This is the RH turret of OE03, pre-MOT inspection June this year. Until I peeled back the carpet all seemed well. LH turret was OK, just a little rust. I spent £300 on the sills 2 years ago, bought a welder and kept other Omegas going a bit longer. Some Omega owners plan to keep their cars going forever, not I. Nick has said Omegas were not designed to last forever, more recent cars are better.
Whaaaaat?
??
I have never said that, and never will. I think the Omega bodyshell is probably one of the better examples of a late seventies design, and resists rust better than many of its shorter lived contemporaries: look at Granadas(mk2 or 3, doesn't matter), 5 series BMWs, CX, Renault 20(remember those
)
etc. Even E-class Mercs aren't immune; once rust takes hold it rapidly munches its way through the car.More recent cars are not better, they're going backwards as the high cost of routine maintenance and repair costs devalue them quicker than ever. And then there are the flaws that come to light after a few years, we've had the the discussion about TDCI Mondeos several times.
Old cars wore out quickly and rusted away at a similar rate, hence the fixation on 'low mileage'. Engine management improved the service life of engines, and better rust proofing had a similar effect on the bodies. Now, we have complicated interlinked systems that cost a fortune to repair, and the bodies aren't much better. I read recently that cars are designed for a 7 year service-life. I wish I could remember where. It certainly shows in what's on the road - the number of 10 year old mid to large size cars seems to be decreasing. Patched up 20 year old cars used to be
common, but aren't any more - when did you last see an early Vectra, Mondeo or P406?