I have just been to Ariel Ltd

[kelvin1238]

Anyway I have just been to Ariel in Somerset!!
Also i had a ride with Ariel. it was very very fast!!

However I thinking fo buying one but I don't know which options I should go for??

Is it OK if i buy the 35000 one with 300 horse power??

Could anyone help me please???

[Marki]

Dont forget the tow hook for the caravan

[atom120]

kelvin1238 said:

Is it OK if i buy the 35000 one with 300 horse power??

Its OK to buy one - its OK to buy five of them. Whether its OK to drive one is another matter.

Is it for road use? Track use? Have you done motorsport before? Will it be your only car? How much does your caravan weigh?

[kelvin1238]

atom120 said:

kelvin1238 said: Is it OK if i buy the 35000 one with 300 horse power?? Its OK to buy one - its OK to buy five of them. Whether its OK to drive one is another matter. Is it for road use? Track use? Have you done motorsport before? Will it be your only car? How much does your caravan weigh?

its for track and road use

and i have done go-karting

yes its my only car

no carvan

[Atom120]

kelvin1238 said:

and i have done go-karting

Depends what sort of karting you've done - but unless you've done Biland or similar, ANY Atom will be a HUGE step up. I've been karting at British Championship level since I was 13, and an Atom120 was still a massively different experience that took me a while to get used to. I still can't drive it properly. A 220 put me even further out of my depth ...as Bruce will recall as he was sat in the passenger seat! I expect to spend what's left of my life trying to get my head around the 300!

As your first road car, don't buy a 300. Maybe a 245 with the Hondata so you can supercharge later - or maybe even a 160 to play with first.

kelvin1238 said:

yes its my only car

In that case, definately don't buy a 300 - save the extra money and spend it on a second vehicle that can be left in the street overnight - and give you another alternative for trackdays should you get bored of the Atom. I'd recommend a Transit.

kelvin1238 said:

no carvan

You may not be allowed to buy one anyway if this is the case.

[kelvin1238]

Atom120 said:

kelvin1238 said: and i have done go-karting Depends what sort of karting you've done - but unless you've done Biland or similar, ANY Atom will be a HUGE step up. I've been karting at British Championship level since I was 13, and an Atom120 was still a massively different experience that took me a while to get used to. I still can't drive it properly. A 220 put me even further out of my depth ...as Bruce will recall as he was sat in the passenger seat! I expect to spend what's left of my life trying to get my head around the 300! As your first road car, don't buy a 300. Maybe a 245 with the Hondata so you can supercharge later - or maybe even a 160 to play with first. kelvin1238 said: yes its my only car In that case, definately don't buy a 300 - save the extra money and spend it on a second vehicle that can be left in the street overnight - and give you another alternative for trackdays should you get bored of the Atom. I'd recommend a Transit. kelvin1238 said: no carvan You may not be allowed to buy one anyway if this is the case.

thank you for replying

anyway Would you mind if i ask you is it expensive to drive go-kart in UK because i drive them in other place.

Also why cant i drive Atom without carcan??

thanks a lot

[Bruce Fielding]

Would you be taking it back to Hong Kong, Kelvin? Are there import problems?

We didn't actually say Hi on Saturday, but I assume you were the guy chatting with Steve who then went for a test drive with Tom? (I was the tall guy with the hairy dog!)

Oh, and don't worry about the Caravan - it's just a weird sense of humour thing...

[atom120]

kelvin1238 said:

is it expensive to drive go-kart in UK

As with most forms of motorsport, it can cost as much as you want it to, depending on how serious you are and what level you compete at. You could do a season's endurance racing competitively for under £10,000 if you were in a team of three - which puts the cost at just over £3,000 per head for the year. That includes the LeMans24 and the UK24 - if you only do local stuff, it'd cost a lot less.
Top level 2-stroke sprint racing can apparently cost over £100,000 a season for a single driver ...and if you've got that sort of money, I'd chose some other form of motorsport ...Atom racing perhaps!!

kelvin1238 said:

Also why cant i drive Atom without caravan??

Its just a new intiative from the factory to try and cut down the waiting list ...it won't catch on ...I wouldn't worry about it.

