Honda ATR

[TVR Tommy]

I've just brought an ATR as my work hack. I've only had it for a week and it's been a pleasant surprise how good the ATR is. I brought it on a bit of a whim as it came up for sale at a bargain price that I couldn't pass on, so snapping it up. The car looked a bit of a mess when I went to buy it. But you could see there was a good car under all the filth and neglected paint work. The previous owner used the car to ferry his smelly dog around. So the interior was a real state. Well after a good clean it came up a real treat and is now a pleasant place to be. The strange thing about the car is it has a really good service history and is mechanically sound. All the major ATR problems like gearbox have been sorted out. There are a few things I need to fiddle with but no more than any other car i've brought in the past.

I was really impressed with the handling with it being a FWD saloon. It feels nice and agile for its size. The turn in is nice and sharp and the front really digs in on corners. It may get even better when I've replace the cheap tires and replaced the worn wheel bearing. I've also been very impressed with the engine. When plodding into work the car is nice and refined and you would think your driving some boring run of the mill jap car. But give it some right foot and get it into the Vtec the car really does go. The Vtec transition is sharp, you really feel the power increase and the sound really changes with a nice induction raw. Which makes the car feel a bit faster than it really is. As it doesn't really set the world on fire with it's performance stats. I've had an Impreza turbo in the past and I would say the ATR feels more special to drive and has better feel with a nice steering weight. The grip level is a real surprise and with the ATR having a LSD it really gets good traction. One gripe is the having to wring ever last rev out of the engine to get some go out of the car. I personally enjoy doing it and it's a nice challenge to keep it in the Vtec. But people not it the car think your a manic driver. I've even had some guy rush out of his drive to give me some evils as I went past. I was only doing 50-60 as the road was going into a NSL. My Elise S1 is louder and far more antisocial than the ATR but you don't get the same reaction when driving that on a sprinted drive.

Anyway I would say the ATR is a real performance bargain at present. This ATR only cost me £2500 which is shocking good value. I've nearly spent that much money maintaining and fiddle with my Elise over the year.

Edited by TVR Tommy on Wednesday 20th May 00:01

[TVR Tommy]

Thanks for the comments. Yes the car is Pirates Black which turns deep purple in the sun. There are some good bargains out there at the minute. I think I'll be keeping it for a while as it does its job of getting me into work brilliantly. Also it likes a bit of W.O.T and thrives on the revs.

The Elise is the weekend toy. It's more setup for fast road/ track days, so using it for the commute is a little wearing and after a mouth of not having a work hack I was relieved when I found the ATR. It also attacks a lot of attention which is mostly good. But there have been some comments shouted as I go past and also having some kid spit on the car while I was in traffic wasn't exactly pleasant. The only problem now is I'm thinking of putting a Type R engine in an Elise, as the engine is really well engineered and suits the Elise with it's power delivery. Only thing is I wouldn't put one in the Sport 160. So I would have to sell it first and I've struggled to actually commit to it so far.

[TVR Tommy]

Hi Paul

Accord.org is a very good forum and has already helped me sort out some small problems the car currently has. They are a very good deal at the moment. But I think they may stay under the radar of the idiots looking to just buy them cheap and run them into the ground, while also giving the mark a bad name.