Why do you think the Police ditched the Omega in favour of the Volvo?
If you want an estate, why not try the Mazda 626? 2-litre petrol or diesel, 98-S or 99-T with 25-35K for around £7,000 and almost guaranteed not to break down.
Andy
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Oh, and there is another reason......although my Leon tows my track car/trailer combination very well (with 235lb/ft torque it should), I feel a RWD would be better for 1800kg's....
As for Volvo V70...excelent engines, nice looking, but no where near as big in the boot.....my dad got caught out by that when changing his Carlton Estate for an 850 Estate and then going to South of France the day after.....alot of things were left behind.
I suppose what I should have writen was:
"I have decided 100% to buy an Omega, which one is best?"
Had I not decided to buy an Omega and spend a bit more money i'd go for an Audi A6 Avant (1.9TDi or 2.5TDi), Seat Alhambra 2.8V6 or BMW 530d touring.....
I belive the Omega is the best value, Handles very well, and looks good too. The 3.0 V6 also gives 150mph, handly when you visit family in Germany often...:-)
Neil T
SEAT Leon TDi 150
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If you are worried that the V70 boot space is a little small then I wouldn't even bother looking at a 530d or A6
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>>>>"If you are worried that the V70 boot space is a little small then I wouldn't even bother looking at a 530d or A6"
Its length, more than size on the boot space. Also, towing ability...... My Leon has max tow weight of 1400kg, yet I tow 1800kg..... the Omega, A6 and 530 all have a good tow capacity.
Neil T
SEAT Leon TDi 150
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>>>>"Why do you think the Police ditched the Omega in favour of the Volvo?"
The Police still use the Omega in alot of areas..... My trip up the M40 on Friday saw 4 Police Omegas of Y- reg or newer, yet only 1 Volvo and 1 4x4.
Cheers
Neil T
SEAT Leon TDi 150
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I have indeed, but there are a few reasons why I wouldn't go for it...
1. The 1.8TD is not flexable.
2. The load bay is shorter than the Omega's
3. I want a big car with lots of rear leg space, otherwise I can use the Leon.
4. As much as I like the Mondeo (espeically the newer ones), they are too rep-mobile for me.
Ok, I know theres not much wrong with the Mondeo, but the older ones are an older design than the Omega, and still demand a premium compared to likewise spec Omega.
If I was going for a Mondeo size Estate it would be a Primera 2.0 Sport+ Estate, no questions asked.....I've had 3 Primera's and all were excelent to drive....
Neil T
SEAT Leon TDi 150
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No, they are not (in my humble experience). You'll also find, if you've looked through the posts on this site, that most people who own them love them.
I drive a 1999 T reg CDX 2.5 V6. Bought at 18 months old for a hammer price of £9,350. The only serious problem I've had with mine in 40K miles in 22 months was a crankshaft sensor failure causing intermittent problems and eventually giving up totally. Cost £160 at a main dealer. Oh, and the driver's door central locking stuck last winter; solved with a burst of WD40.
Other than that, no problems, no hassles and a beautiful drive. Cheap servicing at a local independent garage.
My brother in law has a 2.0CDX estate and loves it and a mate of mine has an R reg 2.5CDX and has never had a problem in 60K miles. However, another mate has an X reg and has had the same problem as I did in around 10K miles.
I wil point out, however, that the wife's 626 has managed 4 years with just a replacement bulb, so on that scale, the Omega's an unreliable heap.
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We have two at the moment, both automatics, one is about 3 years old the other is new, the older is an estate and the newer is a saloon.
I have to say that I think they're great. The amount of stuff that the estate will carry is really impressive. They're both comfortable, quiet and good at their jobs.
The estate was in an accident last week and, given that it was hit by a very large turkish artic, I was pretty impressed with its behaviour - the damage didn't get into the passenger space.
Its fair to say that they are not inspiring or imaginative cars, but they are very good at doing what they're supposed to do.
The two cars between them have done something over 10k miles since we got them. The estate got a loose brake light switch. I can't think that we have done anything else except put petrol n them.
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What sort of MPG can I expect from the said cars above, i.e, the 2.0 16v and 2.5V6 (Man or Auto).
Cheers
Neil T
SEAT Leon TDi 150
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Neil
I love my 3litre Auto estate. I have had no reliability problems though it has only done 15k.