Andy

[kelvin1238]

atom120 said:

kelvin1238 said: is it expensive to drive go-kart in UK As with most forms of motorsport, it can cost as much as you want it to, depending on how serious you are and what level you compete at. You could do a season's endurance racing competitively for under £10,000 if you were in a team of three - which puts the cost at just over £3,000 per head for the year. That includes the LeMans24 and the UK24 - if you only do local stuff, it'd cost a lot less. Top level 2-stroke sprint racing can apparently cost over £100,000 a season for a single driver ...and if you've got that sort of money, I'd chose some other form of motorsport ...Atom racing perhaps!! kelvin1238 said: Also why cant i drive Atom without caravan?? Its just a new intiative from the factory to try and cut down the waiting list ...it won't catch on ...I wouldn't worry about it. Andy

How much do you think the Atom racing cost??

[kelvin1238]

Bruce Fielding said:

Would you be taking it back to Hong Kong, Kelvin? Are there import problems? We didn't actually say Hi on Saturday, but I assume you were the guy chatting with Steve who then went for a test drive with Tom? (I was the tall guy with the hairy dog!) Oh, and don't worry about the Caravan - it's just a weird sense of humour thing...

Hello Bruce

Oh yes i remember you (hairy dog) yes i know that there is a dealer in Hong Kong but its a lot more expersive than if i buy in UK (its cost 35000 pround without TAX for a 2.0 Honda 220 bhp 6 speed Atom in HK) for that price i can buy the 300 bhp Atom in UK
So i wonder i buy the car first and then import back to Hong Kong.
Do you think its possible ??


Anyway Would you mind if i ask you do you have an Atom (how much horse power is that)

Sorry for any english mistake

From Kelvin

[Bruce Fielding]

kelvin1238 said:

So i wonder i buy the car first and then import back to Hong Kong. Do you think its possible ??

You would probably be able to find out better than me. You would need to know what the import rules were on cars and that is a specialist subject. Many owners in other countries have had to do a lot of work to get the car accepted in their countries. I don't know if it's the same for China - although the Chinese did until recently seem keen to buy English cars (well, car companies, anyway!)

I have been able to discover this:

"Imports of passenger motor vehicles assembled in China are charged at a rate of 30% import tariffs irrespective of cylinder capacity in 2005, plus 17% value added tax. Beginning from 2005, imports of motor vehicles are subject to inspection and automatic import licence control, and also subject to USED machinery and electrical products import prohibitions.

"The rates quoted above apply to China's imports from most favoured nations, including of course the UK. The free port of Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and has no import duties for motor vehicles imported from the UK. However if you want to have the vehicle registered and run on Hong Kong roads, you will need to pay the First Registration Tax"

kelvin1238 said:

Anyway Would you mind if i ask you do you have an Atom (how much horse power is that)

I have owned Atoms for a long time - almost since the company started. My first car was a 165 Mk1 Rover K series. My current car is a Mk2 Honda 220. I would suggest that if you are a good driver (almost race driver standard) then you will really enjoy the 300 at Zhuhai. If you just want lots of fun on the road (with the occasional track day), then the 160 is a very good choice - it's very fast - especially around corners. The 220 is a good compromise if you want a road car that can also do track days and the occasional race (provided you have the right extras on the car - brakes, suspension, wheels, tyres etc.)

Without knowing what sort of driver you are, it's difficult to advise you - a bit like making a suit for someone you've never met!

[kelvin1238]

[quote=Bruce Fielding]




[quote=kelvin1238]Anyway Would you mind if i ask you

thanks for replying

is it hard to ask a shipping company??
(How much they would cost to import back to HK)??

also i am nearly 17 in November i would like to buy a second-hand Atom in UK but i think the problem is (Insurance)?? How much do you think it cost??

Cool!! you have an Atom since the company started !!
Do you drive your car regularly?? (everyday??!!)

[kelvin1238]

Bruce Fielding said:

