Potential new Atom owner - lots of questions
Discussion
Hello all,
If everything works out for me (and I don't know if it will yet), I'm hoping to be in a position to start looking to purchase a (used) Ariel Atom 300 sometime towards the end of this year/early next year. However, although I've spent ages scouring the internet, I'm having trouble finding out certain information, but I guess thats to be expected with a car produced in such small numbers. I used to ride motorbikes on road and track (had a dedicated track bike) so I would like a supercharged Atom because of the insane power, from what I have read this is one of the closest things to being on two wheels.
How important is service history? I ask this because of the logistics of returning a car to Somerset each time it needs work/servicing. I'm comfortable with the spanners etc and imagine working on one of these would be relatively easy due to the access to engine and other components, and also because of the standard (?) Honda drivetrain (excluding the super charger). Do you lucky owners work on your cars yourself or make the journey back to your cars birth place for work? Does this impact on a cars value? If its absolutely "neccessary" to keep going back to the factory in order to maintain a service record and future value then I would probably have to throw in the towel now. Is there a specific service schedule/routine?
What is the standard spec of an Ariel Atom 300, and what are the available options? I'm having trouble establishing what is standard and what is an optonal extra/upgraded part. Looking at the Ariel website I can't see an options list, or even better a price list for the available options. Adverts on here and other sites for used Atoms don't always state what is an upgrade/optional extra so its hard for me to see why two similar looking cars differ considerably in price.
What are the "must have" or highly recommended options to look for? Can these all be retro fitted or only installed at the time of original build?
Does the aero package comprise both the carbon front splitter and rear spoiler, or are they available seperately? Can these be retro fitted to a "naked" car? How much are they? I notice that the majority of cars do not have the splitter/spoiler, is there a reason for this? I think they look great, but maybe I'm in the minority and appreciate that everyones taste is different.
From what I can gather (although please correct me if I am wrong!), certain suspension components wear out "quickly" and are expensive. Can anyone elaborate on this and give me specific information? What wears/how much to replace etc?
Are brake pads/discs only available from Ariel and if so how much? What about other consumable items?
Which insurance companies are recommended for Atoms and what sort of ball park figures are quoted (I appreciate that this will vary according to age/driver history/area etc but i can't find any "go compare" sites etc that list Ariel just so I can get a rough idea)
If you wanted to get more power out of a supercharged Atom, what options are there and what is possible? I know that this may seem a silly question especially considering I have never sat in one never mind driven one, its just that my experience with motorbikes has shown that no matter what the performance is on offer, you inevitably always get used to the power. I made quite a few jumps over the years starting out on 125cc learner bikes, and the initial "scare" factor after a jump up to the next rung on the performance ladder always wore off eventually in the end. I'm sure that a 300bhp atom will scare me, but if (and its only an "if") some years down the line you wanted "more," are there upgrade options (please don't suggest the V8 Atom unless I win the lottery
)
Where is the best place to speak to owners and ask questions? I found the owners club but it seems that it is mainly USA based and they don't appear to have the same drive trains etc. I know the PH section appears quiet but again, I assume thats due to such a low volume of cars made and subsequent owners.
I'm sure I'll have plenty of other questions but I think that will do for a start
If you've read this far then thanks for your time, if you can offer any info then it would be much appreciated!
Cheers
If everything works out for me (and I don't know if it will yet), I'm hoping to be in a position to start looking to purchase a (used) Ariel Atom 300 sometime towards the end of this year/early next year. However, although I've spent ages scouring the internet, I'm having trouble finding out certain information, but I guess thats to be expected with a car produced in such small numbers. I used to ride motorbikes on road and track (had a dedicated track bike) so I would like a supercharged Atom because of the insane power, from what I have read this is one of the closest things to being on two wheels.
How important is service history? I ask this because of the logistics of returning a car to Somerset each time it needs work/servicing. I'm comfortable with the spanners etc and imagine working on one of these would be relatively easy due to the access to engine and other components, and also because of the standard (?) Honda drivetrain (excluding the super charger). Do you lucky owners work on your cars yourself or make the journey back to your cars birth place for work? Does this impact on a cars value? If its absolutely "neccessary" to keep going back to the factory in order to maintain a service record and future value then I would probably have to throw in the towel now. Is there a specific service schedule/routine?
