Atom owner in waiting..

[Rooney1000]

Hi all



Seems slightly odd to be writing this on what is quite possible the worst day to have an Atom, well for me and my location in snowy Essex, we have a good 6 inches of the white stuff here !!



Anyway, firstly hi to everyone, I am new to this forum and have spent a fair bit of recent time reading through various threads and picking up some great info.



In terms of me and my position, well I am 95% sure that I am looking to purchase an atom, a 3.5 atom would be my preference. I say 95% sure as there is 5% of me that keeps debating if an Exige might be a better and would get more use but then I keep coming back to the feeling I had / have after spending a day in a work colleagues supercharged Atom several years ago at an open track day at Silverstone. Still to this day I have not experienced the same type of acceleration, exposure, general excitement and shock. For me the feeling of knowing that an Atom is sitting in the garage primed and ready for a run out come nicer weather - what a feeling (let alone driving it).



Despite searching and finding out a lot of information I do have some general questions that remain and I am sure can be answered on here. All replies are welcome and appreciated ! Oh and for context, considering mainly as a road car but with 2 or 3 track days per year (maybe more if I get addicted)



· On open track day I did the helmets had voice connectivity so you could talk to each other. In searching the forum it seems that a solution such as Autocom would work but must admit having looked at their website it is hard for a non-technical person like me to work out what solution would work, where it gets installed and what is involved. Anyone have recommendations for this type of thing – for me it would be great to be able to listen to music when on own, maybe take a phone call (although not essential) but then most importantly talk to my passenger whilst wearing a full helmet


· On basis this will be mostly a road car and I would like to limit 4 hour trips to the factory where I believe they can fit one for the MOT am I right in assuming that getting an Atom with a handbrake is essential (for MOT) ?


· Servicing, now I know the recommendation is to use the factory and would consider that but wondered if anyone based in the east of the country knows of any good specialist garages that they would recommend or consider? I would like to think that any major services or work I would use the factory but for minor services I wonder if something local would be available? If this is a big no no then please let me know, I will then just need to plan for a yearly, summer, trip to the factory !


· The tyres, can new ones be bought and fitted at standard tyre centres like quickfit or do you need a specialist. Assume quite standard ?


· What is clearance like, speedbumps ok ? I live in a remote village but interested just in case I come across any


· I have found a couple of posts on booster seats for children. I have no doubt my 8 year old will want to experience the Atom in safe conditions, can normal booster seats work and would I need to ensure the right seatbelt / harness is in the car for this?


· When the car is garaged and not being used a lot, like it would at the moment in the middle of the cold winter we are having, is there anything special needed to keep everything protected ? Assume need to trickle charge the battery but anything else (start it / drive it every week just to keep things ticking over etc)



Finally, and perhaps most importantly, trying to find one !! All but impossible it seems. It sounds like more tend to come up in the Spring so is the best approach to sit tight and wait and then just hope something comes up. Am guessing that you need to be quite lucky to get the right spec, age and budget and be close enough to go view, and then of course hope that all is ok with it. I guess finding one through this site helps in that the car could be from an enthusiast etc.



Sorry, long post so thanks for reading and any responses. And if anyone has a nice 3.5 coming up for sale in the near future with the usual must haves AND lives close to me then let me know !!!!!



Thanks all

Chris

[Fastlane]

Q. In terms of me and my position, well I am 95% sure that I am looking to purchase an atom, a 3.5 atom would be my preference. I say 95% sure as there is 5% of me that keeps debating if an Exige might be a better and would get more use but then I keep coming back to the feeling I had / have after spending a day in a work colleagues supercharged Atom several years ago at an open track day at Silverstone. Still to this day I have not experienced the same type of acceleration, exposure, general excitement and shock. For me the feeling of knowing that an Atom is sitting in the garage primed and ready for a run out come nicer weather - what a feeling (let alone driving it).

A. I was intending to buy an Exige V6 at around £35-£40k, but after being taken out in a supercharged 3, I decided that it what I wanted. 2.5 years later and I still love mine - a 2008 supercharged 3 - partly because I only really drive it 6 months a year so the excitement build over the Autumn and Winter!

Q. On open track day I did the helmets had voice connectivity so you could talk to each other. In searching the forum it seems that a solution such as Autocom would work but must admit having looked at their website it is hard for a non-technical person like me to work out what solution would work, where it gets installed and what is involved. Anyone have recommendations for this type of thing – for me it would be great to be able to listen to music when on own, maybe take a phone call (although not essential) but then most importantly talk to my passenger whilst wearing a full helmet.

A. Any motorcycle Bluetooth headset set should do - try a Cardo or a Sena. I have a Cardo Pack Talk set and they work perfectly for in helmet intercom, taking calls and playing music. This would be more than adequate I would think: https://www.infinitymotorcycles.com/pro ... xhEALw_wcB

Q. On basis this will be mostly a road car and I would like to limit 4 hour trips to the factory where I believe they can fit one for the MOT am I right in assuming that getting an Atom with a handbrake is essential (for MOT) ?

A. Yes it is essential for an MOT. Most cars will have them fitted when new, but some (with rear Alcons) don't. Budget £950 fitted by the factory.

Q. Servicing, now I know the recommendation is to use the factory and would consider that but wondered if anyone based in the east of the country knows of any good specialist garages that they would recommend or consider? I would like to think that any major services or work I would use the factory but for minor services I wonder if something local would be available? If this is a big no no then please let me know, I will then just need to plan for a yearly, summer, trip to the factory !

A. I have mine serviced at the factory each year, but I can do minor work with instruction from the factory. Once they know your car, they will be happy to advice you if you ring them with a question. It is then up to you to decide whether a local garage can manage that job or not.

Q. The tyres, can new ones be bought and fitted at standard tyre centres like quickfit or do you need a specialist. Assume quite standard ?
A. You can buy the tyres from pretty much anywhere (including online) but I would never let a tyre fitter jack up my Atom, so buy yourself a decent low profile jack, 4 jack stands (with rubber protection), a torque wrench and an alloy wheel soft socket so you can remove the wheels and take them to your local trusted tyre fitter. This is exactly what I have done this week as mine needed 4 new tyres. As my car is only used on road, I decided to replace my Kumho Ecsta V70As with Yokohama AD08Rs as they are slightly better for road-only use, and are also much cheaper.

Q. What is clearance like, speedbumps ok ? I live in a remote village but interested just in case I come across any

A. I live in Cornwall and we have lots of speedbumps - I have never had any issues, but I do take it VERY slowly.

Q. I have found a couple of posts on booster seats for children. I have no doubt my 8 year old will want to experience the Atom in safe conditions, can normal booster seats work and would I need to ensure the right seatbelt / harness is in the car for this?

A. I would say booster seats are a big no because of the shape and type of the seats. I would see if he/she fits in without them. You can always fit a full 6 point harness to secure them properly.

Q. When the car is garaged and not being used a lot, like it would at the moment in the middle of the cold winter we are having, is there anything special needed to keep everything protected ? Assume need to trickle charge the battery but anything else (start it / drive it every week just to keep things ticking over etc)

A. Mine is always plugged in to a trickle charger when not in use. I also bought a cover from the factory. I clean it at the end of the "season", check everything and then make sure it is dry before putting the cover on it. I only ever start it if I am intending to take it for a drive. Some people put a light coat of rust inhibitor like ACF50 or WD40 on their cars when in storage.

Q. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, trying to find one !! All but impossible it seems. It sounds like more tend to come up in the Spring so is the best approach to sit tight and wait and then just hope something comes up. Am guessing that you need to be quite lucky to get the right spec, age and budget and be close enough to go view, and then of course hope that all is ok with it. I guess finding one through this site helps in that the car could be from an enthusiast etc.

A. Contact the factory, they may well know of some coming up for sale. Post a wanted ad. on here and the Facebook group and keep a daily eye on here, Pistonheads and Autotrader.

You haven't actually said your budget or whether you want a n/a or supercharged car. Don't count an Atom 3 out either - they will give you just a much pleasure as a 3.5 for slightly less outlay.

Also, you need to invest in some cold/wet weather gear - skiing, sailing or motorcycle gear is usually best. I have just bought a heated jacket and gloves for the cooler Spring and late Summer evening drives.

Good luck!

[Rooney1000]

Hi, thanks for great response.

Supercharged and looking at 3.5 as understanding from reading on here is that there were chassis, steering and gemotry changes from a 3 to a 3.5 which make a difference for road driving. Happy to be educated otherwise. Fine with manual and 310hp

Budget, looking at around £40k to £45k.

Thanks again.

[wasp]

Hi, thanks for great response.

Supercharged and looking at 3.5 as understanding from reading on here is that there were chassis, steering and gemotry changes from a 3 to a 3.5 which make a difference for road driving. Happy to be educated otherwise. Fine with manual and 310hp

Budget, looking at around £40k to £45k.

Thanks again.

That's a sensible budget and you should get a good, well sorted Supercharged 3.5 for that. it will be epic and are generally bulletproof if maintained properly.

Cheap to run, a riot to drive and you'll lose next to nothing when you come to sell. Easiest man maths ever.

Speak to the Factory about any Atom you are looking to buy, they generally know them all!

I'm on my 4th

Cheers,
Stu

[phil4]

Rather than booster I used to put my kid in a full kids seat, which neatly fitted into the Atom set without problems.

[Rooney1000]

Phil - not sure I understand what you mean by full seat. Can you let me know make and model so I can see on Google (guessing you mean a whole kids car seat but not sure how that would attach to the harness etc).

Thanks

[phil4]

Hi, sure... was a maxi-cosi rodi... just pop it in the seat, and the buckle the kid up with the seat belts as normal using the car's belts (pretty much how you'd use it in a normal car, just without any ISOfix).

[Rooney1000]

Ok great thanks. I suppose that just raises question and shows my lack of knowledge on the atom but I am assuming that most atoms don't have normal seat belts so wasn't sure how you could secure the seat (as guessing very different with a harness).

Thanks again.

[phil4]

The seatbelts are either 4 or 5/6 way... either will do just fine holding in child in child seat. 2" preferable though as their shoulders are only so big.

Most car seats are designed for the belt to go from either right or left, depending on which side of the car they're at. So with a 4-6 way, it just uses -both- sides.

While I'm not saying anything about safety, I think you might be over thinking the actual fitting, it really is throw in car seat, pop kid in, do up seatbelts, tell them not to put hands out... and that's about it.

[Rooney1000]

That's great, thanks for this, really helpful

[PhilTimo]

I was same as you in the Autumn - looking for a GOOD* S/C 3.5.
Emphasis on the GOOD.
They are out there, but be patient and don't expect too much haggling if it really is a good one!

*Good - Low mileage (prefered), limited track use, and most important Full Factory SH. This was my list of priorities. I feel its the last one that is the deal maker.
Don't be shy to phone the factory to see if they know the car. For this you will need the VIN Number, not the reg number.
When I phones Steve at the Factory (Service dept) he said "Ah! You are buying Mr Smith's car!" So reassuring if I'm honest.

With the waiting list for the 4 being what it is, the prices are holding. I think you will get a very good one (as described) for £45K, maybe a touch more.

Good luck!

[mypresenttome]

Car seat (8yr old) - I purchased a full seat from Halfords and their cheapest one fitted best as it did not have cup holders etc. so it was narrow enough to fit down in the seat base. I spoke to the Thames Valley traffic police desk before I bought it as was not sure what they would think. After a Google search they were more than happy with the suggestion although each officer may vary I guess. I use the normal harnesses and he is as snug as a bug.

Loves it but ear protectors are a good idea as it is quite LOUD! and a cap, and safety glasses...........

[Namastebuzz]

https://www.cameronsportscars.com/speci ... alist_Cars

2010 modified to 3.5 spec and £9k() service\upgrade at the factory in 2020. Looks like a good spec. £39k.



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[John Scherrer]

.. but why did it need a complete factory strip down .. ?

.. no mention of a baffled sump, but race grade rod ends and supercharger etc ..

[Namastebuzz]

.. but why did it need a complete factory strip down .. ?

No idea but I'm sure the factory would tell anyone who wanted to know.