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[terry paget]

I scrapped Ben's 2.2 last summer, due to MOT failure caused by rust. Jonny rang today, complaining his 2.2 is 'slipping'. Sounds like clutch failure to me, he's bring it home tomorrow. Now I am a car short. Rust free cheap Omegas are no longer an option. I reckon I should buy something smaller and cheaper to run; I have no idea what. Please advise.

My ideas are Honda Jazz, VW Golf, that sort of thing. I expect to do my own servicing and simple repairs. I am quite pleased with Emma's Streetwise, though I gather they are prone to head gasket failure.

[2boxerdogs]

Lots of colleagues got Hondas & love them very reliable.

[Doctor Gollum]

Put a clutch in the Omega whilst you choose. Don't forget that you will be choosing long term, so don't rush it

[dave the builder]

As your used to working on vauxhall ,and have tools etc
why not another vauxhall 
I just replaced an ageing astra G estate with astra H estate (1.7 cdti tractor juice edition ) over 500 miles per tank and only problem so far was a hose leak, done 1500 miles.
similarly, the picasso got replaced with a zafira A and once i did the brakes,new tyres has gone well 2000+ miles without issue , needs a central locking motor for a rear door (which i robbed off the scrapped astra G )
and vauxhall parts are cheap new or used 

[terry paget]

Put a clutch in the Omega whilst you choose. Don't forget that you will be choosing long term, so don't rush it

It's a 4 cylinder, 18 years old, and rusty. I doubt it will pass MOT next year. Doesn't seem worth a new clutch.

[terry paget]

Lots of colleagues got Hondas & love them very reliable.

Thanks. That's my impression too.

[terry paget]

As your used to working on vauxhall ,and have tools etc
why not another vauxhall 
I just replaced an ageing astra G estate with astra H estate (1.7 cdti tractor juice edition ) over 500 miles per tank and only problem so far was a hose leak, done 1500 miles.
similarly, the picasso got replaced with a zafira A and once i did the brakes,new tyres has gone well 2000+ miles without issue , needs a central locking motor for a rear door (which i robbed off the scrapped astra G )
and vauxhall parts are cheap new or used

Good thought. I agree, I like Vauxhalls, cheap parts, and lots of Forum advice. My sister has bought a Mokka and loves it. I had in mind something smaller, Astra size. Is there much wrong with the Astra?

[dave the builder]

Pretty simple to work on , having "the code reader we don't talk about"
we have 2000 1.6 8 valve estate,2001 1.6 8 valve hatch,2002 1.4 16v hatch,and the 1.7 dirty diesel estate
and a pair of corsa c and the zafira A
find a car that is ok body wise ,not much rust and all repairs are simple bolt on

[terry paget]

Pretty simple to work on , having "the code reader we don't talk about"
we have 2000 1.6 8 valve estate,2001 1.6 8 valve hatch,2002 1.4 16v hatch,and the 1.7 dirty diesel estate
and a pair of corsa c and the zafira A
find a car that is ok body wise ,not much rust and all repairs are simple bolt on

That's fair recommendation. I must check availability and prices. Where are the rust problem areas?

[Doctor Gollum]

Put a clutch in the Omega whilst you choose. Don't forget that you will be choosing long term, so don't rush it

It's a 4 cylinder, 18 years old, and rusty. I doubt it will pass MOT next year. Doesn't seem worth a new clutch.

Anything you buy may not pass its next MoT

Might as well buy anything ticketed for as little as you can and throw it away when the MoT runs out.

Possibly time the kids sourced their own transport as well, but that is a side issue...

[dave the builder]

find a car that is ok body wise ,not much rust and all repairs are simple bolt on

That's fair recommendation. I must check availability and prices. Where are the rust problem areas?

wheel arches, sills, front and rear chassis mountings ,all the usual suspects
but if your buying newer ,chances are there will be less rust than an omega
but it is still worth spending time trying to prevent rust ,even on a newer car
from my experience, the more miles a car has done,the more prone it is to rust
and in your case Terry ,your great with the spanners at fixing things but scrap a car when rust rears it's ugly bill 
same as me 

[Doctor Gollum]

Vectra C also worth a look... Wear mileage well and start from £250... Just avoid the dti and 2.2 petrol

[dave the builder]

Vectra C also worth a look... Wear mileage well and start from £250... Just avoid the dti and 2.2 petrol

Nice motors for the money 
 but many suffer dual mass flywheel ,clutch ,gearbox issues
worth looking into before buying
if it's been done, all is good, if there are any transmission noises ,clutch problems walk away (unless you are buying cheap and have factored in the parts/time

I've brought cars "spares or repairs" and fixed the issue before now,because that way you know why the car is being sold
(the astra G estate ,blown head gasket but 11 months MOT, £150 in parts and a couple of days working through it ,still going strong after 5 years )

a clutch on an omega could be done in a day ,£150 ? parts if you have lots of mot ledt and no other problems  aka better the devil you know

or plenty of omegas about with mot , buy one cheap with a long mot , say 500 quid lasts 12 months = £10 a week

[Doctor Gollum]

Ran 3 1.8s to 500k between them with little more than routine servicing... Can't fault them. 

[deviator]

I'm sorry to say, I doubt I'll be buying another Vauxhall. Being owned by Pug/Citroen is enough to put me off, add in the lack of trade club and the uninspiring line up of models and that's me out. I'm not a fan of VAG cars, the owners are enough to put me off. The over complex suspension setup and the fact that they just aren't that reliable. Also I hate offset steering, a lot of VAG cars come with this back aching feature.

Personally, I would drive a Jazz before a Golf. Although if I had a choice, I'd pick a different Honda/Toyota. In fact I've taken a like to the Honda Accord estate.