kelvin1238 said: So i wonder i buy the car first and then import back to Hong Kong. Do you think its possible ?? You would probably be able to find out better than me. You would need to know what the import rules were on cars and that is a specialist subject. Many owners in other countries have had to do a lot of work to get the car accepted in their countries. I don't know if it's the same for China - although the Chinese did until recently seem keen to buy English cars (well, car companies, anyway!) I have been able to discover this: "Imports of passenger motor vehicles assembled in China are charged at a rate of 30% import tariffs irrespective of cylinder capacity in 2005, plus 17% value added tax. Beginning from 2005, imports of motor vehicles are subject to inspection and automatic import licence control, and also subject to USED machinery and electrical products import prohibitions. "The rates quoted above apply to China's imports from most favoured nations, including of course the UK. The free port of Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and has no import duties for motor vehicles imported from the UK. However if you want to have the vehicle registered and run on Hong Kong roads, you will need to pay the First Registration Tax" kelvin1238 said: Anyway Would you mind if i ask you do you have an Atom (how much horse power is that) I have owned Atoms for a long time - almost since the company started. My first car was a 165 Mk1 Rover K series. My current car is a Mk2 Honda 220. I would suggest that if you are a good driver (almost race driver standard) then you will really enjoy the 300 at Zhuhai. If you just want lots of fun on the road (with the occasional track day), then the 160 is a very good choice - it's very fast - especially around corners. The 220 is a good compromise if you want a road car that can also do track days and the occasional race (provided you have the right extras on the car - brakes, suspension, wheels, tyres etc.) Without knowing what sort of driver you are, it's difficult to advise you - a bit like making a suit for someone you've never met!

[quote=Bruce Fielding]




[quote=kelvin1238]Anyway Would you mind if i ask you

thanks for replying

is it hard to ask a shipping company??
(How much they would cost to import back to HK)??
(they have got some Atom in HK already)

also i am nearly 17 in November i would like to buy a second-hand Atom in UK but i think the problem is the (Insurance)?? How much do you think it cost me??

Cool!! you have the Atom since the company started !!
Do you drive your car regularly?? (everyday??!!)

from kelvin

[Bruce Fielding]

Shipping is easy. There are lots of companies that will do it - just do a google search

To be honest, I don't think you will get insurance. But you don't need insurance to buy a vehicle - just money! Driving it on the road is a different matter.

I don't drive my car every day - just special days and trackdays. But then I am nmore than three times your age!

[Atom120]

kelvin1238 said:

(How much they would cost to import back to HK)??

The actual shipping will cost you practically nothing - our containers go back to China empty. A 20' container costs less than £1,500 dock-to-dock coming over to the UK - going back to China would cost a fraction of that.

The big problem you've got is the import charges - you could well find that the £35,000 the HK dealer is charging is not too over the top - and then at least it gets rid of the hassle. Also, I'm guessing second-hand values over there will reflect the higher new prices - so you're unlikely to lose too much on buying a 220, even if you do buy it over there.

On insurance, give Adrian Flux a try - they might be able to quote you. I'm 22, and physically cannot get insured on things like Imprezas/Elises/etc - but the Atom was no problem. You might be lucky: and there's nothing to lose by making the phone call!

I'm not sure how much caravans cost in China, so you could well find that importing one of those would be more cost-effective.

[Hart]

Hi dear Atom fan in HK

You know this forum?

http://elise.pinkcore.com

I guess you get some good advice there, too.

Cheers from Germany

Hartmut

[Bruce Fielding]

Hi Harmut

Do you know this forum?

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?f=15&h=0

It's much more relevant if you own an Elise...

[kelvin1238]

Atom120 said:

kelvin1238 said: (How much they would cost to import back to HK)?? The actual shipping will cost you practically nothing - our containers go back to China empty. A 20' container costs less than £1,500 dock-to-dock coming over to the UK - going back to China would cost a fraction of that. The big problem you've got is the import charges - you could well find that the £35,000 the HK dealer is charging is not too over the top - and then at least it gets rid of the hassle. Also, I'm guessing second-hand values over there will reflect the higher new prices - so you're unlikely to lose too much on buying a 220, even if you do buy it over there. On insurance, give Adrian Flux a try - they might be able to quote you. I'm 22, and physically cannot get insured on things like Imprezas/Elises/etc - but the Atom was no problem. You might be lucky: and there's nothing to lose by making the phone call! I'm not sure how much caravans cost in China, so you could well find that importing one of those would be more cost-effective.

are you running a company for importing??

[kelvin1238]

Bruce Fielding said:

Hi Harmut Do you know this forum? www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?f=15&h=0 It's much more relevant if you own an Elise...

What can i do if i got the car broken down in Hong Kong??

[atom120]

kelvin1238 said:

are you running a company for importing??

Yes. But we import ink - not Atoms!

kelvin1238 said:

What can i do if i got the car broken down in Hong Kong??

If its a Mk2 Atom, take it to a Honda dealer. If its a Mk1 Atom, take it to Shanghai Automotive...