Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: car.crash on 22 October 2008, 23:42:40
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good evening. im looking into buying a omega diesel. i will be using this as a tow vehicle from time to time for the track car. i was wondering if i should go for the 2.2 dti or the 2.5 dt. ideally i dont want to spend more than 2 thousand. any help would be appreciated or even a link to a buyers guide. thanks for reading this.
sorry for the repost but i guess i wouldnt get many hits in the hi im new section ;D
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Didn't have a diesel, but I would say the 2.2 is the better unit, the 6-cyl 2.5 was a BMW unit and reports here regarding its bottom-end reliability were not promising...
The 2.5 was available with the AR25 auto box, though this was too weak for the torque and didn't last. The 2.2 (as far as I know) was never made available with auto gearbox.
2.5 were available up to around 2000, so mostly are pre-facelift but you might just catch one with the facelift body. Later cars had the 2.2 and are of course facelifts.
Hope this helps...
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it helps massively thankyou, the more info the better please. :)
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i had a 2.2 astra sri with the z22se petrol engine which is probably the same or similar 2.2 petrol as found in the omega, i found it nice but juicy so i guess it would be alot worse in the omega due to the weight so this is my reason for steering clear of the petrol units. i thought the 2.2 dti would be the better lump being newer and more refined over the 2.5 td.
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Also, diesel are generally more sought-after than petrol cars, so command a higher price, and estate even more so. So if you are after an estate, expect to pay more for a sorted one...
As for the auto box available on the 2.5, it will add to the price because most people are unaware of the reliability issues (which can be overcome by replacing the weak AR25 box with the stronger AR35).
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Also, diesel are generally more sought-after than petrol cars, so command a higher price, and estate even more so. So if you are after an estate, expect to pay more for a sorted one...
As for the auto box available on the 2.5, it will add to the price because most people are unaware of the reliability issues (which can be overcome by replacing the weak AR25 box with the stronger AR35).
You only really have problems with the 2.5 if you chip it.
You should always have more cylinders than doors! ::) :y :y
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i wont be remapping it or modifying in any way, i just need a reliable daily driver, i bought a 306 hdi as a cheap car but it has cost me a absolute fortune so time to cut my losses and get a good old vauxhall. im liking the omega as its very plain and draws no attention to itself. yet its fully loaded and bargain priced. i thought they were quite rare but 4000 members tells me otherwise.
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i wont be remapping it or modifying in any way, i just need a reliable daily driver, i bought a 306 hdi as a cheap car but it has cost me a absolute fortune so time to cut my losses and get a good old vauxhall. im liking the omega as its very plain and draws no attention to itself. yet its fully loaded and bargain priced. i thought they were quite rare but 4000 members tells me otherwise.
In all honesty if you want an Omega, you won't be toooo worried about fuel costs.
Therefore, get a V6. Preferably a 3.0, or failing that a 2.5.
My 3.0 V6 facelift Estate Elite does at least 32mpg on a combined run, the fuel is around 13p cheaper than diesel and is that much smoother. It's also much more DIY friendly (Eg, easily changable cambelt) compared to a TD, by which time when the timing chain has stretched, you have a major job on your hands.
Say knocking around you average 26mpg in a V6, at the moment petrol is 97.9ppl, so £4.44 / gallon. That's only 17 pence per mile.
So for the cost of a pint, you can travel 18 miles - or 17p per mile.
Unless you are doing tens of thousands of miles per year, or running a business travelling up and down the country ::) - you don't need an "economical" omega :y
You could of course, get a 3.0 / 3.2 and LPG it - although the gap really is closing between LPG and petrol :)
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i will definatly not get the petrol, it has to be diesel.
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Why?
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have to agree, why?
Diesel is 10p a litre more at the pump, you will pay more for the diesel over a V6.
V6's are worthless at the moment as they are belived to be uneconomical. Buy a cheap V6, use the money saved, and fit LPG.
Then it costs just 55p odd a litre for fuel, and you get the silky smooth V6.
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have to agree, why?
Diesel is 10p a litre more at the pump, you will pay more for the diesel over a V6.
V6's are worthless at the moment as they are belived to be uneconomical. Buy a cheap V6, use the money saved, and fit LPG.
Then it costs just 55p odd a litre for fuel, and you get the silky smooth V6.
I'm with Tunnie here .. I tow a 1600Kg caravan on a very regular basis with the 3.2 V6 ... When towing on petrol I used to get around 18 mpg ... at £1.00 a litre thats £4.54 a gallon = 25.222 pence per mile. On LPG I get about 15 mpg .. at 59p/litre thats £2.68 a gallon = 17.8 pence per mile .. so I save about 8 pence on every mile. If I travel slower ( :-X :-X ) I can improve on these figures quite easily, and they are better with the 2.5 as well.
