Vauxhall Omega 3.0 Elite | Spotted

Omegas of any stripe are hard to come by now, let alone a 40,000-mile V6 flagship...

By Matt Bird / Friday, 30 October 2026 / Loading comments

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