I have just returned from a round trip to Issoire in France (400 mile from Le Havre) fully laden and towing a 1500 kilo Caravan, at around 65mph and a trip average of 19.3 mpg on French low octane unleaded (and aircon switched on). I consider that exceptional mpg. Solo I get around 25-30 mpg depending on urban/trip mix. I suspect there is not a lot of difference in economy between the 2.5/2.6 and the 3.0.
Are you only considering a manual 'cos of towing? I have to have an auto for health reasons and was very sceptical after many years of manuals, but I didn?t need to be. FYI my auto is very happy towing, looking after itself with the cruise control. There dosen?t seem to be a need for an oil cooler for the gearbox either. I wouldn?t go back to manual either for towing or for normal road driving.
HTH
Robin
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>>>"Are you only considering a manual 'cos of towing?"
No, performance, economy and the fact that it will be a high mileage car when I buy it are all factors. I also hope it will replace my Montego Estate as a track day car on the 3-4 I do a year, and hence manual is best...... it's so good to see peoples faces when they can't keep up with a £100, 11 year old, 130,000 mile Montego GTi Estate (all be it with 16" MGF alloys and lowered suspension etc).
If I was using it as an every day car to do the 90 mile round trip to work which includes the M25 I'd go for an Auto. The best Auto I have driven is my dad's Ford Galaxy 2.8V6 24v, it's 5 speed box is excelent, and even at the humble age of 25, I would definatly buy an Auto MPV like that :-)
Cheers
Neil T
SEAT Leon TDi 150
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What sort of MPG can I expect from the said cars above, i.e, the 2.0 16v and 2.5V6 (Man or Auto).
2.5V6 Auto, 70% motorway miles over 37,739 miles = 29.6mpg
Lowest over 1000 miles was 26.2 (when my wife used it for town work for a while), highest was 32.7 (those were off the computer, not calculated, unlike the main figure above)
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BTW, that's all with aircon on permanently.
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Thanks Vin,
I agree that a 626, Avensis, Primera would be alot more reliable, but also very Boring also....the Primera making points for its shear driving pleasure.
The Mondeo is a nice car to drive, and the Vectra is good looking yet handles like crap. Then theres the Passat and Audi A4, both nice cars, but a bit soft on the handling department (as per all std VAG products, my Leon Included).
Others I considered are Scorpio....old chassis/engine design, Volvo 940 Turbo....Even older!!!
So, back to the Omega.... And if I can buy an Omega thats as relialble as the Montego's I have owned, including the three I still own for Motorsport, track and trials than i'll be very happy.......The Montego(s) is (are) the 2nd most reliable cars we have owned in the past 15 years including a Granada, 2 x Carltons (3rd most reliable), Volvo 850, 2 x Ford Galaxy, 3 x Primera, and Laguna....... the best was my mum's E-reg Citroen AX which broke down once in 13 years due to a £30 condenser.
Neil T
SEAT Leon TDi 150
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I have had more than my fair share of problems with the Omega but I still love it. Mine is getting on a bit now and the only reason im not replacing it with another one is because I can now afford to spend a fairly large amount on my next car and If I was to buy a nearly new Omega I would loose too much on depreciation. If my budget was lower I would buy the Omega without a second thought.
I also don't see the Mondeo as an alternative to the Omega, the Omega is far nicer to drive and a better class of car all round.
Find a Network Q car and pick up the warranty :) I personally would avoid cop cars, but again thats down to your budget.
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Crombster,
My idea of going for an Ex-Cop car is only if I decide on a 3.0 as 99% of the new shape 3.0 MV6 models are Autos. I suspect I'll end up getting an older (1994-96) 2.0 CD/CDX or 2.5 TD CD/CDX for £1800-2000 for a year or 2, then decide if I liked it enough to buy another.
The only thing that puts me off the 2.5TD is that max torque of 199lb/ft is produced at 2200rpm. My Leon with uprated chip produces 235lb/ft @ 1850rpm, and has none stop pull from 1500rpm - 4600rpm.
Then again, the chip for the Omega 2.5TD gives 173bhp and 234lb/ft, with chipped 2.2DTi's giving 155bhp and 254lb/ft.
Anyone got a 2.0 16v or 2.5TD Manual?? what MPG can I suspect?
Neil T
SEAT Leon TDi 150
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