Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: WillyWonka on 04 July 2007, 18:45:57
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Hi all ....
A little query that you all may be able to help me on. ::)
I am looking for a facelifted Omega and havent seen any comments on which is best .
I think the MV6 , the Elite or CDX models with either the 2.6 , or 3.2 engines.
What is the general advice on these - i guess mainly on the engine side as the spec for each model is pretty obvious and what should i expect to pay ish ?
Also how good is the Sat Nav as fitted to some 3.2's ? :o
Not too concerned about the fuel consumption unless it drinks it !! But the overall ownership and cost of repairs / running would need to be taken into account.
Sorry its a general question but could do with a little advice.
:y :y
Thanks and regards
Simon
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Hi all ....
A little query that you all may be able to help me on. ::)
I am looking for a facelifted Omega and havent seen any comments on which is best .
I think the MV6 , the Elite or CDX models with either the 2.6 , or 3.2 engines.
What is the general advice on these - i guess mainly on the engine side as the spec for each model is pretty obvious and what should i expect to pay ish ?
Also how good is the Sat Nav as fitted to some 3.2's ? :o
Not too concerned about the fuel consumption unless it drinks it !! But the overall ownership and cost of repairs / running would need to be taken into account.
Sorry its a general question but could do with a little advice.
:y :y
Thanks and regards
Simon
Welcome :)
The model specs are obvious as you said. The v6 models will have similar running costs, petrol aside. Due to gearing, 2.6 isn't much slower on paper, yet the 3.2 is noticably more powerful if that makes sense. 3.2 is only available in Auto (unless ex-plod), so if you want a manual, it will have to be a 2.6.
MPG wise, my 3.0l MV6 auto returns about 24-25 mpg on average (up to 33 on a good run). I would expect a 3.2 to be slightly less, and a 2.6 in the high 20s. A manual will probably get an extra couple of mpg.
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elite has quite a few toys to keep you busy, plus the bose stereo which is pretty good for a factory fit unit. However the suspension is set up for cruising rather than throwing it around ... the MV6 is better in that respect, but doesn't have the bose stereo, sunroof, heated rear seats and a few other toys.
To my knowledge, the sat nav (standard on 3.0/3.2, optional on 2.5/2.6) is the same head unit (NCDC2013 / NCDC2015 with phone), the later 3.2's had a colour display (optional on earlier models and smaller engines) - although you then get a map the software behind it is the same. The version I have does NOT have postcode entry for address, perhaps this has changed with a later software version?
Oh and the 3.2 auto has a big thirst around town ... mine won't even see 20MPG with local driving :(
... and make sure you carry a spare crank sensor :y
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Well the 2.6 is lot more common and also is a pretty good engine.
It is not much slower than the 3.0, but it is very smooth
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and if thirst is an issue, then a manual box helps. driven carefully you should manage 30mpg around town with a manual
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If its toys - then elite. If its a sporty look then its MV6.
Go as new as you can on a prefacelift v6 ( 3.2 pretty rare)
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My 3.2 MV6 auto manages about 26-27 MPG overall but not a great deal of that is real town driving. Mostly "A" roads with a little urban driving either end. Normally fairly sedate driving with the odd blast [smiley=evil.gif] It certainly does get through a bit in real city driving but I don't do enough of that to really have a feel for it. Short trips seem to put a fair dent in the consumption as well.
On a motorway run, it'll do low 30's if you're not caning it. Have seen 35MPG average on a trip round the M25 where most of the driving was around 60 due to weight of traffic.
Handling is nice on the MV6. It can be chucked around impressively for a car of its' size. Certainly a bit crisper than an Elite I test drove but I'm only drawing a comparison to one other car so that may not be too representative. You do feel a few bumps through the suspension but it's still a comfortable ride compared to most cars at that level of handling IMHO.
I find performance is great. 0-60 in about 8 on paper for the 3.2 but it has power throughout the rev range meaning you don't have to give it any grief to drive quite briskly. Overtaking is a total breeze. In general a very comfortable and fun car to drive.
Overall cost of ownership depends how much maintenance you can do yourself. To be honest, with the help of the information on this site, and if you're willing to have a go, that will probably be most of it. Cam belt and tensioners need replacement every 40,000 miles / 4 years so that is a significant cost if you're getting a garage to do it, but help is always at hand here and it'll cost around 100 odd quid a time for the parts only. Ignore the 20,000 mile service interval and change the oil much more regularly. 3000-5000 miles is our recommendation but this is a 20 minute job once you're used to it. See the technical info. section for more details of servicing recommendations. It's worth changing the coolant reasonably regularly too, to avoid a couple of issues that can be caused by a weak antifreeze mix. On the whole, you'll see most of the regular problems with an Omega cropping up here but most are not expensive to fix and, provided the cam belt situation is kept on top of, there aren't often major problems.
