Hi all, I've been looking to get a Copen for ages and one I liked the look of finally came up last week. I got an AA inspection done which has highlighted a number of issues. Only got the report yesterday but I've not yet managed to find a garage that will quote me a price for the urgent work. I know very little about the mechanics of cars so don't really know what this will cost to put right. The body is in OK condition. The underside has not been protected. Just wondering what your thoughts are? It's a 2006 with 52,000 miles. Costing £3500. Detail in the attached. Any guidance will be gratefully received.
Based on the report, it sounds like a bad deal. Miles are fine, but these issues sound worrying, at least based on my limited experience. It gives the impression of an abandoned car or a very underserviced one. Maybe you could expand your geographical coverage to find a Copen that suits you perfectly? I travelled 200 miles for mine and it was totally worth it. Anyway, I'm curious to see what other members will think about this one...
I'd expect more & better Copens to come on to the market as Spring gets closer and the prospect of driving with the roof down becomes more attractive. The asking prices might be a little higher than now, tho.
Phew, thats a lot of work to be done. Maybe you even need a new turbo charger. Apart from that you have to spend a couple hundred quid to get it up to speed. Funny: Interior Lamp constantly on. How about switching it off?
I'm really not impressed with the report honestly. Firstly I have no idea what a throttle case is. So I googled it, and google has never heard of it either. I checked and there's no casing around our throttle body. Secondly, he talks about the seatbelt being stiff to operate. He has never been in a Copen before. That means I'm dubious about his assessment of the turbo, since it is quite different in sound to most. Thirdly, as Salieri mentioned about the Interior Lamp - If it won't switch off at all, the Copen would have a flat battery. That suggests the AA guy is an idiot who couldn't find which is 3 settings was off or close the door. I'm not sure I'd chance the Copen, but I would definitely get someone else to do the inspection on any further cars!
For future reference:- All our seatbelts stick. Unless you buy new seatbelt guides or use some of the tips on here. The suspension is hard. No it's not broken, it always feels like that, slow down for speed bumps. No, slower. SLOWER! The turbo sounds like it's about to take off,it's a high-pitched squeal because it's a tiny Twinscroll turbo - it's actually 2 turbos in 1, to reduce lag. Wear on the protruding triangular cushion or the driver's seat is common from brushing against it getting in and out of the car. Woolly Red Shoe Polish seems to be the preferred choice for getting looking nice again. If you don't know anyone who's good with cars to take a look for you, it's probably a whole lot cheaper if you can get the owner to go to a garage with you and ask them to check it over. They'll have a ramp, diagnostic equipment and tools to actually do a proper job. Plus if there is anything wrong, you can get a quote for the work while you're there and use it to either reject the car or negotiate the price down.
Hi all. Many thanks to all of you for the sound advice. My sensible side is saying just move on and wait for the next yellow one to come along but my impulsive head is saying get a decent discount and put it all right!
I’d be tempted to hang on for a better option even if it means waiting. They’re asking top money for theirs and it isn’t in the condition to match. When I was looking for mine, I checked the MOT history online (you just need the reg number) to make sure there wasn’t anything seriously wrong in the past. Even a few advisories can indicate how well the car has been maintained - if they didn’t bother with brakes and tyres, they probably didn’t have a turbo version serviced every 3,000 miles. When you get to look at it yourself, make sure the engine bay looks tidy, check the oil filler for creamy deposits (head gasket failed). On the body, as well as rust on the corners, you also need to look in the boot particularly at the roof motor and ECU. If there’s rust and aluminium oxidisation, you’ll take forever to fix it. If it looks ok, then maybe move on to paying for your inspection to give you peace of mind. P.S. I just got an advisory on my MOT - luckily just a tyre valve but still annoying.
Many thanks. Some helpful tips. I did think to look at the boot surface (from members tips) which did have a large area of rust.
Guys, sorry to ask another question which won't be easy to answer given the limited info you have. I'm struggling to get a cost for all the work from a garage unless they can see it. The dealer has asked what I'd pay for the car, as is, and they suggested £2980. Worth it, or should I try to drive the price down?
The costs depend on how much you are willing or able to do yourself. If you give it to a garage, I would estimate the cost for all important things (new belt, fix oil leak, fix suspension, replace tyres, brake fluid change, new brake lines and hoses) around 1000 quid. I you can do it yourself and look around for cheap parts you can lower the price significantly. But still it will be at least 500. If the turbo charger is on the verge of giving out, you can calculate AT LEAST another 1500 quid, rather 2000 for replacing that one. Is there any service history with the car? If the car was not serviced every 3000 miles, it is very likely for it to have sustained damage. Did you find out what "throttle case perished" meant? I would offer 2000, maybe 2500 at best, so you have enough money left over to fix it
Salieri, I really appreciate the time you've taken giving me this detailed reply. No manual or service history as apparently the previous owner 'neglected to post' it. So I'm a little wary of how much servicing was done after the warranty period. I think throttle case must have been the cable. When I went back to the dealer this morning I said that I would need to budget 1000-1500 for repairs, hence their offer. At 2500 I would have 1000 for repairs but would then be worried about the turbo. Thanks again. I'll make a decision tomorrow. It would gave been easier to say no thanks if it hadn't been yellow!
Looking at Ebay, nope, don't buy it. Here's one with 33k for £2500, you could get it wrapped yellow and pay any insurance extra with the £1000 saved. I've been quoted £134 extra (on a £640 policy) for a respray in any non-standard colour by my insurance. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Daihatsu...280884?hash=item33e1c782f4:g:jqkAAOSwsABafbj5 Compare that price to these and the mileage, they're asking over the odds. https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Copen-Daihatsu-Cars/9801/bn_55184826?rt=nc&_sop=2
Cheers Vin Petrol. It didn't occur to me when I was considering wrapping that the insurance cost would increase.
If I didn’t already own one, I’d could be very tempted by this car. 2008 DAIHATSU COPEN 1.3 CONVERTIBLE - 6 MONS AA WARRANTY | eBay I reckon red is the next best colour to yellow (mine’s silver) and you won’t get chased down the road by every flying insect in the summer !
