Hello all. I am looking to purchase a Copen as soon as I find the right one. I have looked at the buyers' guide published on here, which is really useful. What I am unsure about is whether to opt for a 1.3L or 659cc model. The former seem harder to get hold of, but is it worth holding out (I'm thinking they may be more reliable in the engine department)? Also price seems to vary enormously. Is this because they are entering the realm of classic cars, where price is not necessarily related to age and mileage? Low mileage seems to affect the price much more than age (A 2001 660 with 23K miles at £3,995 - is it worth it?). I have been looking in the usual places - ebay, Autotrader. Is there a delaer out there that specialises in Copens? Any advice gratefull received.
If you are looking for the more reliable, easier to own option then go for the 1.3. The 660 has a turbo and requires servicing every 3000 miles; turbo failure is expensive if it happens so if getting a 660 it must have good service history. The 1.3 is less stressed and only requires servicing every 9000 miles. The 660 has more options for modding/tuning if you're into that (e.g. bigger turbo, tuning parts from Japan). My 1.3 has done about 115,000 miles and is still going strong, used for daily commuting. 660 owners should be able to tell you of any other benefits of 660 over 1.3.
Thanks, I thought it might be the case that the 660 would be higher maintenance.I've had bikes with bgigger engines!
I went for the 1.3 and had to wait a few months before one came along that was relatively local, £4000 and around 60k miles. Worth the wait though. Go for the 1.3
At the risk of stating the obvious, do look at the gov.uk MOT history page which I think gives a good sense of how well a car might have been looked after. I was very lucky to find a 1.3 last summer with only 24k on the clock for £3,750. Mind you, it's only got cloth seats when most Copenistas seem to prefer leather.
Hiya I have been lucky enough to had both, I had no problems with the 659cc at all , but it was a pain getting the frequent oil changes , for that reson alone I would go again for the 1.3, however , just one point , I do miss the sound of the turbo kicking in on my 1.3.
Thanks all. Today, I have purchased a 2008 1.3 with 39,000 miles on the clock for £3990. No service stamps after 26,000 miles (5 years ago) but the MOT history checks out and I have the MOT reports. Bought from a major Toyota dealer, who had taken it in p/x, so it comes with a fairly comprehensive 1 year warranty. They let me have a look underneath by putting it up on a ramp before I signed on the dotted line, so I am confident it isn't about to drop to bits. They say the owner said that she had it serviced by a local garage and didn't get the service book stamped. She didn't keep, or at least hand over, any receipts. (Why don't people keep these things... I keep pretty much every bit if paper for everything I own..... !). Anyway, as long as I give it a major service asap I am sure it will be fine. I have noted a very few minor paint bubbles but nothing I wasn't expecting based on comments on this forum. I will get these dealt with and also probably a full professional underseal / rust-prooofing. I had to go 64 miles to get it, but I feel I have done as well as I could have based on what's on the market at the moment.
