1998 Vauxhall Omega

1998 R Vauxhall Omega 2. 5 V6 Manual Tourer.

Once a common sight on our roads, the Vauxhall Omega has become quite a rare sight these days, and even more so in the estate/ tourer form.

I am a car trader that mainly deals within the trade (rarely retail a car myself and mostly trade direct to the trade) However, sometimes I acquire cars that the trade aren't interested in. Mainly because of age or mileage etc, and which I deem too good to send to a standard car auction.

In December, I acquired this very honest Omega Tourer direct from a reputable main dealer, where the previous local elderly owner had part exchanged it, along with another car (which I also bought) in order to downsize to just one car.

The gentleman has owned the car for the last 25 years and it shows just 1 previous (company) owner from new. I am not too sure if this was his company car initially.

Presented in Oyster gold with a lovely cloth interior, the car presents very well.

The car fires up with the first turn of the key, and the V6 engine takes you back with its distinctive engine note. It does not emit any smoke, under any driving conditions and it pulls strongly and effortlessly through its 5 speed manual gearbox.

On the road, the car is a pleasure to drive. There are no untoward knocks, bangs, rattles or creaks, and it really is testament to how well this car has been looked after.

As briefly mentioned above, the cloth interior is in lovely order with no marks to the upholstery. Everything works as it should, including all four electric windows, electric mirrors and on board computer - even the electric tilt and slide glass sunroofs till works perfectly. Incidentally, the sunroof still has its protective plastic covering on the retractable sunblind! I think the air conditioning could do with re-gassing, but it is difficult to tell with the current climate.

It is currently showing 161, 471 miles and from looking at the M. O. T history online, and from the receipts, it shows that the majority of its mileage was done in the early days. It has covered very little mileage annually over the last ten years, but it has still been regularly maintained.

The car has recently gone through its M. O. T, and this is valid until the 14th of January 2025.

Tax costs are £345 per year or £30. 19 per month. I do not believe that it is ULEZ compliant.

There are many invoices present with the car, and every M. O. T certificate from its first. The leather Vauxhall wallet is also present and it comes with two remote keys.

Looking through the invoices there are a few notable receipts, these being –
22/ 11/ 2007 141, 154 miles Timing belt £134. 35
07/ 08/ 2015 160, 015 miles Egr valve, alternator, tensioner, drive belt £582. 27
24/ 04/ 2018 160, 589 miles Starter motor £162. 65
04/ 04/ 2022 161, 151 miles Exhaust £391. 68
     
I have just given it an oil and oil filter change, and the old oil still looked like new when drained.

Negatives, well it is getting on a little now.

There is corrosion to the rear drivers side wheel arch, along with a few areas of small rust blisters here and there. There is a small dent to the front drivers side wheel arch. I have included some pictures to show these points. I am being honest and somewhat critical here, and there’s nothing that cannot be rectified for a few hundred pounds.

I noticed a small oil leak on the underside of the engine when I serviced it. However it does not leave any oil marks on my drive.

I believe that the heat shield on one of the exhaust downpipes is vibrating slightly on idle. Hopefully I will have some time available to address this prior to it leaving me.

And that’s about it. I’m sure that for a 27 year old car you’ll agree that the above points are very minor, but I prefer to be totally up front and transparent when selling a vehicle.

In summary - This is a lovely car that has become somewhat forgotten. I have thoroughly enjoyed driving it, and have found that it constantly receives a lot of positive comments. It has been lovingly looked after, and I would have no hesitation in driving it anywhere. It has a recent M. O. T and has just had an oil change. Cars from long term ownership such as this do not become available all that often, especially ones that are ready to use and enjoy. Let’s also not forget that Omegas are now becoming very thin on the ground - especially early tourers.

Thank you.