1999 Vauxhall Omega GLX 2.5 V6 petrol

Summary:

Luxury on the cheap

Faults:

At around 50,000 miles, the car developed an intermittent fault. After a long run, the car wouldn't restart if left for less than an hour or so. Eventually, the car refused to start when cold one day, so off it went to the local Vauxhall dealer, where a £140 bill was presented for replacing a crankshaft rev sensor.

An exhaust baffle has just started to rattle in the past six months.

A steering bush is on its way out at the moment.

General Comments:

This is by far the best car I have ever owned. Perhaps the best comment is down to a friend of mine who has an identical model and just considered replacing it with an AMD Mercedes. He looked at, and test drove, the Merc then said the Omega might be the boring choice, but he loved his current one more than any car he'd ever owned. He's just bought another Omega.

The secret with these cars seems to be to buy secondhand. In the UK, the depreciation on these new is suicidal, so a three year old one can easily cost 25% of the cost of a brand new one. Makes it an amazingly cheap luxury car to run.

Certainly, if you've no need for a snobby badge on your car, an Omega is an opportunity for luxury motoring on he cheap.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th March, 2003

1999 Vauxhall Omega GLS 2.0 petrol

Summary:

In a word, scrumptious!!

Faults:

Water pump failed soon after delivery, fixed under warranty.

Door check arm failed.

Camshaft sensor failed, to be repaired under warranty.

Door locking button on driver's side occasionally sticking, needs lubrication (will repair myself at the same time as the door check).

General Comments:

Despite the initial teething troubles, this is one impressive car!

I was somewhat relieved to hear that the above faults are the most common on Omegas, and therefore should be quick to fix - and as long as the warranty takes care of them, that's fine.

The Omega is a joy to drive, and the automatic gearbox adds to the pleasure since the majority of my travel is in the city. Seats are like armchairs and the engine is almost silent!

One thing I do miss is rear head rests - not fitted as standard on the GLS. Easy enough to fit one's self, so that's a job for me in the near future.

In the first month of ownership, I took the car on an 800 mile round trip down to Cornwall and back - these cars just love a motorway! Covered the 6 hour drive down there and barely noticed it.

Ample interior and boot space is another great asset of the Omega, you almost get an echo in the back!

Fuel economy seems fair, considering the weight of the motor (auto box).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st February, 2003

2nd Mar 2003, 08:44

Thanks for your comments Simon, have dropped you a line.

Andy.

12th May 2003, 07:12

Review update - 11/05/2003.

Having now owned the car for about 4 months, I have managed to solve most of the major problems. A new cambelt kit seems to have cured the ECU light illumination, and the central locking now works perfectly (new motor fitted).

The door check arm needs welding, that's a job for another time, and a Vx dealer. Quite frankly, I can live with it anyway.

I have also added my own rear head restraints (thanks Simon for the helpful photos!!) - saved myself £300 labor to drill 4 little holes in hardboard (yep, that's what a dealer was asking!).

I've now covered just over 3,000 miles in the car since I bought it, and for the life of me I can't think where they went - miles just melt away in Omegas.

Q. Am I still happy with it?

A. Is the Pope a Catholic??

Ps. Many many thanks to the helpful members of the 'Omega Owners' Yahoo! group for all their advice and tips.

Andy (Titch).

20th Mar 2004, 05:42

I want my Omega to last forever.

19th Aug 2004, 14:30

Dear all, I have been driving Omega for the past four years, prior to driving Senator five years, towed with both vehicles all over the UK.

Only problem with the Senator was the electrics very poor, with the Omega one failed oil pump, head gasket replaced and the odd bush or two. Both cars had been purchased after the first four years of life so depreciation had taken it's effect on the as new price.

Anyway to finish just traded my 94 Omega for a 2001 model so we travel on. (once owned a Vauxhall Magmun, similar Fourth Bridge Construction)