I'm out here in sunny Hakodate, Hokkaido, Northern island of Japan and in one day have already spotted four Copen driving by, one in British Racing Green, looks very posh!!! There is even one sitting on the front court of a car hire company which is tempting me rather a lot. Attached is a photo of a nice bright yellow one at a supermarket. The yellow number plate indicates that it is an economical and low energy car, sounds good to me!
Three days later and we are still seeing Copen all over the place so they have remained very popular in Japan. Below is one we found in a car park by a beautiful lakeside garden. A Bit over designed for me. I like the rounded simplicity of our 2007 model.
this Cero is nice, but I agree, too overdone for me. Lacks the simple, classic lines of the original. The Robe version tries to be modern & futuristic...& fails, in my opinion. X-Play is plain hideous & fortunately I see few on the roads. 1 Copen dealer in Saitama prefecture (N of Tokyo) told me the 1st gen Copen is more popular. Also on the new LA400k version, red seats are a brick red; I prefer the bright red leather. And I really wanted red seats; seat covers don't quite cut it. Other touches - the small rear windows (like dorsal fins) behind the door windows are something I really like on the 1st generation are something I really like. Sitting in the 2nd gen Copen, I really missed that little window; interior felt darker. Trunk opening / tonneau cover - i rarely use mine but really like it. Makes the car look more finished, complete; rounds the trunk nicely. On photo shoots or drives when I won't be putting the roof up & down I prefer using that cover. Just makes the car look better. 2nd gen Copen doesn't even have that cover as an option. 2nd gen's dash controls do look nice & modern, but I prefer old school of 1st gen. 2nd gen finally fixed the seat belt guides on the seats, is better on gas.
Konnichiwa Adatara San and Tegan SA, We have seen three more Copen just today in Hakodate, one in a mustard colour, one white, and a pale blue one with a gold roof! The Mo-fac.com site looks amazing! Wish we had such an enthusiast in the UK for repairs and upgrades. Does anyone in Japan have any ideas or suggestions about getting Copen spares as I may need a replacement air con pump for my 2007 1.3 mark one and it might just fit in my suitcase?
Apart from the chrome embellishments around the fog lights, I quite like it. If you get chance, could you grab a few pics of one with the roof down please. As for getting spares, I don't think they sold the 1.3 outside Europe but the AC pump is likely to be a common part so you could try Yahoo auctions, although you may need local help communicating with the vendor.
