RE: Shed of the Week: Vauxhall Omega Elite
Discussion
Lowtimer said:
Hmm. That was what they said about the previous generation, the Senator 24v versus the E34 535i. I was involved in marketing Vauxhalls at the time so was remarkably happy about that.
In this generation, though, the Omega versus the E39 530i, no-one of authority rated the Omega as a superior drive. Good, but not E39 good.
Autocar did a group test and rated the Omega overall as just behind the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E Class, but way ahead of the Ford Scorpio and Rover 800. In this generation, though, the Omega versus the E39 530i, no-one of authority rated the Omega as a superior drive. Good, but not E39 good.
These old Omega's really were almost as good to drive as a 5 series.
I have found that Omega's often come from long term owners that have really looked after them, I've had a few that were 1 owner and FSH but were over12+ years old, if you find one thats been cherished it should make an excellent cheap shed purchase.
I've had quite a few of them in V6 estate form and they have always been very impressive to drive considering they sell for sub £1k (this weeks shed is well over priced the saloons are really hard to sell and its only the estates that make decent money).
Designed and built in Germany, but badged as a Vauxhall when they arrived in the UK.
A cat C saloon with big miles and patchy history is worth sub £500 (on a good day) as no one wants these even the good saloons fetch little money .
I have found that Omega's often come from long term owners that have really looked after them, I've had a few that were 1 owner and FSH but were over12+ years old, if you find one thats been cherished it should make an excellent cheap shed purchase.
I've had quite a few of them in V6 estate form and they have always been very impressive to drive considering they sell for sub £1k (this weeks shed is well over priced the saloons are really hard to sell and its only the estates that make decent money).
Designed and built in Germany, but badged as a Vauxhall when they arrived in the UK.
A cat C saloon with big miles and patchy history is worth sub £500 (on a good day) as no one wants these even the good saloons fetch little money .
CanAm said:
Autocar did a group test and rated the Omega overall as just behind the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E Class, but way ahead of the Ford Scorpio and Rover 800.
A mate of mine in the trade always rated them as a poor man's Merc back in the 90s - but back then every new Glass's guide he got showed them plummeting in value!I'd love a manual MV6, but can't get excited about this one.
I bought a 1985 Scorpio in 1990 and it had gadgets I've never had since (like electric reclining rear seats) but also didn't need replacement cam-belts at nearly 50% of shed value - not for me.
Bit of a soft spot for these.
Matey bough an ex Lincolnshire traffic face-lift 3.0 V6 estate a good few years ago as a general workhorse and over the next few years, it became embedded in history as one of the finest decisions ever. It spent most it's time dragging a Brian James trailer the length of the UK, bringing home the latest I'll advised eBay purchases or transporting engines and the like around the country.
Given this was a few years back and it was white with Xenons, it also used to clear the outside lane rather well and hustle along without ever putting a foot wrong. Handled well too, you sat nice and low and it would just glide over crappy road surfaces and seemed very well balanced. It felt utterly bomb proof and to this day, it's talked about with awe and indeed sadness.
He also latterly bought a 3.2 Elite, silver saloon much like this which I was dispatched to Leeds to bring north... in a whiteout. Coped extremely well over the 66 and just ate up motorway miles with ease and despite being well run in, drove superbly and took me back to the good days of the ex traffic car.
I'd still consider one, ideally a tidy manual estate... but they are like rocking horse s
t these days and that's a shame really.
Matey bough an ex Lincolnshire traffic face-lift 3.0 V6 estate a good few years ago as a general workhorse and over the next few years, it became embedded in history as one of the finest decisions ever. It spent most it's time dragging a Brian James trailer the length of the UK, bringing home the latest I'll advised eBay purchases or transporting engines and the like around the country.
Given this was a few years back and it was white with Xenons, it also used to clear the outside lane rather well and hustle along without ever putting a foot wrong. Handled well too, you sat nice and low and it would just glide over crappy road surfaces and seemed very well balanced. It felt utterly bomb proof and to this day, it's talked about with awe and indeed sadness.
He also latterly bought a 3.2 Elite, silver saloon much like this which I was dispatched to Leeds to bring north... in a whiteout. Coped extremely well over the 66 and just ate up motorway miles with ease and despite being well run in, drove superbly and took me back to the good days of the ex traffic car.
I'd still consider one, ideally a tidy manual estate... but they are like rocking horse s
t these days and that's a shame really. I'm another fan of them, they are big, comfortable, V6, rear wheel drive and they were always a handsome car imo. This one is too much though. I also wish Ford, Vauxhall, etc would still make cars like the Granada, Omega, etc, for a car in this class front wheel drive (Mondeo, Insignia, etc) doesn't cut it.
Wildcat45 said:
I missed out on a low miles one owner example exactly like this.
