Evenin' all! Been looking around Copen clubs and this one as well as CopenOwnersClub looked like the right places to go! As you can guess from the title, I don't have a Copen as of yet sadly, but, this is where the journey begins I'd say, with the research! Well I'm looking into the world of Copens, as I'm a 20 year old lad, and I noticed that insurance is quite cheap on these, and it's quite an exciting car. Went out for a test drive in one today, 700cc 2006 model and it felt great to drive! Responsive, nimble, and cosy! I currently drive a 2007 Peugeot 107 which I have used as a project first car, buying the spoilers, putting an exhaust on it etc., but feel it might be wise to move on something a bit more special, so had looked at MX5s. However they were plagued with high premiums, and then I remembered the Copen from playing games like Gran Turismo, and gave them a shot and the premiums were half that, which is decent considering anything with 4 wheels is still a joke to insurers. So I have considered selling my 107 and use the cash to get myself a Copen. I ask this fine community, what should I do? Any particular ones to go for? What sort of prices to expect? Niggles to look out for? Perks and downsides (If any!) to owning one? Most importantly, running costs, as I know it will be more than my 107 to run in a few aspects, though the roof doesn't come off my 107! (It could, but with saws) Also, what are they like to live with? How do you find living with yours? The plus side of getting a 1.3 is that we live pretty much on the side of the A1, so it needs to get up to 50mph quick from cold, and then blast along at 60mph-70mph from dual carrigeways to country roads. The 107 is perfectly capable with this, though I'm sure you would agree, asking an owner is the best thing to do! I mean the 659cc I took out today felt like it pulled plenty, as it went from 30-50mph zones, which I assumed was down to the power to weight ratio? Also what are they like to run in terms of servicing costs, tyres (Not sure what the specs are on these?) and other similar consumables, as well as how often do they last? I thank you for any information you can give, as naturally this would be a pretty big thing to do as it ain't my first car that's governed by being a standard econobox, but something with no roof, and the best features of a sports car packed into an awesome package All the best, Jake
Go for the 1,3 version. That engine can take more punishment. Downsides to owning a Copen??? Yes there are some small things; The ride is very hard. You can scrape some speedbumbs. Some ignorant people may question your sexual preference
Haha hey again Adam, good to see you here! Well it's a bit deja vu to the 107 clubs, I happen to be in two of them, and use both of them for information on the same subjects, just like them, there are members in both In this case it's the biggest change yet as opposed to headlights and exhausts, it's the whole car I'll be changing so need as much information as I can possibly get, your post alone helped a great deal! Maybe the next step would be as cheeky as to ask if anyone is in the Nottinghamshire area?
Would ideally be looking at the 1.3, but it's the increased cost and premiums, not ruling it out though! Good thing it can take more punishment, as sadly my cars will be abused when driven for as long as I live in this village, but hopefully the weekly cleaning and pampering makes up for it? Haha, true about the sexual preference, though I don't think I need to compensate for anything, hence the small car trend The lads I work with have mixed opinions, one is all for it, one still keeps laughing EDIT: Apologies, should really have tagged this into my last reply, my bad!
I get about a bit Jake! I'm in Worcester. In September at Kingsbury Water Park In Birmingham Kei Kars in the Park club has there annual meet. Biggest Copen meet of the year. Come along if you decide to buy a Copen. If your happy to do some spanner work yourself changing the oil on the 659 is easy. The oil filter is a bugger though. You need a special wrench to get it out. Even then it's not easy. You can download the 659 Daihatsu manual from the directory page on this forum. You just need to make a few posts before you get access. As long as you care the turbo on the 659 it's durable. A member in Auz has a very high mileage car that's still going well. Have a good look through the old threads on here. There's lots of good information.
Same must go for me then! Nottinghamshire here, so you're sadly a slight trek away rather than doorstop territory! I may well do just that, even if I didn't have one by then! Always liked Kei cars in general, so would be interested to see what others there are, as all me and my mate could come up with as alternatives were the Suzuki Cappuccino and the Honda Beat, both very 90s! I'll have to avoid the spanner work for now sadly, I hope to learn it one day, but I daren't on my only car, need to buy a non running project or something to tear apart and learn on I'll be having a look around the forum some more once my account gets freed up a bit as it would be interesting to see what literature there is. Well my Pug is extremely pampered, so hopefully I can care for a Copen's turbo What sort of mileage is said member at? All the second hand ones that I would consider higher I have seen seem to be 50k-70k miles on the clock which is pretty respectable I reckon! Cheers for the replies, it's very much appreciated!
The member in Auz is in the 200k km region. As long as the service history is good, mileage in the 50-70k isn't a problem. I owned a Suzuki Cappuccino before the Copen. Less practical but faster & more tunable. Owners of both the Honda Beat & Suzuki Cappuccino's will be at the annual KKITP meet.
Thanks Adam, I'll keep in mind what you said to look out for, it's such a big help, would have no clue apart from the usual things to look for! Out of curiosity, do you mind me asking how long you have had yours for? Really liking the sound of this meet, then again, I've enjoyed every meet I've been to before, all mainly for the French crowd that our 107s fit into, great to see some other cars, and curious as to what the modding culture is like for Copens in the UK!
