Vauxhall Omega 3.0 Elite | Spotted
Omegas of any stripe are hard to come by now, let alone a 40,000-mile V6 flagship...
Where these days no mainstream new car lineup is complete without a giant SUV coupe of some description, it wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, the array of four-door luxobarges from run-of-the-mill makers was extraordinary; in the '90s and through to the early '00s the plush, multi-cylinder flagship seemed almost as important as the family hatch. Think Nissan QX, Mazda Xedos 9, Peugeot 605 (then 607), Citroen XM (then C6), Honda Legend, Rover 800, Renault Safrane… the list really does go on.
Because nobody could forget the Vauxhall Omega in that list, either. At launch it was the more modern replacement for the Carlton, an entirely logical successor. By the time production ended in 2003, however, things had changed pretty drastically. Having persevered for so long, the mainstream makers had to give up on their slow-selling executive saloons. Even in the good old days, they just didn’t make commercial sense when buyers in the market went for an A6, E-Class or 5 Series instead. Perhaps a Volvo S80 at a push.
Some weren’t replaced at all, others indirectly so with mixed fortunes (nobody wanted a Vauxhall Signum when they were new, and certainly not now). But the handsome Omega was always pretty well regarded, a proper rear-drive exec that the police and area managers done good enjoyed. Like so many saloons, they were once everywhere, only to vanish seemingly overnight. Omegas have become so rare they don’t even pop up in Shed of the Week that often…
Numbers have been decimated, even in recent years. This 3.0 V6 Elite - somebody was doing well in 2000 - was one of 773 on our roads in 2016. This year that number is just 128, presumably as repairs became too expensive to justify. Without quite the collectability of a classic BMW or Merc, in many cases it probably didn’t make sense to keep fixing an old Vauxhall that wasn’t worth very much.
This one isn’t just any old Omega, however. As well as the flagship status - and a fabulous spec of Krypton Green over cream - this Elite has only covered 40,000 miles since new. For a car so famously familiar with the outside lane of a motorway, that’s nothing at all. Bar a couple of recent years it’s been driven throughout, too, with a digital MOT record all the way back to 2005. Some years just 50 miles or so was covered, but it’s almost always been in use. The Omega must have been garaged in that time, too, if the condition is anything to go by. The paint, plastics, wheels and leather look fantastic; for a taste of early noughties Vauxhall nostalgia there won’t be anything better.
The Griffin badge on the front that meant it was cheaper than the Germans new means a more affordable modern classic now also. Imagine what a 40,000-mile E39 530i might cost; surely more than £11,995. It’ll have been a while since an Omega was offered at more than £10k, though it’s probably been just as long since one was for sale with 40,000 miles. One to cherish, for sure - and enjoy a motorway cruise every now and then, just for old time’s sake…
SPECIFICATION | VAUXHALL OMEGA 3.0 V6 ELITE
Engine: 2,962cc V6
Transmission: 4-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 211@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 199@3,400rpm
CO2: 268g/km
MPG: 23.5
Recorded mileage: 40,550
Year registered: 2000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £11,995
Strangely, I can still remember the first time I ever saw one. On holiday in France, July 1994. I was 13, car obsessed, sitting in the back of my Dad's Sierra Sapphire and a new top spec Omega on UK plates came gliding past in the outside lane of the dual carriageway. I just thought it looked so wafty and fabulous. Without a doubt an odd car for a 13 year old to lust after but that was me.
Many, many years later I picked up a completely immaculate 2.2 CDX Auto for £1k, mainly just to please my 13 year old self. Even though it had the wrong engine I absolutely loved it. Sold it to my father-in-law who eventually traded it in for a new Dacia Sandero. I never did fully forgive him for that.
Whereas nowadays you've got a slim to no chance of doing that in comparison(brand new cars anyway).
Whereas nowadays you've got a slim to no chance of doing that in comparison(brand new cars anyway).
I really do miss the days of the big Vauxhall/Ford/Rover/Nissan/Toyota saloons. They were mostly glorious things and didn't come with German running costs.
Would have to be very keen on them to spend 12 grand on it, as if you want a barge there is a hell of about of choice for that kind of money, from the usual German suspects for example, a friend of mine got a 2008 S63 for that for example.
Also this:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=17...
Happy to admit I've little direct knowledge, but that feels like a *lot* of cash for a curio. Is there a retired, reminiscing traffic officer out there somewhere with cash to burn?
Happy to admit I've little direct knowledge, but that feels like a *lot* of cash for a curio. Is there a retired, reminiscing traffic officer out there somewhere with cash to burn?
First one was this CDX saloon auto:
100% reliable, very smooth to drive and it was still low miles when I sold it on, but it looks to have been written off not long afterwards at the Mot history stops.
Second Omega he had was an ex Vauxhall UK management car, a rare 3.2 MV6 estate auto:
Again it was a reliable car other than gearbox cooler leaking, which was fixed early in his ownership and then the thermostat was a bit lazy to open when the engine was up to temp. It was low miles too, with only 78k on it when I sold it.
The MV6 did not ride as well as the CDX due to the larger wheels and stiffer suspension. But it did shift! The archaic 4spd auto strangled the 3.2 V6 engine though, it really did need a better auto box.
I would say the earlier cars had a better interior in terms of plastics used, as the MV6 dash creaked and rattled, whereas the CDX never.
The Granada was first in the stable (E50 TOF) felt so big sat in the back...
Then the Renault 25 with the double DIN stereo complete with manual EQ, motorized tape deck and wait for it...HEadphone jacks in the rear to listen to NOW 11. blew my mind.
Then there was a Mazda Xenos which felt rapid.
An Accord with a bose soundsystem which blew my tiny mind.
Followed by a C class which just felt naff in comparison.
Glory days indeed.
Whereas nowadays you've got a slim to no chance of doing that in comparison(brand new cars anyway).
This spec simply reinforces that fact.
Maybe old chaps like me (and you) have it right, a big wafty barge with lots of creature comforts.
No matter how much Superdry we wear, no matter whether we drive something sporty, we aren’t fooling anyone but ourselves
Properly old man spec is when you have bashed every corner off your barge and decide to trade it for something more manageable like a Jazz.
This spec is just a bit staid/sensible.
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