Suffice to say .. over the 6800 miles I've had the LPG I've saved over £650 already....
I love the 3.2 and wouldn't change it ... I just wish I had known these numbers when I first got the old 2.5 ... I would have gone for LPG years ago.
Just worth a thought .. oh . and if you think you lose performance .. think again .... no difference .. but the maintenance costs go DOWN IMHO .. I'll explain that if anyone asks !!!
:)
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the 2.5td can do 35mpg but so can a 2.5 V6 tourqe figures are fairly similar to plus V6s are alot cheaper!
2.2 DTi well i drove a 2.2 DTi veccy and that was as flat as a turd so in an omega i doubt it barely moves!
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have to agree, why?
Diesel is 10p a litre more at the pump, you will pay more for the diesel over a V6.
V6's are worthless at the moment as they are belived to be uneconomical. Buy a cheap V6, use the money saved, and fit LPG.
Then it costs just 55p odd a litre for fuel, and you get the silky smooth V6.
I'm with Tunnie here .. I tow a 1600Kg caravan on a very regular basis with the 3.2 V6 ... When towing on petrol I used to get around 18 mpg ... at £1.00 a litre thats £4.54 a gallon = 25.222 pence per mile. On LPG I get about 15 mpg .. at 59p/litre thats £2.68 a gallon = 17.8 pence per mile .. so I save about 8 pence on every mile. If I travel slower ( :-X :-X ) I can improve on these figures quite easily, and they are better with the 2.5 as well.
Suffice to say .. over the 6800 miles I've had the LPG I've saved over £650 already....
I love the 3.2 and wouldn't change it ... I just wish I had known these numbers when I first got the old 2.5 ... I would have gone for LPG years ago.
Just worth a thought .. oh . and if you think you lose performance .. think again .... no difference .. but the maintenance costs go DOWN IMHO .. I'll explain that if anyone asks !!!
:)
I reckon you're using the same principle I am... LPG is a much cleaner fuel and the oil stays cleaner... I'm only changing every 5k or so and it still looks as clean as when it went in :y :y
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Personally I have to agree with everyone else's comments... Although, in theory, the Diesel is more economical, in practice I don't believe it is. You can pick up a V6 for pennies and if you get one that is pre March 2001 you don't get stung for tax. Then fit LPG if economy is what you're after and you're laughing! ;D ;D
My LPG kit will pay for itself in about 7000miles as I fitted it myself and it has no noticeable loss of power and pulls like a train :y :y :y
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I reckon you're using the same principle I am... LPG is a much cleaner fuel and the oil stays cleaner... I'm only changing every 5k or so and it still looks as clean as when it went in :y :y
I plan to extend my oil changes too now I'm running LPG. Will probably switch over to the fully synthetic oil though.
Kevin
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I reckon you're using the same principle I am... LPG is a much cleaner fuel and the oil stays cleaner... I'm only changing every 5k or so and it still looks as clean as when it went in :y :y
I plan to extend my oil changes too now I'm running LPG. Will probably switch over to the fully synthetic oil though.
Kevin
I've been keeping an eye on mine and after 2.5K it's still clean as a whistle :y :y :y
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Not only is the oil itself, apparently, cleaner, but IMHO the breather system is staying a lot cleaner ... ok ... I only have 6 months of summer driving to compare to .. but the breathers were manky when I got the car (Jan 08), and pretty grubby when I had the LPG fitted (May 08) but virtually clean yesterday. I have also been told , but have no proof as I have a stainless system, that exhausts last far longer on LPG .. so all round it seems to be saving me money :)
And some kids I know think I'm great for not polluting .. (daren't tell them that the laws of physics ensure that burning LPG still produces CO2 !!)
:)
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I drive a 2.2 diesel & they're very good pullers. I can leave 2.2 petrols standing when up in the MPH. The economies very good, i can achieve a respectable 36-37 mpg- urban & if driven steady ::) i can achieve 50+ on motorway cruises. There's no cambelt to worry about, just a chain which won't give any problems if the oils changed regular.
Going by what iv'e been told by various bods & members on here, the 2.2 is more reliable than the 2.5.
HTH.
