly sold as autos, for obvious reasons.
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 04 April 2018, 19:21:47
One over here Terry, might still have an MOT in a fortnight  :D
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: terry paget on 04 April 2018, 20:21:11
One over here Terry, might still have an MOT in a fortnight  :D
V6?
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: New POD on 04 April 2018, 21:18:11
omegod of this parish, scraps them ALL and pays for his kids private education by selling the gearbox and linkages to people making kit cars and using the XE block turning FWD into RWD :y
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Doctor Gollum on 04 April 2018, 22:12:31
One over here Terry, might still have an MOT in a fortnight  :D
V6?
Desmond :D
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: omegod on 04 April 2018, 22:28:42
omegod of this parish, scraps them ALL and pays for his kids private education by selling the gearbox and linkages to people making kit cars and using the XE block turning FWD into RWD :y

Close on one count, wrong on many  :P
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 04 April 2018, 22:56:47
omegod of this parish, scraps them ALL and pays for his kids private education by selling the gearbox and linkages to people making kit cars and using the XE block turning FWD into RWD :y

Can't imagine Omega manual box ratios being much fun in a kit car. ;)
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Andy B on 04 April 2018, 23:58:58
.....

More loved models like CDX and Elite were mostly sold as autos, for obvious reasons.

An Elite was auto by default  unless for some strange reason the original buyer ticked the box for 3 pedals
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: tunnie on 05 April 2018, 08:02:10
As many know, I had a 2.2 manual for over a decade, defend it to the hills and back.

But have to admit, the 3.2 + auto makes the Omega a totally different animal to a 2.2 manual.

Effortless power.  8)

Why manuals Terry? Maybe time for auto's as the manual stock dries up?
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: VXL V6 on 05 April 2018, 10:35:25
All you need for a manual conversion can be sourced from a DTI with a failed fuel pump.... There are the odd one or two about....
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Andy A on 05 April 2018, 14:09:03
I still have a Desmond manual and hopefully it will last a few years yet. New clutch last year.  :) Owned for the last 4 years and hopefully for at least another 4 years.  :)
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: terry paget on 05 April 2018, 14:31:05
I still have a Desmond manual and hopefully it will last a few years yet. New clutch last year.  :) Owned for the last 4 years and hopefully for at least another 4 years.  :)
Presumably with the original cat section. I have grown weary of swopping cat sections every year to get them through MOT tests, the more so if the exhaust manifold is cracked and the manifold cover bolts are all sheared off by earlier owners.
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Migv6 le Frog Fan on 05 April 2018, 14:36:33
Ive toyed with the idea of converting mine to manual. Whether it will ever happen is another matter.......  ::)
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Nick W on 05 April 2018, 15:26:23
I still have a Desmond manual and hopefully it will last a few years yet. New clutch last year.  :) Owned for the last 4 years and hopefully for at least another 4 years.  :)
Presumably with the original cat section. I have grown weary of swopping cat sections every year to get them through MOT tests, the more so if the exhaust manifold is cracked and the manifold cover bolts are all sheared off by earlier owners.


Well fix the cause, not the symptom
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Andy A on 06 April 2018, 10:42:17
I still have a Desmond manual and hopefully it will last a few years yet. New clutch last year.  :) Owned for the last 4 years and hopefully for at least another 4 years.  :)
Presumably with the original cat section. I have grown weary of swopping cat sections every year to get them through MOT tests, the more so if the exhaust manifold is cracked and the manifold cover bolts are all sheared off by earlier owners.

Original cat on mine still and yes the car came with a cracked manifold and one broken stud. Luckily its just past its MOT so cat still good.  :)
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: bootie on 06 April 2018, 18:39:12
My 2.5 TD elite estate was a manual, sadly no longer in my possession. Scrapped after an altercation with a road sign, earth bank and dry stone wall. Lovely box on that.
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Andy B on 06 April 2018, 21:54:59
My 2.5 TD elite estate was a manual, sadly no longer in my possession. Scrapped after an altercation with a road sign, earth bank and dry stone wall. Lovely box on that.

The manual box on the 2.5 diseasal I drove wasn't ..... though in its defence it was the first & last manual Omega I ever drove  ;D
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: TheBoy on 07 April 2018, 09:53:17
My 2.5 TD elite estate was a manual, sadly no longer in my possession. Scrapped after an altercation with a road sign, earth bank and dry stone wall. Lovely box on that.

The manual box on the 2.5 diseasal I drove wasn't ..... though in its defence it was the first & last manual Omega I ever drove  ;D
They are all pretty similar.  On the 2.5TD, I'd concede it is probably the best option, as the autobox just isn't suited.
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Sir Tigger KC on 07 April 2018, 10:35:01
Lovely box on that.

Wait!  I'm getting confused with all this talk of Lord Opti's Chambermaid.....  :-\                                                                   :D ;D
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: tigers_gonads on 08 April 2018, 16:51:53
Always had manuals and when I was forced to buy a slush box, it got converted to manual too  :D
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: JimmyR on 08 April 2018, 17:22:36
I've been waiting for the right manual V6 to turn up for ages and I think it has. Collecting next Sunday.

Real shame how they've gone. I was offered a nice 3.0 MV6 manual a few years ago for next to nothing and I turned it down, not realising how soon they'd all be gone. Of all the cars I've turned down, that's the one I regret the most
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Kevin Wood on 08 April 2018, 19:34:20
Lovely box on that.

Wait!  I'm getting confused with all this talk of Lord Opti's Chambermaid.....  :-\                                                                   :D ;D

Word is, he's fallen out of favour with her, hence he's using the "Manual" box. ;D
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: terry paget on 12 April 2018, 14:02:29
I suppose the reason is that when the clutch begins to slip, the garage cost of replacement (£800?) exceeds the value of the car, so the owner scraps it. That's the fate that befell all my 24v Senators.
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: Andy B on 12 April 2018, 15:19:23
I suppose the reason is that when the clutch begins to slip, the garage cost of replacement (£800?) exceeds the value of the car, so the owner scraps it. That's the fate that befell all my 24v Senators.

perhaps their owners all saw the error of their ways & bought an auto .......  ::) ::)
Title: Re: Where have all the manual Omegas gone?
Post by: omegod on 12 April 2018, 16:12:53
Anyone scrapping a manual, not 2.5 td though, please do get in touch with me ! ;) :y