morcus
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 08:28 PM |
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Scorpio, Omega or something else?
Another post after buying advise. I'm hopping to settle the finance on my current car next month and get myself a much cheaper car and hopefully
one thats RWD. I'm aiming to get change from a grand and the main contenders at the moment are the Scorpio, the Omega and If I can find one for
the money a 5 series, I don't need a car that size but I do need something with at least moderate space to carry stuff (I was originally going
to get an MX5 but I can't risk not having carrying space). It's also got to be an Auto and be likely to last a year and preferably have
AC. Suggestions would be lovely and anything to look out for or any reason not to buy one of the three I'm already considering?
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 08:40 PM |
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Volvo?
Found this too
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tul214
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 08:53 PM |
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Looks like you could get quite a lot of car
Omega
1.6 Raw Super6 sold
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Andybarbet
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 09:04 PM |
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SAAB 95 ??
I know its not RWD but lots of power, pretty indestructable, engines go on & on & on, estates are huge & should get one easily under a
grand (well, one that'll last a year anyway  )
Worth a looksy, we have one & we love it
[Edited on 27/9/11 by Andybarbet]
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Liam
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 09:19 PM |
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Love my 98 3.0 Elite - soooooooo much pimpin-ness and it's definately worth under 1k.
Few of my friends have had Scorps and they're also awesome. I prefer the meggy though - has a slighty better spec if you get an Elite than a
Scorp ever had - Bose audio, Xenons, heated seats all round - ah yeeeeaah. Plus most bugeye Scorps look god-awful whereas a meggy is at least half
decent looking. Of course a pre-bugeye scorp is pure classic awesomeness but I dont even know if you can find a decent one anymore? But if you do it
has an LSD whereas a bugeye wont and its a very rare option on a meggy.
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russbost
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 09:39 PM |
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Had an Omega, v6 2.5, very nice car & reasonably economical for a big 'un too - completely useless in the snow but that's what you
expect
Rock solid generally too, I did have a crankshaft sensor randomly fail, but other than that a slight oil weep from the rocker cover gaskets (gets onto
the exhaust headers) was a minor annoyance, personally I'd say the Omega was better put together than the Scorpio.
I no longer run Furore Products or Furore Cars Ltd, but would still highly recommend them for Acewell dashes, projector headlights, dominator
headlights, indicators, mirrors etc, best prices in the UK! Take a look at http://www.furoreproducts.co.uk/ or find more parts on Ebay, user names
furoreltd & furoreproducts, discounts available for LCB users.
Don't forget Stainless Steel Braided brake hoses, made to your exact requirements in any of around 16 colours.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/furoreproducts/m.html?_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_sop=12&_rdc=1
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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cliftyhanger
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 09:40 PM |
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The omega's are excellent motors.
2litre ones seem remarkably economical too (though unsure about auto, probably less so) but motorway trips can easily return 40+mpg. That was an
estate too.
Should be plenty of change from a grand
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stevebubs
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 09:51 PM |
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Still got my 2000 W Plate 2.5 v6 Omega auto as an "emergency" car...currently got 130k miles on the clock but been "laid up"
since Jan 09; had it since 04 and 50k miles on the clock and it rarely skipped a beat....only time it let me down was when the coilpack failed on new
years' eve...changing the coil pack is a pig of a job on the V6... everything else is dead easy, though.
Kept it for a reason...will be dead simple to re-commission...but worth absolute peanuts so not worth selling
S
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stevebubs
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 09:51 PM |
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PS Equivalent cars to mine (CDX) I have seen go for sub £500 on Fleabay...
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stevebubs
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 09:56 PM |
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Thinks to check for:
- Overheating in service history - avoid like the plague...
- Coolant in the Oil - likely to be a leaking oil cooler...biggish job to do it yourself but not insurmountable - prices for coolers can be found on
ebay.
- Sunroof - if not opened for a period is likely to seize up or open/close randomly
S
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stevebubs
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 09:56 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by russbost
Had an Omega, v6 2.5, very nice car & reasonably economical for a big 'un too - completely useless in the snow but that's what you
expect
Rock solid generally too, I did have a crankshaft sensor randomly fail, but other than that a slight oil weep from the rocker cover gaskets (gets onto
the exhaust headers) was a minor annoyance, personally I'd say the Omega was better put together than the Scorpio.
?? Never had a problem with mine in the snow...
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mookaloid
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| posted on 27/9/11 at 10:04 PM |
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Another vote for Saab 9-5.
for about £300 I am taking it from 170 BHP 300NM standard to 275 BHP 420NM and has auto climate control etc. It's really comfy too.
It really shifts and has loads of space.
Examples near you:
Saab 9-5 SE auto 2.3litre 'No Reserve' Full Leather | eBay
2000 SAAB 9-5 SE AUTO SILVER | eBay
1999 T Saab 9-5 2.0t Auto SE Estate ... 1 YR MOT | eBay
Good luck!
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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morcus
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| posted on 28/9/11 at 01:19 AM |
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Thanks for the replies so far. I've seen a few pre bug eye Scorpios about but I think the age on them makes them not so much worth the hassle
plus I like the way the last one looked. I was abit worried to see hear it was useless in snow then someone else says it's not? It can't
be worse at snow than a car with no traction below 17mph (Fiat pandas are great for snow but not with a robotised manual box). I'd considered
the Merc but i was under the impression anything from 1990 onwards from them fell apart.
