Cooked it

[TheBoy]

Taking the positives, the 2.6 is a dog of an engine, and you're replacing with a 3.2 - which still ain't as good at the 3.0, but still loads better than the 2.6
........

With a bit of soul searching you can be quite a sympathetic chap can't you. 

Working for a large corporate, I have much training on empathy....

[Lizzie Zoom]

A young Halfords employee who was salivating over mine today reckons that mine (Rubens red) is the best colout they came in . 

That young lad is talking the truth.  I still love mine!

To think, that lad at Halfords may not have been born when our last Omega's were built!

[Lizzie Zoom]

Another one gone James.     Bad luck!

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Still a fine looking motor though! 

Obviously better in Nocturno Blue tho... 

But star silver is far more are therefore far more desirable.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

A young Halfords employee who was salivating over mine today reckons that mine (Rubens red) is the best colout they came in . 

Same colour as the 3.2 Elite Lizzie Zoom owns.

Perhaps you two could get together and become an item.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Taking the positives, the 2.6 is a dog of an engine, and you're replacing with a 3.2 - which still ain't as good at the 3.0, but still loads better than the 2.6
........

With a bit of soul searching you can be quite a sympathetic chap can't you. 

Working for a large corporate, I have much training on empathy....

TB and empathy.....you'll rarely find the two in the same sentence.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Still a fine looking motor though! 

Obviously better in Nocturno Blue tho... 

But star silver is far more are therefore far more desirable.

In English please? 

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Rare and....

[Sir Tigger KC]

Rare and....

Ah yes, like Mexican BMW's finished in Bell End Purple? 

[Lizzie Zoom]

A young Halfords employee who was salivating over mine today reckons that mine (Rubens red) is the best colout they came in . 

Same colour as the 3.2 Elite Lizzie Zoom owns.

Perhaps you two could get together and become an item.

There you go!  An old image now, but except for the tax disc, still looks as good :

[Andy B]

The Astra G fronted Omegas never grew on me ...... I always liked the curved swage line across the bonnet of the preface lift cars 

[omega2018]

So what do you think went wrong?  98K miles is low for a V6.  Obviously wasn't the belt but also doesn't sound like just one piston/valve failing.

You could pick up a nice V6 manual, the dealer cut the price again this week - now half what he was aking and almost reasonable: https://www.ebay.co.uk/rvh/255972485536?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m148105.l48144

[Varche]

I was thinking a " spares or repair" type vehicle. Go back a few years and you could pick one up for £200. Best. I could find was. 3.0 litre for £560. Then you have all the hassle of trailer collection and disposal and the actual swap over.

The secondhand price of runners seems to be £1500 upwards. No doubt bouyed by the general rise in price of S/H cars

[JamesV6CDX]

So what do you think went wrong?  98K miles is low for a V6.  Obviously wasn't the belt but also doesn't sound like just one piston/valve failing.

You could pick up a nice V6 manual, the dealer cut the price again this week - now half what he was aking and almost reasonable: https://www.ebay.co.uk/rvh/255972485536?rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m148105.l48144

It emptied a load of coolant. For some reason the level warning nor the gauge told me anything was wrong, which meant I continued smoking a load of hot hatches half of its age, until I cooked it like a chicken.

Very little warning anything was amiss until I saw the smoke in the rear view mirror. By the time I was somewhere I could safely stop, it was absolute toast.

I would usually get the heads off, but just before it died, it had a really nasty rattle under light load... maybe caused by the oil getting so hot? Regardless, I suspect bottom end damage which is what's making me think it's not a viable fix ....

[JamesV6CDX]

You'd never get £1500 for this one with the paintwork even when mechanically sound.

Plus I can rob parts needed to get the 3.2 Elite project on the road, saving  at least £400

Plus I just made £300 by weighing in the cats off it and selling a couple of interior bits. I reckon done right I will see upwards of £600 just from breaking it .....

Hence my logic of using two cars to make a goodun out of the Elite. Which is lush. With a stainless exhaust