I think basically there are two issues here: firstly, whether it's a good idea to buy an older six cylinder car approaching banger status and secondly, if you do, whether the Omega is any good.
I think the answer to the first is probably no, but then if you're used to running bangers then it might not hurt too much to try it once, and the second, judging from the Big Book of Omega archived on this site, is that they're as good as anything of that type that you might get for the money.
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Thank you all for your replies :o)..some things for me to think about there.
King Arthur....thanks, I never thought about a Mondeo V6, but now you mention it I'll probably have a look at a few...I've got a Mondeo at the moment (1.6...don't laugh!) and its been totally reliable considering its age (L reg). I have considered the Scorpio, but I just don't think I could live with those headlights!
J Bonnington....I'd love a Beemer, but I'd be looking at a much older model for my price range I think...Omegas seem to be really cheap for the year. Gotta be 6 cylinder rather than 5 though lol...I think it stems from my childhood. My father used to own a wonderful 1966 Humber Super Snipe which he kept in beautiful condition, and the sound the engine made just enthralled me.
Thanks for the suggestion Dave...I'm gonna search the archives now for postings about the Omega...dunno why I didn't do that first!
DavidHM...yes you're right about there being two issues, and you're probably right when you say its not a good idea to buy an old 6 cylinder car!....I just want one badly!...yes the real issue is whether the Omega is any worse than another old 6 cylinder. If its as good as any then I'll probably go for one, because it seems you can get a much newer model Omega in my price range than say a BMW....just seen another Omega, 1996 P reg, fully loaded 2.5 CD, with 90K for £1495...sounds like a huge slab of car for the cash.
Thanks again all for the replies!
Gubba. :o)
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I STILL like my Omega. If you aren't doing stacks of miles and get a good 'un it should keep you going a few years. Repair bills CAN be big, but that's a risk with most cars...
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"..whether it's a good idea to buy an older six cylinder car approaching banger status.."
I don't see why not. Big cars depreciate quickly because they are perceived as expensive to run. This is true for the person absorbing the depreciation, but not in most other respects - they have to be made from stronger components that are less likely to be worn out, and if you don't mind slightly higher petrol costs, you would be unlucky to get one that didn't give you a few years' cheap motoring. After all, £1000 is less than a year's depreciation for most newer vehicles.
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Well I took King Arthur's advice!...I've just bought a 1996 N reg Mondeo 2.5 V6 Ghia...It has loads of toys including air con, traction control, electric windows(4), elec seats, elec sunroof, heated windscreen, alloys, radio cassette AND a separate CD player (both in the dash...I've never seen that before). Bodywork is nice and it drives fine (100 mile trip home after buying it...no problems) and is MOT'd till december. It has a full ford service history and appears to have been well looked after.
There is a BUT though!
It has done 174,000 miles!!
But then again, I only paid £700 for it.
Am I likely to regret this purchase?
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Course not, it's got at least another 100K in it if it's been really well looked after!
Blue
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Cool!!...is the Ford 2.5 V6 a pretty robust engine then if its been serviced regular?...also, am I right in thinking that there is no timing belt to worry about on this engine?...(chain driven??)
I bought it mainly because I thought to myself if it blows up in a few months then it isn't really the end of the world having only paid £700 for it.
There is a strange feeling that runs down the back of the spine when I blip the throttle of the V6 that I just didnt get with any of my previous 4 cylinder cars...the growl it makes is sort of primordial...I'm sure I'm much more of a "real man" now I drive a V6! ;-)
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