A 3.2 will probably have other expenses over and above the 2.6. Tyres may be a little more expensive, for example. I find good quality tyres from the big names are about 100 quid a corner or thereabouts (235/45/17).
The only thing I didn't have on the MV6 spec. that I particularly wanted was cruise control and fortunately adding that was only a matter of changing the indicator stalk for one with the requisite extra buttons and getting the feature enabled using a Tech2. I find it's easy to let your speed wander (usually upwards ::) ) and cruise control helps keep that in check on motorway runs.
Sorry for the load of waffle but having been in your situation about 6 months ago most if this is fresh in my mind. I haven't once looked back, by the way :)
Kevin
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Thanks for all the information that just keeps on coming. :) :)
I have had many sports cars and general cars but this will be the first Vauxhall and look fwd to sharing a few points back to the group.
Will keep you updated on the search........ ;D ;D
Thanks again everyone for the input.
Regards
Simon
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... when are you looking to buy and how much are you looking to spend, I might be selling mine in about a month's time ... 3.2 auto elite estate on a 52-reg plate with just over 90k on the clock - cam belt, tensioners & water pump changed about 4 months ago ... ???
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Well the 2.6 is lot more common and also is a pretty good engine.
It is not much slower than the 3.0, but it is very smooth
;) :y
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My 3.2 MV6 auto manages about 26-27 MPG overall but not a great deal of that is real town driving. Mostly "A" roads with a little urban driving either end. Normally fairly sedate driving with the odd blast [smiley=evil.gif] It certainly does get through a bit in real city driving but I don't do enough of that to really have a feel for it. Short trips seem to put a fair dent in the consumption as well.
On a motorway run, it'll do low 30's if you're not caning it. Have seen 35MPG average on a trip round the M25 where most of the driving was around 60 due to weight of traffic.
Handling is nice on the MV6. It can be chucked around impressively for a car of its' size. Certainly a bit crisper than an Elite I test drove but I'm only drawing a comparison to one other car so that may not be too representative. You do feel a few bumps through the suspension but it's still a comfortable ride compared to most cars at that level of handling IMHO.
I find performance is great. 0-60 in about 8 on paper for the 3.2 but it has power throughout the rev range meaning you don't have to give it any grief to drive quite briskly. Overtaking is a total breeze. In general a very comfortable and fun car to drive.
Overall cost of ownership depends how much maintenance you can do yourself. To be honest, with the help of the information on this site, and if you're willing to have a go, that will probably be most of it. Cam belt and tensioners need replacement every 40,000 miles / 4 years so that is a significant cost if you're getting a garage to do it, but help is always at hand here and it'll cost around 100 odd quid a time for the parts only. Ignore the 20,000 mile service interval and change the oil much more regularly. 3000-5000 miles is our recommendation but this is a 20 minute job once you're used to it. See the technical info. section for more details of servicing recommendations. It's worth changing the coolant reasonably regularly too, to avoid a couple of issues that can be caused by a weak antifreeze mix. On the whole, you'll see most of the regular problems with an Omega cropping up here but most are not expensive to fix and, provided the cam belt situation is kept on top of, there aren't often major problems.
A 3.2 will probably have other expenses over and above the 2.6. Tyres may be a little more expensive, for example. I find good quality tyres from the big names are about 100 quid a corner or thereabouts (235/45/17).
The only thing I didn't have on the MV6 spec. that I particularly wanted was cruise control and fortunately adding that was only a matter of changing the indicator stalk for one with the requisite extra buttons and getting the feature enabled using a Tech2. I find it's easy to let your speed wander (usually upwards ::) ) and cruise control helps keep that in check on motorway runs.
Sorry for the load of waffle but having been in your situation about 6 months ago most if this is fresh in my mind. I haven't once looked back, by the way :)
Kevin
Excellent advice there and I agree with it.