What is the standard spec of an Ariel Atom 300, and what are the available options? I'm having trouble establishing what is standard and what is an optonal extra/upgraded part. Looking at the Ariel website I can't see an options list, or even better a price list for the available options. Adverts on here and other sites for used Atoms don't always state what is an upgrade/optional extra so its hard for me to see why two similar looking cars differ considerably in price.
What are the "must have" or highly recommended options to look for? Can these all be retro fitted or only installed at the time of original build?
Does the aero package comprise both the carbon front splitter and rear spoiler, or are they available seperately? Can these be retro fitted to a "naked" car? How much are they? I notice that the majority of cars do not have the splitter/spoiler, is there a reason for this? I think they look great, but maybe I'm in the minority and appreciate that everyones taste is different.
From what I can gather (although please correct me if I am wrong!), certain suspension components wear out "quickly" and are expensive. Can anyone elaborate on this and give me specific information? What wears/how much to replace etc?
Are brake pads/discs only available from Ariel and if so how much? What about other consumable items?
Which insurance companies are recommended for Atoms and what sort of ball park figures are quoted (I appreciate that this will vary according to age/driver history/area etc but i can't find any "go compare" sites etc that list Ariel just so I can get a rough idea)
If you wanted to get more power out of a supercharged Atom, what options are there and what is possible? I know that this may seem a silly question especially considering I have never sat in one never mind driven one, its just that my experience with motorbikes has shown that no matter what the performance is on offer, you inevitably always get used to the power. I made quite a few jumps over the years starting out on 125cc learner bikes, and the initial "scare" factor after a jump up to the next rung on the performance ladder always wore off eventually in the end. I'm sure that a 300bhp atom will scare me, but if (and its only an "if") some years down the line you wanted "more," are there upgrade options (please don't suggest the V8 Atom unless I win the lottery
)Where is the best place to speak to owners and ask questions? I found the owners club but it seems that it is mainly USA based and they don't appear to have the same drive trains etc. I know the PH section appears quiet but again, I assume thats due to such a low volume of cars made and subsequent owners.
I'm sure I'll have plenty of other questions but I think that will do for a start
If you've read this far then thanks for your time, if you can offer any info then it would be much appreciated!
Cheers
I'll try and answer what I can.
Service history. The official route is to send it back to the factory, but it's a long old way from a lot of the UK. Alternatively it's easy enough to get a local Honda dealer to do it and I'd be surprised if anyone was worried by that. I've done no spannering on mine, mostly through laziness but I suspect a lot of work would be easy to do thanks to accessibility. That will put some buyers off. It shouldn't provided it's properly documented but it will
I believe that servicing is every 4500 miles or annually.
Standard spec? well that gets you a chassis, an engine and box and a drivetrain, some seats and the essential electrics as well as a few bits of bodywork and a basic suspension and brakes.
The options list is huge and a well spec'd Atom will have more option spend than the base model costs. I'm sure if you phone the factory up they'll send you a configuration spreadsheet. Must haves are the decent brakes. Everything else is down to taste and intended use. Some options, such as the FIA cage or the ability to swap to LHD and back mean a modified chassis that needs to be spec'd on ordering. Most other things are upgradable but it would be easy to spend a fortune doing so.
The areodynamics are generally thought to not be worth the effort, so aren't common. I've never driven an aero car so won't comment whether this is true or not.
Insurance, CCI Aviva or Adrian Flux, I pay about £400 a year for 3000 miles.
More power? I believe there's a few options but I've no idea what they are or why it would be necessary.
As for finding owners, there's a few on here but as this is a quiet area most don't check very often.
Hope that helps, let me know if you want anything more specific and I'll try and answer.
