Maxyboy Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 (edited) This one has came a bit out of the blue to me, and to be honest i dont know a great deal about these kind of cars but i think it looks fantastic. The long and short of it is after only 7 months or so of ownership of my lovely individual spec'd 330d msport, a company car is calling so the opertunity of a proper weekend toy is a real possability. So as long as i can manage to post a pic, what do you think?? Are there any issues with these types of car and should i expect bulletproof residuals? I'm guessing it shouldn't be too bad. Also, anyone want to buy an immaculate beemer? Edited October 26, 2008 by Maxyboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 (edited) Read the long term reviews at EVO magazine very carefully ... Lotus 340R | Long Term Tests | Car Reviews | evo Briefly, it's good but flawed and be prepared for some horrendous bills. Better than your average Caterham equivalent (or an Elise), but not enough better to justify the cost. Edited October 26, 2008 by garcon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxyboy Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Mmm, not good reading is it. Possibly back to the drawing board on that one then. It just looks the mutts though doesn't it. Cheers garcon. Good link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Got to agree it does look superb. Shame really. What sort of price are you looking at? Would an Ariel Atom fall into budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxyboy Posted October 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 To be honest 20k was probably pushing it just for a toy anyway and it seems to be that atoms are still a fair bit above that. The thing is i've always had some pretty nice metal and the chance of a freebie vectra, although dull, is too much to pass up on. I just thought having something nice tucked away in a corner would cheer me up after some vectra motorway munching. Exige may be another option but............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillBlank Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 Have you thought about either: A) Taking your bike test and doing lots of trackdays both here and abroad with your own track bike? B) Buying a proper single seater formula ford or similar and use the company car to tow it to track days? See here for ideas: Race Cars for sale, Rally Cars for sale, Buy or sell everything for Motorsports; Equipment, Tools, Jobs & Gear Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 There is a chappie on here who has the Atom on order. And is waiting for it. Only got a few months to go. Cannot remember his name though. He'll be a good one to talk to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizze Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 I would see what sort of offers you are getting on the e92 before deciding what to do, it may be better/cheaper to forget the 'free' Vectra! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edo Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 buy it! get over to seloc for some useful advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster Posted October 26, 2008 Report Share Posted October 26, 2008 There is a chappie on here who has the Atom on order. And is waiting for it. Only got a few months to go.Cannot remember his name though. He'll be a good one to talk to. Its Drinks that has the Atom on order+++ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 I had a 340R when they were out. They look great but are not as fast as you'd think unless you de-cat them and even then they are not the 190PS vs 120PS step up from an Elise mark I than the numbers look like. For use in the wet (I would) you would need to ditch the OEM track tyres, easily done. Finally its body off for a lot of jobs and that's a couple of £k, even for a new battery! The only saving grace here is that many people fit a race battery (when the body is off) and that can come out through the gap. These cars are now old - personally I would take a top end Elise mark II for the money. PS It was just an Autocar designed re-skin on an Elise mark I with all the tricky handling that that meant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drinks Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 I have nothing to add about the 340R, some good info above. You would get into an atom 160 at around 20k but they are very rare, probably come up for sale once or twice a year. Lowest priced one I know of at the moment is a 220 at 27.5k. What do you want from the car is it purely for track days and do you want to compete? Obviously no roof is a big compromise given our weather. What else are you looking at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alastair_A3 Posted October 27, 2008 Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 Ive got a caterham 1.8 supersport which is a great laugh for the weekends and trackdays. for 20k you'd be looking at a Superlight R/R400, 0-60 in around 4secs so a seriously quick machine. Are Mk2 Exiges about for that kind of money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxyboy Posted October 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2008 The places the new job is going to take me is definately a no go area for my pride and joy 330d, so the vectra is a must. ie just dump it and not care too much how its looking when i get back. I think i will take a hit on the bm, but there should be reasonable money still in it to pay for a play thing.(i payed 28k for it round easter time, probably about 1k over the money but i really wanted the individual options). The kind of feedback i'm gettin means the 340r is off the list. The atom does appeal very much but is still a touch pricey. A bike is a definate no as i have lost a friend or two that way. Kind of leaves me with caterham or exige to think about. To be honest i was just looking at a weekend toy for the back roads(staying in Scotland has its benefits). I have never done track days as i always thought you had to be way better off than myself to afford those, but it might be something to think about. The other option is to get a mint old classic and pamper it but thats a whole new ball park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 The places the new job is going to take me is definately a no go area for my pride and joy 330d, so the vectra is a must. ie just dump it and not care too much how its looking when i get back. I think i will take a hit on the bm, but there should be reasonable money still in it to pay for a play thing.(i payed 28k for it round easter time, probably about 1k over the money but i really wanted the individual options).The kind of feedback i'm gettin means the 340r is off the list. The atom does appeal very much but is still a touch pricey. A bike is a definate no as i have lost a friend or two that way. Kind of leaves me with caterham or exige to think about. To be honest i was just looking at a weekend toy for the back roads(staying in Scotland has its benefits). I have never done track days as i always thought you had to be way better off than myself to afford those, but it might be something to think about. The other option is to get a mint old classic and pamper it but thats a whole new ball park. Trackdays are cheap ! I was at Cadwell Park on Sunday, £147 open pitlane, allday with unlimited extra drivers (ie, if 2 go its c.£75 a head), rent a lid if you don't have one, job done. Some very good free/cheap tuition available too for numpties like me. I've done Donington for about £120 too, slightly different rules though. I've never bothered with trackday insurance but am told its about £50 a day and some insurers may throw the odd trackday in as part of your policy (Adrian Flux ?). Pic below of me holding everyone up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drinks Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 To be honest 20k was probably pushing it just for a toy anyway and it seems to be that atoms are still a fair bit above that. Have you managed to narrow your search any yet? This may be of interest Ariel : ARIEL ATOM 160 BHP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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