Just to put my view forward, I have a 1998 2.5 CDX and love the smoothness of the engine. Power is also very good I find. Now that I have changed the exhaust and the crank sensor, my economy has improved to around 22 - 25 around town and low 30s on a run. The one thing I would advise is decide on the spec that you want and then go for this. I say this as, although I have the CDX with Leather and Electric Pack (which makes it a virtual Elite), I now find myself wanting the Elite. In fact I am actively looking for a late(ish) Elite oil cooler project.
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Well the 2.6 is lot more common and also is a pretty good engine.
It is not much slower than the 3.0, but it is very smooth
;) :y
Common as muck [smiley=rolleyes.gif]
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Well the 2.6 is lot more common and also is a pretty good engine.
It is not much slower than the 3.0, but it is very smooth
;) :y
Common as muck but the 2.6 is so much better than the 3.0
[smiley=vrolijk_26.gif] [smiley=tekst-toppie.gif]
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Once you've had a 3.0l, the 2.5/2.6 seem so much slower...
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Once you've had a 3.0l, the 2.5/2.6 seem so much slower...
Haven't had the luxury of the 3.0/3.2.........yet!!! :y
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Once you've had a 3.0l, the 2.5/2.6 seem so much slower...
...which is why I never had a 3.0L ;)
Ignorance is bliss, and I am happy with my 2.6! :y
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Thanks again for all the excellent advice.
Just a couple of things that come to mind from all the advice.
Cambelts / sensors seem pretty crucial on these engines .... was is this something that is terminal if fails ( i would imagine the cambelt would be pretty disastrous but what about the sensor ?)
There seem to be lots of the 2.6 around so would this be the best option verses the 3.2 which appears VERY thirsty ..... or an older 3.0 but still the facelifted versions. :) :)
Also we come to the ex-plod machines ..... 3.2's that are pretty cheap but dont seem to have the full specs as you and me are in effect paying for them .... quite right too !! .... And they usually have more miles than Starship Enterprise !! :-/
I have around £4k'ish to spend and now barring the above queries wonder whether to go for a blast of the ex-plod 3.2 and run it like hell or cherish the 2.6 and polish it and talk to it !! :-? :-?
PS the ex-plod sure has an effect on the motorway as I moved over very quickly when on 03 plate white estate came up behind me pretty rapid just the other night .... and yes most other cars moved pretty quick too!! .... Just a 3.2 estate with Mr and Mrs and two kids in !!
Cheers
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Thanks again for all the excellent advice.
Just a couple of things that come to mind from all the advice.
Cambelts / sensors seem pretty crucial on these engines .... was is this something that is terminal if fails ( i would imagine the cambelt would be pretty disastrous but what about the sensor ?)
There seem to be lots of the 2.6 around so would this be the best option verses the 3.2 which appears VERY thirsty ..... or an older 3.0 but still the facelifted versions. :) :)
Also we come to the ex-plod machines ..... 3.2's that are pretty cheap but dont seem to have the full specs as you and me are in effect paying for them .... quite right too !! .... And they usually have more miles than Starship Enterprise !! :-/
I have around £4k'ish to spend and now barring the above queries wonder whether to go for a blast of the ex-plod 3.2 and run it like hell or cherish the 2.6 and polish it and talk to it !! :-? :-?
PS the ex-plod sure has an effect on the motorway as I moved over very quickly when on 03 plate white estate came up behind me pretty rapid just the other night .... and yes most other cars moved pretty quick too!! .... Just a 3.2 estate with Mr and Mrs and two kids in !!
Cheers
For your price range, you should be able to get exactly what you want.
Cambelt will be pretty disasterous, and will involve replacing lots of valves.
Most sensor failures have a 'limp home' mode, the notable exception on the V6 being the crank sensor - that will cause the car to cut out. Hence, I tend to carry a spare :).
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There seem to be lots of the 2.6 around so would this be the best option verses the 3.2 which appears VERY thirsty
The official figures suggest there's only 1 or 2 MPG in it. It would be interesting if anyone has owned both and can equate that to real world figures.
I wouldn't say the 3.2 is very thirsty for what it is. How you drive it and in what traffic conditions will be the biggest factor.
For £4K you will do much better than an ex-plod with high mileage, although there can be real bargains to pick up in that bracket if you're prepared to accept it will have less toys and lots of miles. I think you need to test drive a couple and figure out what you want.
Regarding the cam belt you just need to keep on top of the 40k / 4 years changes. It can be expensive if you're going to a dealer but there's enough help and advice here that you won't have to. There are a few other niggles that pop up on these cars but none are terminal and all are well documented on here so you can mitigate most of them with the correct preventative maintenance.
Kevin