Faults:

At around 50,000 miles, the car developed an intermittent fault. After a long run, the car wouldn't restart if left for less than an hour or so. Eventually, the car refused to start when cold one day, so off it went to the local Vauxhall dealer, where a £140 bill was presented for replacing a crankshaft rev sensor.

An exhaust baffle has just started to rattle in the past six months.

A steering bush is on its way out at the moment.

General Comments:

This is by far the best car I have ever owned. Perhaps the best comment is down to a friend of mine who has an identical model and just considered replacing it with an AMD Mercedes. He looked at, and test drove, the Merc then said the Omega might be the boring choice, but he loved his current one more than any car he'd ever owned. He's just bought another Omega.

The secret with these cars seems to be to buy secondhand. In the UK, the depreciation on these new is suicidal, so a three year old one can easily cost 25% of the cost of a brand new one. Makes it an amazingly cheap luxury car to run.

Certainly, if you've no need for a snobby badge on your car, an Omega is an opportunity for luxury motoring on he cheap.

Faults:

Water pump failed soon after delivery, fixed under warranty.

Door check arm failed.

Camshaft sensor failed, to be repaired under warranty.

Door locking button on driver's side occasionally sticking, needs lubrication (will repair myself at the same time as the door check).

General Comments:

Despite the initial teething troubles, this is one impressive car!

I was somewhat relieved to hear that the above faults are the most common on Omegas, and therefore should be quick to fix - and as long as the warranty takes care of them, that's fine.

The Omega is a joy to drive, and the automatic gearbox adds to the pleasure since the majority of my travel is in the city. Seats are like armchairs and the engine is almost silent!

One thing I do miss is rear head rests - not fitted as standard on the GLS. Easy enough to fit one's self, so that's a job for me in the near future.

In the first month of ownership, I took the car on an 800 mile round trip down to Cornwall and back - these cars just love a motorway! Covered the 6 hour drive down there and barely noticed it.

Ample interior and boot space is another great asset of the Omega, you almost get an echo in the back!

Fuel economy seems fair, considering the weight of the motor (auto box).