Service history. The official route is to send it back to the factory, but it's a long old way from a lot of the UK. Alternatively it's easy enough to get a local Honda dealer to do it and I'd be surprised if anyone was worried by that. I've done no spannering on mine, mostly through laziness but I suspect a lot of work would be easy to do thanks to accessibility. That will put some buyers off. It shouldn't provided it's properly documented but it will
I believe that servicing is every 4500 miles or annually.
Standard spec? well that gets you a chassis, an engine and box and a drivetrain, some seats and the essential electrics as well as a few bits of bodywork and a basic suspension and brakes.
The options list is huge and a well spec'd Atom will have more option spend than the base model costs. I'm sure if you phone the factory up they'll send you a configuration spreadsheet. Must haves are the decent brakes. Everything else is down to taste and intended use. Some options, such as the FIA cage or the ability to swap to LHD and back mean a modified chassis that needs to be spec'd on ordering. Most other things are upgradable but it would be easy to spend a fortune doing so.
The areodynamics are generally thought to not be worth the effort, so aren't common. I've never driven an aero car so won't comment whether this is true or not.
Insurance, CCI Aviva or Adrian Flux, I pay about £400 a year for 3000 miles.
More power? I believe there's a few options but I've no idea what they are or why it would be necessary.
As for finding owners, there's a few on here but as this is a quiet area most don't check very often.
Hope that helps, let me know if you want anything more specific and I'll try and answer.
The Atom club had a good forum, a 160hp is bike quick, a 300hp is unreal. Wings can be bought but expensive. My car was owner maintained and still won mechanics choice at Atom X. The engine is just Honda so no probs. It is just the suspention that is a bit specialised with the set up to get it right. A lot of the club members enter with a 160, 220, 245 then work their way to a 300. Esentials on a 300, alcon breaks, adjustable shocks and two piece spring sets, LSD and baffeld sump for track work and toyo 888 or yoko AO48 tyres. There are lots of extras but pricy and that is why there is so much differance with prices. A well spec new 300 can cost well in the £50 grand figures. The factor are very helpful and can answer all your questions
Thanks for all the replies chaps, much appreciated!
I rang the factory yesterday, I was amazed at how friendly and helpful they were. They have kindly emailed me some detailed information about specs/optional extras so that has helped me a great deal.
I will check out the Atom club/forum in more detail.
Thanks again!
I rang the factory yesterday, I was amazed at how friendly and helpful they were. They have kindly emailed me some detailed information about specs/optional extras so that has helped me a great deal.
I will check out the Atom club/forum in more detail.
Thanks again!
KMF said:
There is a give away 2006 Atom 2/160 on pistonheads at the moment, i think it is £19500 its not a 300 but what a crakin start. Never seen one so cheap and you wont loose a peny no matter how long you have it. Nice you wont loose money on a buy, a 160 is bike quick
Yeah I saw that one, and you make a valid case for considering it. However, I know what I'm like, I'll only get "upgradeitis" and end up wanting more. I really want the full fat 300 version, if everything goes to plan then this will hopefully be a keeper as I don't see where else I could go after this (short of a lottery win). I've seen one or two in the classifieds that I like the sound of, but unfortunately I'm not in a position to buy just yet. However, it may be sooner than I think so I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Do used Atoms normally hang aroung for a while or is therea good market for them? I'm trying to speed things up my end financially but I'm conscientious that this is a niche market with limited cars to choose from.So envious of you! I've been interested in the Atom for a few years now and finally got to drive the 6th gear 'S' around Bruntingthorpe last september and i still reminisce(!) about it all the time even though it was a limited experience. I'll never be in a situation to purchase one bar a lottery win but enjoy looking at them in the classifieds. Sad i know! Would love a pax ride in one out on the open road up here in the North East...
glyn430 said:
hi toilet duck, where are you based in the uk, i have a 300 atom 3, which is the highest spec ariel have ever built apart from the Atom 500, if your local to me in west yorkshire you are more than welcome to come and ask any questions and maybe even a passenger ride?
Glyn
Hello Glyn,Glyn
Thats a really kind offer of you but unfortunately I'm a bit too far away (I'm in Essex). As you live some distance from the factory, do you make the long journey for servicing/work or do you do it yourself/use a more local specialist?
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