Any questions, just drop me a PM & i'll do my best to answer :y
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thanks for the comments, i must say i have to agree a lpg car will beat a diesel for mpg but they are quite rare and i have a budget of 2k so not sure i will be able to afford the car and conversion, just about to buy my 1st house hence why im strapped for cash. this is why i was going for the diesel, im really not fussed about performance, no offence guys but if i wanted performance i wouldnt be buying a omega, what im after is a sensible, comfortable daily driver thats reliable. speed really is not an issue i have a toy in the garage for that. so im either looking for the 2.2 dti or if i can afford it a pre 2001 petrol with a lpg conversion.
are there any buying tips on what to look for, rot, bad wiring etc etc.
thanks for the help so far, it really is appreciated :).
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i must say i have to agree a lpg car will beat a diesel for mpg but they are quite rare and i have a budget of 2k so not sure i will be able to afford the car and conversion
You can get well within that budget for a nice V6 with all the toys if you go down the DIY route for the conversion. Mine cost under £700 with everything I needed for the LPG conversion... Decent late 90's/200 mini-facelift elite can be picked up for under £1000 :y :y
im really not fussed about performance, no offence guys but if i wanted performance i wouldnt be buying a omega
Don't be so sure... I've surprised many "hot hatch" and performance car drivers when I stick the loud pedal to the floor ::) ::) ;D ;D ;D
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Performance - well they are not slow!
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i must say i have to agree a lpg car will beat a diesel for mpg but they are quite rare and i have a budget of 2k so not sure i will be able to afford the car and conversion
You can get well within that budget for a nice V6 with all the toys if you go down the DIY route for the conversion. Mine cost under £700 with everything I needed for the LPG conversion... Decent late 90's/200 mini-facelift elite can be picked up for under £1000 :y :y
im really not fussed about performance, no offence guys but if i wanted performance i wouldnt be buying a omega
Don't be so sure... I've surprised many "hot hatch" and performance car drivers when I stick the loud pedal to the floor ::) ::) ;D ;D ;D
yep the local chav's cant understand how 2 tones nearly of 3.0 v6 power can out do there 1.6 saxo's mv6 is even quicker than GSi vectra's off the mark ive raced em! on a private road of course!
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thanks for the comments, i must say i have to agree a lpg car will beat a diesel for mpg but they are quite rare and i have a budget of 2k so not sure i will be able to afford the car and conversion, just about to buy my 1st house hence why im strapped for cash. this is why i was going for the diesel, im really not fussed about performance, no offence guys but if i wanted performance i wouldnt be buying a omega, what im after is a sensible, comfortable daily driver thats reliable. speed really is not an issue i have a toy in the garage for that. so im either looking for the 2.2 dti or if i can afford it a pre 2001 petrol with a lpg conversion.
are there any buying tips on what to look for, rot, bad wiring etc etc.
thanks for the help so far, it really is appreciated :).
It is possible currently to pick up a Omega petrol and purchase an LPG that can be DIY fitted and still have it all on the road for less than 2k.
About 6 months ago i bought a 51 reg 2.6 CDX with a blown engine, i managed to put it on the road and LPG it for less than 2k, granted i have added more to it now and taken it over that but it can be done...
the ones i am looking at currently are runners with plenty of mileage left in them, sub 100,000 milers....
no no one wants big cars currently, coupled with the credit squeeze it is a buyers market, i reckon i would be lucky to get between 1500 and 1750 for my CDX now (that said i am no offloading currently)
if you were looking to buy a pre 99 car check everywhere for rust, remember petrol V6's need a cambelt AND tensioner change every 40k miles, the engines, if looked after are good for 200K+
tyre wear, especially on the front can spell wishbones, use that as a bargaining point, knocking on the front could be 'droplinks' not expensive but still a bargaining point.
On petrol engined cars the gearboxes are pretty robust weither it be manual or Auto, check the rear suspension for broken springs and uneven tyre wear.
Interior wise check the passenger footwell for damp, sometimes the drain channel blocks and water gets in through the heater motor, not a hard job to sort out, just a bit dirty!!
The general feeling is that 99 on cars have a slightly more robust interior but the pre 99 cars have a better looking interior, horses for courses there i suppose
i always check the MOT to see if an advisory note has been given, if so i want to see it....if it has 'disappeared' i check on the VOSA website and find out what it was advised on and then look at those items, have they been rectified/changed, if so then it goes someway to showing that the car has been cared for.
If it has an LPG conversion on it check the wiring carefully, how well does it run on LPG? there have been some very well documented cases of 'professionals' fitting in a real cowboy fashion, and then there have been some very professional kits fitted by pros as well.
I always get the owner to take me out to a point and then i drive back, i like to see how they drive the car, that's another way of telling how it is looked after
hope that helps