I bought mine in November 2010. It now has @45k on the clock. This is my baby https://www.copenworld.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=561 Check out our Japfest 2 stand (page 2 of the thread) https://www.copenworld.com/vb3/showthread.php?t=813&page=2
Thanks for letting me know Adam, nice to hear it's going so well for you, fills me with a lot more confidence in getting one after hearing about someone living with one rather than a dealer saying that it's a nice, different car! Glad that the events look like the sort I turn up to at the moment, so should hopefully get on with folks there alright Forgot to ask about the tyres, what are their dimensions? That way I can shop around the folks I know so I know how much a set would be costing me.
When I was looking for a Copen earlier this year I set a budget of 4.5k and was looking to get a 2006 for that. I found dealers were trying to sell the cars at very high prices but reduced them after a time, so if you can be patient don't pay over the odds. I drove up to Endinburgh (from Sunderland) to look at a 2006 which had been reduced to 4k and was a good buy but for some strange reason didn't buy it. Had a nice weekend away with the mrs but my nerve went and I didn't buy it. It sold a few days later. Why did my nerve go - I'd just read about turbo failures and the cost of repairs. Should have kept of the web while I was in Scotland. In the end I decided to up the budget and found a 2008 for 5.5k with 40k on the clock. It was the cheapest 1.3 in the country at the time, on Autotrader. I feel happier knowing it is a bollock Standard Toyota engine in the car and it is much more nippy than the .7 I test drove in Scotland. Watch out for rust on earlier cars, a 2004 I looked at was riddled with it. The ride is harsh but I'm getting used to it now. Rattles and creaks are standard, you don't notice them after a time. Overall a nice little car that is great with the roof down but feels a bit claustrophobic with it up. Cheap to run though, fully comp insurance cost me £195 and it's great on fuel. Let us know how your search goes.
Thanks for that Adam, can now shop around for tyres as well as servicing etc. Thanks for the information DaG, sounds like we have a fairly similar budget then! Hopefully I can sell my 107 for 4,000 minimum, 4,750 at a push and then maybe add some cash to that to try and bring it to 5,500 to make for a reasonable budget and have some left over for bringing things up to scratch unless they were thrown in! Still ideally want a 1.3 for that budget, but ideally with 20k-30k miles seeing as my 107 has done 35k. I may swing for a 0.7 as I felt it didn't fare too badly, but I feel with where I live the 1.3 would withstand the roads better as well as being thrashed first thing in the morning and last thing at night. We shall see how things go, I mean I'm not too picky about colour, apart from yellow, but would ideally like the 'Sport Pack' with the Momo Wheel and leather seats if possible. I keep surfing eBay and Autotrader to see if anything new crops up, though I still need to sell my car first, which may be a bit hard
For that budget you definitely should get a 1.3, you might have to travel for it though. Looking on auto trader there are only thirteen for sale in the whole country and the prices of these cars vary quite a bit. Best of luck. Adam: are the seats on your car genuine Daihatsu or after Market? I really like the look of those seats, they look softer and better quality than my red leather originals.
Yeah, seems the cheapest 1.3s creep into the budget, one in Retford that's almost ideal, shame the mileage is a bit high, but that could be a negotiation factor! Just hope it sticks around long enough for me to have a go at it cause that one looks ideal for the budget!
That at car at Retford is a decent price. It's a late 2008 58 reg & 45k is nothing really. Just about average 10k a year & it has dealer service history. Toyota engines are pretty good & noted for reliability. If I hadn't already bought a car I would have been interested in it. In-fact I've just come back from down that area after a week away staying at Bolsover. That car wasn't for sale two weeks ago, so you might get lucky & it will stick around for a while.
I believe they are a Daihatsu option for the Vivid special editions. I've seen the same seats before but only in other Vivid editions.
dwayner nice to hear others buying copens after having mine for almost a decade, ive found the good points are the the fun factor, they are great handling cars, very economical, well equiped, cheap to insure, comfortable, great city car, easy to park, good boot space when the top is on and you can keep up with the traffic no problem, and very reliable if service is kept up. and servicing is fairly cheap too- which is essential not so good points, are: when the top is down, there is no luggage space, parts can be expensive, can feel a bit intimidating on freeways full of trucks, rough suspension can shake you up a bit, pot holes are frightening if you fall into one, very low ground clearance can be a pain sometimes, not having a spare tyre can leave you stranded in a worst case scenario, and petrol is expensive, as you have to use the higher grade fuel. and my biggest thing - people in landcruisers and other 4 large SUV's simple dont see you in car parks! But overall, you tend to live with those distractions, since the car is just so fun to drive, and even though i have 2 other cars, i cant seem to part with it,
Might not be so lucky on it sticking round unfortunately, called them up tonight, already has a deposit on it despite being put up at the beginning of the week, really gutted about that. Gave them my number in hopes though. My mate told me not to be put off mileage so I am getting more used to the higher miles as to not put me off. A decade? That's quite the long term test to listen to! All those plus points have been the ones that appeal to me, and even some of the not so good points! I felt quite happy in the test one, though that was only down a regular road with varying speed limits, though we did pull into a layby to turn around and that was pot hole city, great test! Handled it better than the 107 I reckon, not as many rattles for starters! One point you did raise there caught my attention, and that was regarding the fuel. Do these need to have the premium fuels? I'm a little stumped by that :S Cheers for the replies folk, still such great information, such a great help!
