How much and what do I look for?
Discussion
Price very much depends on specs, but you'll be looking at about £23k for a 160 Atom 2 and about £31k for a 220 - these are new.
I've not seen many for sale second hand but they retain their value quite well, so you'll only be looking at a 2 or 3k less for a good second hand one I guess. If you can find one, you could probably pick up a basic good condition Atom 1 for around £15k.
In terms of what you should look for if buying second hand, just that it's been looked after, isn't bent, doesn't smoke and all the nuts and bolts are on tight. Particularly check the body panels are all okay, esp. the mudguards, they can actually be quite expensive to replace whereas most of the mechanicals are tough, and generally easy to replace.
I don't think you could class it as an everyday car, but it's about as practical as a Westfield/Caterham on the road.
Yes, the handling is forgiving (although you can set it up however you like) and you can expect lots of sideways fun on roundabouts etc.
If you're after a second hand car, you're probably best contacting Simon or Tom at Ariel www.arielmotor.co.uk - I notice that they have an Atom 1 for sale at the moment, although it's a left hooker intended for Europe so probably not much use to you in the UK.
Cheers, Ross.
I've not seen many for sale second hand but they retain their value quite well, so you'll only be looking at a 2 or 3k less for a good second hand one I guess. If you can find one, you could probably pick up a basic good condition Atom 1 for around £15k.
In terms of what you should look for if buying second hand, just that it's been looked after, isn't bent, doesn't smoke and all the nuts and bolts are on tight. Particularly check the body panels are all okay, esp. the mudguards, they can actually be quite expensive to replace whereas most of the mechanicals are tough, and generally easy to replace.
I don't think you could class it as an everyday car, but it's about as practical as a Westfield/Caterham on the road.
Yes, the handling is forgiving (although you can set it up however you like) and you can expect lots of sideways fun on roundabouts etc.
If you're after a second hand car, you're probably best contacting Simon or Tom at Ariel www.arielmotor.co.uk - I notice that they have an Atom 1 for sale at the moment, although it's a left hooker intended for Europe so probably not much use to you in the UK.
Cheers, Ross.
I think Ross has pretty much nailed it...
If you're switching from a 996 to a relatively 'sensible' car like a 5 series, you'll want something extreme to give you the Porsche thrill occasionally and an Atom fits the bill well - plus you won't be affected by depreciation if you decide it's not ideal for Sainsburys!
If you're switching from a 996 to a relatively 'sensible' car like a 5 series, you'll want something extreme to give you the Porsche thrill occasionally and an Atom fits the bill well - plus you won't be affected by depreciation if you decide it's not ideal for Sainsburys!
bruce fielding said:
I think Ross has pretty much nailed it...
If you're switching from a 996 to a relatively 'sensible' car like a 5 series, you'll want something extreme to give you the Porsche thrill occasionally and an Atom fits the bill well - plus you won't be affected by depreciation if you decide it's not ideal for Sainsburys!
That's what I thought. The Atom looks like a whole load of fun and even if I move over to a 535d which will give without doubt perfomance, it won't give the thrills of a sports car.
Thanks for your replies.
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