As to SAABs, I really like saabs but not the 9-5 on looks so I'd rather have a 9000 and I've seen a few of them with turbos and 200 bhp in
budget, and If I'm not getting RWD i'd go for a smaller car and probably get a C5 or a Rover 75 and go bankrupt. or get a volvo 850
(Theres a reason why my work buddies call me old man even though I'm only just 24). Other advantage is when a RWD car dies on me I can keep the
engine and box for when I finally have space, money and time to start building.
I'm gonna try and sort out some test drives, but the feed back so far seems good (Most recomend a car threads have alot of don't get this
kind of stuff.)
Which engines are worth going for? I want 4v per cyclinder Ideally and I'd like 6 cyclinders but I think it might be abit of extravegance,
I'm not too bothered about MPG (Though the figures according to auto trader aren't much less than the next size down) as I only do about
4.5K a year and half of my 3 mile comute is dual carriage way. I don't think it's worth paying the extra for a diesel.
Anyone been on a track with any of the above cars? the whole process should free up some money for a go out on track and MSN cars listed the Omega as
a great cheap track car.
I know someone who's had an Omega sat on his yard for more than a year, is it worth asking if he'd sell it or would it be two much work?
the tyre sidewalls have gone and the windscreen is green.
One last question for the Omega guys, what do the large number of buttons on the console do?
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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britishtrident
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| posted on 28/9/11 at 07:02 AM |
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If forced to drive a Scorpio or Omega I would give up driving. In reality the choice of larger car is Volvo, Saab, BMW, Rover
I May I bought a low (46k miles) mileage Rover 75 1.8 for my son in law £540+auction fees + a quick MOT ---- nothing wrong with it
apart from a door latch that needed adjusting to get the self locking working.
[Edited on 28/9/11 by britishtrident]
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
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mookaloid
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| posted on 28/9/11 at 07:53 AM |
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BMW 528I SE AUTO P/X TO CLEAR | eBay
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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40inches
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| posted on 28/9/11 at 08:04 AM |
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Another vote for SAAB. Had a 9-5 after 3 BMW's, no regrets. Had to buy a car quick last December and found a 2001 SAAB 9-3
on ebay for £500, 200,000 miles with full service history, fitted a stage 1 ecu for £100, goes like stink and 10,000 miles on, still rock solid.
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david_hornet27
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| posted on 28/9/11 at 10:38 AM |
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I have owned two 24V Scorpios (1996 and 1998 models) and had trouble with both that was either expensive or frustrating. I only bought the second
because I was going to use the first as a parts car. First one needed a new wiring loom which cost me over a grand. Second needed a new gearbox (I
bought a new one which cost over a grand again!) and within a year the gearbox had stopped changing up to 4th. At that point I gave up as there
always seemed to be something wrong with it...
I replaced it with a 1998 Lexus LS400 which I have had for nearly 3 years, the longest I have owned any car and in a totally different league to the
Scorpio. Much better car, 5 speed auto box, incredibly quick for it's size (0-60 in under 7 seconds), loads of toys inside even the seatbelt
adjusters are electric! Built in SatNav and touch screen controls for climate and audio. The stereo has to be heard to be believed it is amazing!
At the moment you can pick up a facelifted one like mine for peanuts.
Uses about the same amount of fuel as the Scorpio too, 25mpg around town and 35+ on the motorway.
It has sailed through 3 MOTs and the only part replaced has been a front wheel bearing in 3 years! For a 13 year old car I think that is incredible.
You may think I have been lucky but if you look at the forum it seems the car is over engineered and my experience is the norm rather than the
exception.
My vote would be Lexus LS400...
Please don't get the Scorpio, you WILL regret it!
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Liam
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| posted on 28/9/11 at 08:33 PM |
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Rubish in the snow? No way - just more fun! To be fair RWD and wide tyres is never great in snow compared with a skinny tyred FWD, but the tyres make
much much more difference than the configuration, so with winter tyres you'll be fine in a RWD barge. Hell I had summer tyres on last winter and
the snow never stopped me, but there was a pretty steep one when I was up in Lancaster that I just didn't attempt in the first place .
Not sure how BT formed that opinion, but in my experience the meega is as well built as the 5-series of it's day and better equipped (I'm
talking 98 here - maybe you couldn't say the same in 2003?). I loved my old Rover 800, but the meega is loads nicer. I've been in but not
driven a 75 and instantly felt over 50 . Oooh and I get 37 mpg on the motorway with my 3.0 Auto which isn't too bad. 2.5 is fine but 2.0 4-pot
is really not worth having - it's slow and barely any more efficient in general driving because it struggles to move the barge.
I can only speak for my pre-facelift 98 Elite (control layout different on the 2000/2001 facelift) but on the console is...
Along the top are 4 round button clusters for the dual-zone climate control (manual temp dials on pauper spec models).
Underneath is a long line of buttons including: heated front seats, rear window demister (and mirrors - aaah yeah), some button for fiddling with the
alarm, rear blind, hazards, 'eco' mode (switches off air-con compressor to give you an extra 0.01 MPG or so), re-circ button and the fun
button (traction control off).
Lexus V8 would be quite pimpin though - if rather ugly.
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morcus
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| posted on 28/9/11 at 08:39 PM |
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I'd sort of written off the Lexus because I was a little scared of going quite so large but from what you've said it seems viable and I
know where there are a couple for sale. Plus it's the only lexus 4 door I like the look of. Thanks for the link to the BMW, I might be going to
canvey Island in a fortnight so I'll check it out if it's still there.
In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.
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