Minefield

[Ja5on]

Hi Guys

Been lurking on here for ages and finally in position to make a move for an Atom when the right one comes up. I love the idea of going for an Atom 4 but just a bit of a stretch budget wise considering I'm wanting to by a new house in the next couple of years.

So I would say absolute max I have a budget of £40k and I would like it to be a 300hp version. But the prices seem to differ so much its hard to know what to go for. Cars older than 2013 put me off a bit, just because I know that when cars get to a certain age you end up spending £££ to cover age issues than general wear and tear.

So I suppose my question is really..

Am i being silly not considering cars older than 2013?

[hamtt]

If the cars been maintained well there's nothing much really that goes wrong with the older cars.

You can normally tell the 'tired' cars from the wear and tear but generally most atoms have low mileages compared to road cars.

2013 and below will probably be an atom 3. Newer than that will be an atom 3.5 which has a strengthened chassis, digital dash, newer geadlights/taillights, steering rack upgrade and some other bits and pieces.

I know someone who has a 2014 supercharged 3.5 that you may be able to get for 40k or close to 40k if you're interested.

[Fastlane]

As with any car buy on condition not age. You will get a really nice 3 within your budget, just stick to factory serviced cars and get them to look over it prior to purchase for complete peace of mind. Apart from the chassis, the 3 can be upgraded to 3.5 spec pretty easily.

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[Ja5on]

As with any car buy on condition not age. You will get a really nice 3 within your budget, just stick to factory serviced cars and get them to look over it prior to purchase for complete peace of mind. Apart from the chassis, the 3 can be upgraded to 3.5 spec pretty easily.

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See wee trinkets of info like that is what Im after hahaha.

Knew I'd come to the right place. Is there a definative bible anywhere that lists the differece?

[autobackup]

Main rule :

Check that any atom you are interested in has not l :

Had a previous life as driver training track car or
An 'experience' day car
Had an accident and the rebuild was not done by the Ariel factory

Some will have been used as a dedicated track day/hill climb cars but these tend to have been meticulously maintained - but may need registering for road use an, once again, get the factory to give it a clean bill of health.

If you see a car you like get the (original) registration number and give the factory a call as they will be more than happy to give you what they know of it's history and service record

but, that said experience day/driver race training Atoms can be very cheap to buy and would probably leave enough in the the budget for the factory to 'renovate' it back to pristine condition.

[Ja5on]

Main rule :

Check that any atom you are interested in has not l :

Had a previous life as driver training track car or
An 'experience' day car
Had an accident and the rebuild was not done by the Ariel factory

Some will have been used as a dedicated track day/hill climb cars but these tend to have been meticulously maintained - but may need registering for road use an, once again, get the factory to give it a clean bill of health.

If you see a car you like get the (original) registration number and give the factory a call as they will be more than happy to give you what they know of it's history and service record

but, that said experience day/driver race training Atoms can be very cheap to buy and would probably leave enough in the the budget for the factory to 'renovate' it back to pristine condition.

Thanks mate. I will track day the car more than likely. If the car has a history of trackdays I'm not overly fussed as thats what they are designed for. But agree they have to be looked after properly for them to be a viable option.

[hamtt]

As with any car buy on condition not age. You will get a really nice 3 within your budget, just stick to factory serviced cars and get them to look over it prior to purchase for complete peace of mind. Apart from the chassis, the 3 can be upgraded to 3.5 spec pretty easily.

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The cost to upgrade a 3 to 3.5 won't be worth it and it'll still not be a 'real' 3.5 as the log book will say 3 so it'll always be considered a 3 with upgrades when anyone with any knowledge of atoms is buying it in the future. Best just get a 3.5 from the outset.

[Fastlane]

As with any car buy on condition not age. You will get a really nice 3 within your budget, just stick to factory serviced cars and get them to look over it prior to purchase for complete peace of mind. Apart from the chassis, the 3 can be upgraded to 3.5 spec pretty easily.

Sent from my ELE-L09 using Tapatalk

The cost to upgrade a 3 to 3.5 won't be worth it and it'll still not be a 'real' 3.5 as the log book will say 3 so it'll always be considered a 3 with upgrades when anyone with any knowledge of atoms is buying it in the future. Best just get a 3.5 from the outset.

Indeed, but lots have had 3.5 upgrades and they tend to be cheaper, so the bang for the buck is very good.

Ultimately a 3 with the 3.5 upgrades drives the same as a 3.5.

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[Anon]

For £40k I would buy a basic Atom 4 if it were me, then upgrade it as and when you can/if you want. My best guess is the stock Atom 4 (if my results are anything to go by) will be probably in excess of the 320bhp power output - more than an Atom 2 or 3 would be not to mention stiffer chassis, better suspension etc etc.

[Fastlane]

For £40k I would buy a basic Atom 4 if it were me, then upgrade it as and when you can/if you want. My best guess is the stock Atom 4 (if my results are anything to go by) will be probably in excess of the 320bhp power output - more than an Atom 2 or 3 would be not to mention stiffer chassis, better suspension etc etc.

I doubt he wants to wait 3 years though, I know I didn't.

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[phil4]

not to mention stiffer chassis, better suspension etc etc.

And heavier...

