Best of the Bargain Basement Vol. 2

[Big Rod]

Don't see many of these on here...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1999-Vauxhall-Opel-Omega...



I've had a few and they're cracking all round cars.

The V6's are a little thirsty but go well, (especially in 3.2 MV6 guise), and the four pots are a little under powered but capable nonetheless but if you can find a BMW powered 2.5 diesel, then you're on to something.

[BorkFactor]

I like them a lot, there is a red BMW diesel one on eBay at the moment as well.

Am I correct in thinking the 2.2 DTI is a fairly solid unit as well? Same as the one Saab used in the 9-5?

A manual pre facelift V6 saloon is a rare best

[Big Rod]

Don't know much about the diesels TBH as all of mine were petrol.

The 2.5 diesel was the holy grail though as they can be tuned up quite easily to somewhere approaching 200bhp but maintian most of the economy and torque.

[jagnet]

2013BRM said:

scdan4 said:

can't get up there for a couple of days, so may well be a moot point.

I'm inclined to agree with you - apparently its had a new clutch and a load of bushes to get through mot as well.

put down a deposit, I know Saabs and this looks to be a cared for car, see the bonnet badge? they usually end up buggered but this is good, the spoiler is clear of scrapes, seat bolsters tidy etc, it'll always sell on if you don't like it

It does look in very good condition and a wheel refurb would finish it off nicely. Saab Service Club have been handing out replacement bonnet badges with a free health check so it may have been replaced recently.

With no service history a sump drop has to be a sound investment imho.

Manual Aero estates are far less common than the automatics, with a marked improvement in acceleration.

Worth every penny of the asking price.

[Captain Answer]

Bought this 9-5 Auto with LPG on a bit of a whim last week from Ebay. £550 with 6 month MOT and only done 94k miles, nice folder full of history with it too.

Cosmetically its a bit tired, the alloys are a bit crusty, the interior has some wear marks, the lacquer is peeling in a few small places and she wants some back to black applying to the black trims but mechanically she seems very sound & the LPG kit running excellent so far.

Just need to decide if I'm keeping my 9-3 aero now or not...

[George7]

My bargain basement MG ZT has now got another 12 months MOT! First of all it failed on the handbrake, but that's now been adjusted up and retested and it passed. I've now had it for about 2 years and have done around 22k miles in it, it's been absolutely brilliant and putting the ~30MPG aside, it has actually cost very little to run *touch wood*, I do fancy moving on to a different car soon though, I only ever intended to keep the MG for about a year. I've been looking at cheap XJs for months now and I reckon that's what I'll go for next, I really fancy trying the whole 'effortless wafting' way of motoring; I've actually never driven an auto before.

[2013BRM]

Captain Answer said:

Just need to decide if I'm keeping my 9-3 aero now or not...

I think you'll find the 9-5 a little better screwed together than the 9-3 and better handling, I certainly did,not to mention structural integrity worries

[Captain Answer]

2013BRM said:

I think you'll find the 9-5 a little better screwed together than the 9-3 and better handling, I certainly did,not to mention structural integrity worries

The 9-5 above only has about half the power of the 9-3 I've got though

[2013BRM]

Captain Answer said:

2013BRM said:

I think you'll find the 9-5 a little better screwed together than the 9-3 and better handling, I certainly did,not to mention structural integrity worries

The 9-5 above only has about half the power of the 9-3 I've got though

bonus! you'll keep your licence a bit longer


what have you done to it then?

[Captain Answer]

2013BRM said:

bonus! you'll keep your licence a bit longer


what have you done to it then?

All mods were done before I got it.. full 3" stainless exhaust, upgraded intercooler fitted and stage 3 noob tune remap, which should push the car upto the 270bhp region.

Picked her up for £650 6 months ago expecting it to have gone pop by now, but its actually been pretty decent so far!

[2013BRM]

Captain Answer said:

2013BRM said:

bonus! you'll keep your licence a bit longer


what have you done to it then?

All mods were done before I got it.. full 3" stainless exhaust, upgraded intercooler fitted and stage 3 noob tune remap, which should push the car upto the 270bhp region.

Picked her up for £650 6 months ago expecting it to have gone pop by now, but its actually been pretty decent so far!

nice work, that 3" pipe will be worth as much as you paid for the car, bet the torque steer is hilarious

[Captain Answer]

2013BRM said:

nice work, that 3" pipe will be worth as much as you paid for the car, bet the torque steer is hilarious

It's pretty interesting, especially if it kicks in on a corner and causes the wheels to spin...

[JagXJR]

Captain Answer said:

Bought this 9-5 Auto with LPG on a bit of a whim last week from Ebay. £550 with 6 month MOT and only done 94k miles, nice folder full of history with it too.

Cosmetically its a bit tired, the alloys are a bit crusty, the interior has some wear marks, the lacquer is peeling in a few small places and she wants some back to black applying to the black trims but mechanically she seems very sound & the LPG kit running excellent so far.

Just need to decide if I'm keeping my 9-3 aero now or not...

Nice! Worth it just for the LPG kit alone.

[JagXJR]

George7 said:

My bargain basement MG ZT has now got another 12 months MOT! First of all it failed on the handbrake, but that's now been adjusted up and retested and it passed. I've now had it for about 2 years and have done around 22k miles in it, it's been absolutely brilliant and putting the ~30MPG aside, it has actually cost very little to run *touch wood*, I do fancy moving on to a different car soon though, I only ever intended to keep the MG for about a year. I've been looking at cheap XJs for months now and I reckon that's what I'll go for next, I really fancy trying the whole 'effortless wafting' way of motoring; I've actually never driven an auto before.

Careful, once you get one there's no going back.

They can be a bit heavy on fuel if you buy a bigger engined one (not that I care ), none of the 3 I've had ever saw 30 MPG

[Captain Answer]

JagXJR said:

Nice! Worth it just for the LPG kit alone.

That's why I bought it to be honest, been on the look out for an LPG converted motor for a while. I think the combination of a poor listing (quite bad spelling in ad and pictures not too great, wasn't listed as in LPG category on Ebay), Christmas time and being over on the east cost of Lincolnshire meant it went for a song.

Hoping it drops my commuting costs by a fair whack

[George7]

JagXJR said:

Careful, once you get one there's no going back.

They can be a bit heavy on fuel if you buy a bigger engined one (not that I care ), none of the 3 I've had ever saw 30 MPG

I'm currently torn between either a sub £1k NA XJ or upping the budget to 2-4k for an XJR. Difficult choice but I reckon I'll go with a cheaper NA XJ first to see how I get on with the car generally.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Are Saab seats as comfy as they look?

[jagnet]

Even more comfy than that

After driving to East Europe over 2 days and sleeping in the car en route (and the same on the way back) I didn't once feel any discomfort from the seats. I think they're actually more comfy than my sofa at home

The heated seats option is an added bonus.

[phil_cardiff]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

Are Saab seats as comfy as they look?

I found the seats in my 9-5 aero forced my thighs together which was uncomfortable in a certain area...

[ZiggyNiva]

something a little different. Ok it needs work but....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/FIAT-CINQUECENTO-1-2-16V...