I really, really do not want to sell this car, but I have recently bought a nearly new S-Type SE 2.7 diesel, so we may need to go our separate ways.
I don't like buying cars, so I tend to buy a good'n every ten years or so, and then look after it well - which is exactly what I hope to do with my new Jag. How long I will keep my licence for is another matter altogether.
Anyhow, I bought the Omega from CD Bramall at Middlesbrough in August 2000 with just a few thousand miles on the clock. The General Manager there had used this car for his own personal transport, and also as a demonstrator, but the [then] new VX220 had just been delivered, and it was summertime ......
The car was built in 1999, and was first registered in October of that year, although it is the 2000 (facelift) model. Being a factory car it came with a few extras, including a genuine Irmshcer front spoiler, and the lip on the boot lid (which is slightly bigger than that fitted on the Elite model).
Current mileage is a shade under 100,000 miles (96,640 as of today), so it is just nicely run in. The cam belt was last done 10 or 20,000 miles ago, (I need to check), and I have used Mobil 1 synthetic oil since the first service. I work from home, so I don’t use the car for commuting, but when I do use it I tend to cover long distances at motorway speeds. We also use it for family holidays.
I had a new set of Pirelli P6000 tyres (225/55 VR16) fitted two summers ago, which are about a third worn. (I usually expect 40,000 miles from a set, which may give some idea of how I drive the car). I had some problems with balancing, which led to a new alloy wheel being fitted unnecessarily, before Pirelli’s Technical manager diagnosed a faulty tyre, which was replaced FOC after about 5,000 miles. So, there is a spare alloy wheel with the car!
The so called 'space saver', (205/55 R16), is bigger than most cars road wheels, and has never been used.
Being a CDX the car comes with the usual refinements, including electronic climate control, ABS, Stability Control, Xenon headlights, headlamp washers, sunroof, CD Changer, heated seats, trip computer and lots of other goodies.
The car has always been well maintained, initially by the main dealer, and more recently at a very good local independent garage (after CD Bramall became Evans Halshaw).
As far as I know, everything works, expect for the electric height adjuster on the front passenger seat, which clunks, but doesn’t adjust. The electric windows on the rear doors sometimes need to be inched up too, but I suspect this is because they are not used very often.
There has been no major work, but the oil seals were replaced on the differential under warranty, and the aircon condenser was replaced about two years ago. The rear offside door was also replaced under warranty owing to internal corrosion.
I can honestly say that the bodywork is unmarked, with no dings or scratches, and all of the doors close and lock properly. There is of course some stone chipping, as would be expected after 100,000 miles, but nothing out of the ordinary. The front and rear bumpers have some marks from the original users golf trolley, and minor indiscretions by others in car parks. The front spoiler does have some paint scuffing (my fault – I can explain) and stress marks, but these are all easily rectified.
The interior is virtually unmarked. The Vauxhall mats are well worn, and could do with being replaced, but they have protected the carpets well.
There is a slight issue with coolant loss, which remains a mystery. This has been going on for the past few years, and was initially diagnosed as a failing head gasket, but this proved not to be the case. Flushing the system with a flush aid and filling with fresh red antifreeze seems to have helped, but I still need to top it up every 2,000 miles or so.
It could probably do with a new set of front brake disks too. These are not worn, but the coating seems to fail on the inside of the disks. I have had them replaced under warranty twice now, but according to Vauxhall, they fail became I don’t use the car often enough?
The road fund licence runs out at the end of October, and I think the MOT is either October or November.
So there you have it. If someone makes me a good enough offer I will sell, but otherwise I will persuade my wife to use it for work, and we will mothball the Astra until our son is old enough to drive it. Unfortunately the Omega is too big to fit into the garage properly, otherwise I might be mothballing that!
Please ask if you have any questions.
NN
Edit: I should add that as this car was first registered in 2000, (not 2001), it qualifies for the lower (standard) Road Fund Tax rating.
And finally, the business end of things.
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Topic: Possibly For Sale - 2000 2.5 V6 CDX Auto in Silver (Read 2158 times)