New Member looking to buy an early Atom :)

[clarko]

Greetings all.

I am in the market to buy an Atom.
It needs to be an early one so as to help me get it into the country!
Canada

[hamtt]

How early?

I have a 2005 2/245 that I may sell.

[clarko]

Hi Hamtt,
Thanks for the fast response.
If I bring it into country right now, it would have to be a 2001..(has to be 15 years old... then you can bring anything you want in)... which I believe would make it a Rover powered Atom 1.... I have a pm into the guy in Germany who has one posted... it also happens to already be LHD which would save me some money... I understand that Rover power is not ideal... reliability plus supply issue of spare parts....
... but if I want it right now that's what I would have to settle for....

Believe me I do want a Honda powered machine and have the budget for a much newer one... its agonizing to see beautiful machines come up for sale and know that I don't have a snowballs chance in hell of getting them in here...
and I don't want to be in the old folks home still waiting for the 15 year rule to allow me to get one!!

Any idea off hand when the first Hondas came out? was it 2002 or 2003?
thanks