Money pit.

[Doctor Gollum]

So is the Omega a money pit or not?

Reading this as a prospect Omega buyer doesn't really seat well. 

Omega purchasing is quite straightforward...

Find a car with the least rust/ticks the most boxes (ie auto/manual, leather/cloth, sunroof/not etc) and buy it.

Then budget about £1,000 to get it mechanically sorted (suspension, wishbones, geometry, cambelt, tyres, brakes aircon, radiator etc).

Then add all the bits you want to complete the box ticking.

In the UK, the cars can be bought for relative peanuts, but in Euroland, you should add at least a 1 to the front of the purchase price

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I quite fancy another Omega.

With the exception of derv or 2.0/2.2.

[Doctor Gollum]

I quite fancy another Omega.

With the exception of derv or 2.0/2.2.

If I had a mind to, it would probably be a 2.2 Sport manual with a blower... and probably in silver although graphite would be the first choice

In reality, the E39 is a much better (drivers) car...

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I quite fancy another Omega.

With the exception of derv or 2.0/2.2.

If I had a mind to, it would probably be a 2.2 Sport manual with a blower... and probably in silver although graphite would be the first choice

In reality, the E39 is a much better (drivers) car...

By far the best looking BMW in decades.

The 5.0 V8 M5 is tempting, and prices are likely to rise as they become more rare.

400 BHP and a lovely sound.

[anV6]

I would say not, unless you buy a real lemon. Then again the same is true of any car (no exceptions).

Probably stating the obvious here, but any omega you buy will have the thick end 15years under its wheels as an absolute minimum. What that means is you are well into the regular replacement cycle of parts that is needed to keep a car of that age going. Nothing lasts for ever and even non-consumable parts (rads, hoses gaskets etc) will succumb to corossion/wear given enough time.

It just depends on where in that replacement cycle your car is when you buy it as to what needs to be spent. £1200 in 6 months in new bits is a lot (for an omega), but then again its only £200/month which wouldn't buy much to ride round in on lease/pcp. I'd wager that if MigV6 kept up with that £200/month and put it into a bank account as a repairs fund he'd be well up by the end of the year, and could probably fund tax, insurance, and a good few pints on what he had left over!

The only reason it looks expensive is that newer cars take your money off you sneakily through depreciation. You don't actually hand over the cash, so it feels less painful.

Ok thanks. Good to hear they are not money pits. Like you said, any car can be if you buy a lemon. This is why I'm taking my time. 

[anV6]

So is the Omega a money pit or not?

Reading this as a prospect Omega buyer doesn't really seat well. 

Omega purchasing is quite straightforward...

Find a car with the least rust/ticks the most boxes (ie auto/manual, leather/cloth, sunroof/not etc) and buy it.

Then budget about £1,000 to get it mechanically sorted (suspension, wishbones, geometry, cambelt, tyres, brakes aircon, radiator etc).

Then add all the bits you want to complete the box ticking.

In the UK, the cars can be bought for relative peanuts, but in Euroland, you should add at least a 1 to the front of the purchase price

Yes, they are much more expensive here.

Sounds simple enough. Now is finding the car I want.

[Doctor Gollum]

I quite fancy another Omega.

With the exception of derv or 2.0/2.2.

If I had a mind to, it would probably be a 2.2 Sport manual with a blower... and probably in silver although graphite would be the first choice

In reality, the E39 is a much better (drivers) car...

By far the best looking BMW in decades.

The 5.0 V8 M5 is tempting, and prices are likely to rise as they become more rare.

400 BHP and a lovely sound.

Should the opportunity ever present itself, the an E61 M5 estate would be my investment car of choice

[anV6]

I quite fancy another Omega.

With the exception of derv or 2.0/2.2.

If I had a mind to, it would probably be a 2.2 Sport manual with a blower... and probably in silver although graphite would be the first choice

In reality, the E39 is a much better (drivers) car...

It's the last 5 series that looked alright. Maybe the very last one looks ok too. But not as good as the 80's and 90's BMW 5. BMW 5 and 7 have been downhill since the late 90's. Ugly car after ugly car. The 3 series somehow managed to stay attractive.

I'm sure the E39 is a good car. The problem is that old BMWs here have a bad image 

And I was never a big fan of the brand to start with.

Otherwise I would probably buy one. After the Omega there is no other good bang for your buck to be had if you want a larger RWD 4 door saloon.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I quite fancy another Omega.

With the exception of derv or 2.0/2.2.

If I had a mind to, it would probably be a 2.2 Sport manual with a blower... and probably in silver although graphite would be the first choice

In reality, the E39 is a much better (drivers) car...

By far the best looking BMW in decades.

The 5.0 V8 M5 is tempting, and prices are likely to rise as they become more rare.

400 BHP and a lovely sound.

Should the opportunity ever present itself, the an E61 M5 estate would be my investment car of choice

Two problems.

1. It's irretrievably ugly and will frighten the horses and children.

2. It is short of torque, and what little there is resides at the top of the rev range.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

So is the Omega a money pit or not?

Reading this as a prospect Omega buyer doesn't really seat well. 

I could have got away with spending a lot less than I did. With this car, I have an idea of perfection in mind, and like a fool, I'm chasing it. 

The link below shows the car when I bought it. It doesn't look like it needs much money spent on it, but I have found lots of ways of improving it.
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=136018.0

[anV6]

Things like these are the reason old BMWs have a bad reputation here:







They are seen as cars for low class low education people and have a label on them. A label which I guess in the UK would be something like pikey or yob. I always hated these stupid derogatory social terms. But people feel the need for them to exist I guess.

[anV6]

So is the Omega a money pit or not?

Reading this as a prospect Omega buyer doesn't really seat well. 

I could have got away with spending a lot less than I did. With this car, I have an idea of perfection in mind, and like a fool, I'm chasing it. 

The link below shows the car when I bought it. It doesn't look like it needs much money spent on it, but I have found lots of ways of improving it.
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=136018.0

Visually it looked fine! 

[Viral_Jim]

So is the Omega a money pit or not?

Reading this as a prospect Omega buyer doesn't really seat well. 

I could have got away with spending a lot less than I did. With this car, I have an idea of perfection in mind, and like a fool, I'm chasing it. 

The link below shows the car when I bought it. It doesn't look like it needs much money spent on it, but I have found lots of ways of improving it.
http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=136018.0

Visually it looked fine! 

Agreed! Other than selling the grille and buying an original vaux one (probably would have netted cash) it doesn't look like it needs a thing! What have you found to spend >£1000 on?

[Doctor Gollum]

Waste of a 6 series, but short of being scrapped that's about all the E36 is fit for

There are people around who will do that to anything from a Citroen Saxo all the way upto an Omega

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Cant remember much of it, but will dig out the service folder later and make a list.
I still have the original grill, by the way. I don't think the irmscher type grill goes particularily well with that colour, but the original grill really makes it look like an old mans car / Astra on steroids.
I am an old man, but I like to kid myself that I'm  not.