[Ja5on]

For £40k I would buy a basic Atom 4 if it were me, then upgrade it as and when you can/if you want. My best guess is the stock Atom 4 (if my results are anything to go by) will be probably in excess of the 320bhp power output - more than an Atom 2 or 3 would be not to mention stiffer chassis, better suspension etc etc.

I doubt he wants to wait 3 years though, I know I didn't.

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Exactly correct. Spoken to the guys at Atom a few times but just not sure I want to wait for a build to be done.

Past few years have been hellish with divorce, relocating and buying a home again. Mr Covid screwed my plans for a Toy this year, but on the plus side it did mean I could up my toy budget.

Even then when I added up my spec on an Atom 4 I ended up t nearly £67k

[hamtt]

As with any car buy on condition not age. You will get a really nice 3 within your budget, just stick to factory serviced cars and get them to look over it prior to purchase for complete peace of mind. Apart from the chassis, the 3 can be upgraded to 3.5 spec pretty easily.

Sent from my ELE-L09 using Tapatalk

The cost to upgrade a 3 to 3.5 won't be worth it and it'll still not be a 'real' 3.5 as the log book will say 3 so it'll always be considered a 3 with upgrades when anyone with any knowledge of atoms is buying it in the future. Best just get a 3.5 from the outset.

Indeed, but lots have had 3.5 upgrades and they tend to be cheaper, so the bang for the buck is very good.

Ultimately a 3 with the 3.5 upgrades drives the same as a 3.5.

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They may look the same but they won't drive the same.

The most common 3.5 upgrades people did to the 3's were visual upgrades to make it look like a 3.5, such as the lights and the dash.

No one would have upgraded the chassis. The 3.5 chassis has extrq stiffening in it and I doubt anyone welded on extra bits and re-powdercoated their 3 chassis.

The early 3 ecu map made th car very twitchy, the supercharger was not progressive and a lot of the 2 owners that upgraded to 3's struggled with it. The 2 was cable throttke and 3 was fly by wire. Over the years the map was refined to make the car more controllable and predictable, and the 3.5 map was the final word. Most of the 3's will have their original maps. A few people upgraded their maps here and there but I beleive most didn't.

The steering rack was upgraded on the 3.5, again a few people had the upgrades done but not many.

There are other subtle differences too that will exist between an upgraded 3 and a 3.5.

Oh, and some 3.5 cars have a k24 engine. I

I'm any event the factory will be able to tell you if a particular car had had the non-visible upgrades done to it, but you'll still be missing the stiffer chassis.

[Fastlane]

The cost to upgrade a 3 to 3.5 won't be worth it and it'll still not be a 'real' 3.5 as the log book will say 3 so it'll always be considered a 3 with upgrades when anyone with any knowledge of atoms is buying it in the future. Best just get a 3.5 from the outset.

Indeed, but lots have had 3.5 upgrades and they tend to be cheaper, so the bang for the buck is very good.

Ultimately a 3 with the 3.5 upgrades drives the same as a 3.5.

Sent from my ELE-L09 using Tapatalk

They may look the same but they won't drive the same.

The most common 3.5 upgrades people did to the 3's were visual upgrades to make it look like a 3.5, such as the lights and the dash.

No one would have upgraded the chassis. The 3.5 chassis has extrq stiffening in it and I doubt anyone welded on extra bits and re-oowderciated their 3 chassis.

The early 3 ecu map made th car very twitchy, the supercharger was not progressive and a lot of the 2 owners that upgraded to 3's struggled with it. The 2 was cable throttke and 3 was fly by wire. Over the years the map was refined to make the car more controllable and predictable, and the 3.5 map was the final word. Most of the 3's will have their original maps. A few people upgraded their maps here and there but I beleive most didn't.

The steering rack was upgraded on the 3.5, again a few people had the upgrades done but not many.

There are other subtle differences too that will exist between an upgraded 3 and a 3.5.

Oh, and some 3.5 cars have a k24 engine. I

I'm any event the factory will be able to tell you if a particular car had had the non-visible upgrades done to it, but you'll still be missing the stiffer chassis.

I appreciste your extensive knowledge, but I beg to differ as I believe an awful lot of 3s have the upgraded steering and the 3.5 map as well as many of the cosmetics, mine included. I am pretty sure most people won't be able to tell the difference that the stiffer chassis makes, except in extremis.

To the OP, I bought my Supercharged Atom 3 two years ago. I looked at the 4 but like you didn't want the wait and a decent spec was too expensive. My car had a lot of 3.5 upgrades, and for £295 the factory upgraded the map to the 3.5 map for me. It is well known to the factory with a full factory service history and they serviced it and checked it over before I bought it. Mine will be 13 in January and is still in great condition, is still faster and more exhilarating than 99% of cars on the road (and a lot of sports bikes!)

A well looked after 3 with a good spec and some choice upgrades is a fantastic car, as is the 3.5 so whichever you choose, you will love it.

[hamtt]

If you drive an upgraded 3 on its own you won't be able to tell any difference.

Drive a 3.5 and an upgraded 3 on the road and you won't be able to tell any difference.

On the track its a different story. An experienced track driver will be able to tell the difference.

An 'untouched' 3 drives completely differently to a 3.5.

The 3.5r handles and drives closer to the 3.5 then a 3.5 does to 3.

This all ofcourse all things being equal in terms of suspension/setup/tyres and all cars drive 'as new'.

A dog of a 3.5r or incorrectly setup 3.5r will drive worse than a well maintained 3.