And I could have had it for free.
My elderly neighbour who i had known since childhood was a serial VX owner getting a new one every August 1. As he got older - retiring in his 80s - he changed less frequently.
He died a few years ago. I did wonder about the Omega locked in his heated garage but felt it would be insensitive to ask his widow. A year or two later I was chatting to her and asked about the Omega.
She'd had a garage take it away for a few hundred pounds because it was "obsolete" as she called it. I told her if I'd known I would have bought it for a fair price. "Nonsense" was her reply. 'Id have given it to you. Alan (her late husband) would have loved you to have it, but you didn't ask so I assumed you weren't interested."
The last time I washed it for him, not long before he died, I noted it had covered just 6000 miles.
Oh well.
I don't care for the car, but the story touched me.And I could have had it for free.
My elderly neighbour who i had known since childhood was a serial VX owner getting a new one every August 1. As he got older - retiring in his 80s - he changed less frequently.
He died a few years ago. I did wonder about the Omega locked in his heated garage but felt it would be insensitive to ask his widow. A year or two later I was chatting to her and asked about the Omega.
She'd had a garage take it away for a few hundred pounds because it was "obsolete" as she called it. I told her if I'd known I would have bought it for a fair price. "Nonsense" was her reply. 'Id have given it to you. Alan (her late husband) would have loved you to have it, but you didn't ask so I assumed you weren't interested."
The last time I washed it for him, not long before he died, I noted it had covered just 6000 miles.
Oh well.
sr.guiri said:
I love "Shed of the Week" - it's pretty much the only reason I visit this web site, and I love it because I, like most, would get real satisfaction from knowing that I've bought something cool, fast, unusual, gorgeous, or whatever adjective you choose, for the bargain price of a grand and a half.
However, the only adjectives that I can apply to this are dull, boring, ugly, boring, rubbish, dull and ugly again. It's overpriced by 1500 quid. There was no love in the design nor the engineering of this car and I don't see how it deserves the accolade of The Shed - a 3L V6 alone shouldn't be enough to elevate it to this level, unless it's an Alfa Busso V6 (and even then it'd also need to be installed in something sexier than this).
And to even mention a Lotus Carlton within the same text is blasphemy
Am I alone on this opinion?
There MUST be a better Shed than this one, no?
Well, I get your point, but no. Because, I don't like the Omega particularly but I certainly understand why some people might do. They have some charm, just not the charm that I would want.However, the only adjectives that I can apply to this are dull, boring, ugly, boring, rubbish, dull and ugly again. It's overpriced by 1500 quid. There was no love in the design nor the engineering of this car and I don't see how it deserves the accolade of The Shed - a 3L V6 alone shouldn't be enough to elevate it to this level, unless it's an Alfa Busso V6 (and even then it'd also need to be installed in something sexier than this).
And to even mention a Lotus Carlton within the same text is blasphemy
Am I alone on this opinion?
There MUST be a better Shed than this one, no?
I sat in the back of one, many, many years ago and it really was quite a plush big bugger. I can see why someone would love one, and I don't see any reason not to cater for them. They aren't inherently bad cars.
Evening all,
A true shed! I must admit I have always had a (possibly irrational) love of the Vauxhall Omega. I like the looks and the space and the rear wheel drive-ness, and they do have a certain charm about them, as if the car knows that in (I suspect) most people's eyes, it isn't quite as good as an equivalent Merc or BM or the like
I will probably let someone else enjoy this one though, sounds like it could end up costing rather a lot more than the advertised price, which does seem on the high side if I'm honest
A true shed! I must admit I have always had a (possibly irrational) love of the Vauxhall Omega. I like the looks and the space and the rear wheel drive-ness, and they do have a certain charm about them, as if the car knows that in (I suspect) most people's eyes, it isn't quite as good as an equivalent Merc or BM or the like
I will probably let someone else enjoy this one though, sounds like it could end up costing rather a lot more than the advertised price, which does seem on the high side if I'm honest
Turbobanana said:
Are we safe to assume you haven't driven one?
You are correct. Never. Maybe a test drive would change my opinion. But it wouldn't bring a smile to my face everytime I looked at it, like some of the more recent Sheds - the Audi TT, the Prelude or the Clio Sport 182 for example. I'm a very visual person, and cars for me, need to be a bit sexy, cool or have an element of style that sets them apart from the mundane. This is the mundane, but with a big engine.
Johnspex said:
Tintin1962 said:
Regarding big engined Vauxhalls, the 1960s Crests and Viscount models could be had with a 3.3 litre straight 6, or a 5.2 Chrysler V8 in South Africa.
Chrysler? Chevrolet, surely.I really think it could be an urban legend of some kind. I'd be really interested if someone can verify it though
Edited by Jimmy Recard on Monday 17th December 21:29
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff