Importing cars

[my porsche]

another thoght to have is that you will wreck your first car. so you may wnt something with a bit more protection that a bit of scaffolding and a motor. i wrecked my first 2 cars, and with one of them if i didnt have a car of some substance i would most likely be dead now. im not saying that you will die if you get an atom or caterham, but its just more likely.

the kids on this site are a little more mature than most, and love cars too much to be careless and stupid with them and wreck them, i think he'll do fine

[cmcpokey]

umm... youre preaching to the choir. my first car was wrcked for me by a bronco that was speeding around a blind corner, and unfortunately i was pulling out and turning left in front of where he was headed. im not saying that he will or wont be a good cautious driver, its just smart to have some padding.

[Matra et Alpine]

im not quite sure that you would want to use a cat or an atom for a daily driver. you woudl probably get close to your chiropractor.

I know hundreds who use Lotus-7 copies as daily drivers.
One guy even uses it for the occasional "commute" to Dounreay - a 6 hour non-stop drive
I would concur for many American drivers the car just isn't big enough.

[Matra et Alpine]

another thoght to have is that you will wreck your first car. so you may wnt something with a bit more protection that a bit of scaffolding and a motor. i wrecked my first 2 cars, and with one of them if i didnt have a car of some substance i would most likely be dead now. im not saying that you will die if you get an atom or caterham, but its just more likely.

ah but then you have the 50s Citroen view on "safety" --- give the driver a car which is capable of staying OUT OF TROUBLE and it is better than adding all the extras to make it survivable. Low mass vehicles MOVE rather than crush as much as heavier vehicles do and so the frame doesn't need to be as "big". However, in a land of high up SUVs, I would certainly fit a racing cage to any Lotus-7 copy
Then of course there is additional driver risk-avoidance training -- which usually makes for a faster driver too

BUT the emotional impact of wrecking a pride-and-joy rather than a clunker shoudl not be passed over !!!!!

[IBrake4Rainbows]

When my family bought our BMW over from New Zealand (Where it was originally a Japanese Import) to Australia, it cost us around $4000, and it only needed a seatbelt change and some new indicators to become australian legal.

Surely you'd be able to import the Atom under a special track day car provison or something?

[kennyknoxville]

i love the ariel atom, but im sad to say its more of a west coast car. youd die of exposure on the east coast in the winter.
tell your dad to get a lotus, they finally brought them over so you dont have to go through the hassle.
now if you lived in arizona or australia, id say go for it. its just not worth the work to own a car that you cant drive for more than half the year

[CHEESE-TACULAR]

i love the ariel atom, but im sad to say its more of a west coast car. youd die of exposure on the east coast in the winter.
tell your dad to get a lotus, they finally brought them over so you dont have to go through the hassle.
now if you lived in arizona or australia, id say go for it. its just not worth the work to own a car that you cant drive for more than half the year

are you kidding? did you see fifth gear where they drove it to the arctic circle? that aint a problem
the problem is finding one cheap enough with considerable miles on it

[magracer]

I think getting an Atom as a first car is the same as getting an R1 as a first motorcycle. Have a look on bike forums and the experienced people will advice stronly against it. I've seen more than one "I know they are serious machines but I'm responsible enough" threads from young people. Some of them end shortly in nasty accidents (even fatal). I'm over 30 now and I don't trust myself enough to get one of those broom rockets. So unless you have been racing karts since your were 5, I'll advice against it.

Anyway, importing a used Atom, financing it, insuring it and running it (in the winter) seems such a long shot for a teenager that I really don't think you'll be able to do it.

Last advice, develop your skills at the same time as your car, it's more satisfying.

Now, if your want the thrills without the hassle (except the cost), get a shifter kart and race it. And a hot hatch... Anyway my 2c.

[spi-ti-tout]

I'll be more than happy with the 90 Corolla that I'll be getting as a first.
Doesn't drink too much (slightly more than today's Corolla though) and does 120, which will be enough provided I get there quickly enough

I'm not expert on driving but I'll go along with nearly everybody over here - build your skills with a safer car first. But if you're really into it my cousin from New York is planning to get one (probably nicely specced) over there anyway (after I showed him the TG vid). He already has an ex-undercover cop 976 bhp RWD Jetta but said himself he would never have it if he didn't learn how to drive first. Anyways, IF he is getting one there I'll let you know so that maybe you two can get them together and a lower price or something on shipping.

[Mustang]

ooph

[my porsche]

that is one awesome car with the spoilers wannabe f1

[CHEESE-TACULAR]

thats a nice idea spi-does anybody know how much worse the atom's milage is (220 iVTECH) than an acura RSX?

[my porsche]

i think i t would be the same if not better, because the car weighs alot less, but its the same engine, the base model anyway

[CHEESE-TACULAR]

i think i t would be the same if not better, because the car weighs alot less, but its the same engine, the base model anyway

yeah i was looking for it-i think i have enough stats behind me to expose this to my dad tonight wish me luck

[my porsche]

good lucl
have you done it yet? make a notecard with pros (no-ocns let him think them up himself) use a good tone of voice etc, call him sir blah blah


thats how i convinced my dad to let me get a 911 when im barely 15