Item: Used Daihatsu Copen 2003 - 2011
Author: What Car? Team

What is it like?

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Daihatsu specialises in building small, budget cars, and while it pulled out of the UK market in 2011 when the strong yen made it impossible for it to make a profit here, there are still plenty of its models on the used market.

The best of the lot is the Charade hatchback, which feels perfectly suited to city driving and is surprisingly spacious for something so small. However, its back catalogue also includes the tiny Terios and Fourtrak SUVs and the Copen convertible, which featured a Mercedes-Benz SLK-style folding metal roof.

DAIHATSU

COPEN

It's not remotely practical but it is fun

Used Daihatsu Copen 2003 - 2011

When it was new, the Copen was the cheapest car you could buy with a folding steel roof. And, although it loses value fairly slowly - at three years old it is worth roughly half what it originally cost - it's still a cheap way into a convertible.

Owners love them, too, which suggests that, when the few used ones appear on the used market, they may attract a band of enthusiasts willing to pay plenty for good ones.

Fuel economy is another plus, at up to 44mpg overall. Insurance is higher than perhaps you'd expect considering the car's tiny engine, but its group nine listing still makes it cheaper than almost every other two-seat drop-top.

Servicing should be carried out on an annual basis. Its pint-sized turbo motor is best suited to the expert attention we'd expect from a Daihatsu dealer, but the good news is that prices are usually reasonable. Fully synthetic oil is recommended for the engine, however, and that doesn't come cheap. Some spares are also surprisingly expensive.

It's not remotely practical but it is fun


There's just one model. It's well equipped: alloy wheels, air conditioning, remote locking, electric windows and a CD player are fitted as standard, with leather seats an option you might want to look out for. All have manual gearboxes - there's no auto option.

In other words, all you have to worry about is finding a car in the right colour.

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Ride comfort shouldn’t be sacrificed at the altar of handling sharpness</li> <li>Plenty of power from a melodic engine</li> <li>Handling that doesn’t come at the expense of a back-breaking ride​​​​​</li> <li> Practicality is not essential but nice to have </li></ul>

Driving fun is right at the top of any sports car buyer's priority list, and every one of our award candidates has backroad entertainment coded into its DNA.

The Mazda MX-5 embodies sports-car spirit without wearing an exotic price tag, and has deservedly gained a strong following over the years. Much newer to the scene is the mid-engined Alpine A110. It may carry a name from the past, but this potent, mid-engined sports car was designed with the very latest lightweight thinking.&nbsp;

Rounding off our shortlist, though, is a name that'll be familiar to even those to whom sports cars hold little interest. The Porsche 911 was born an icon in 1964, and the latest generation bridges the gap between sports car and supercar. Yet, somehow, it manages to preserve a distinctly civilised character.

Daihatsus have a good reputation for mechanical toughness and we know nothing about the Copen to challenge this. We can say, however, that we'd expect the engine to suffer more than most if servicing is delayed or sub-standard oil is used.

The folding roof is superbly engineered but lightweight, so you should carefully check its operation before buying a used Copen. We'd also advise a professional pre-purchase inspection, looking in particular for signs of iffy crash repairs. The car's buzzy nature encourages enthusiastic driving, leading some owners to push the car beyond its limits.

This tiny tin-top convertible whizzes along with as little as 67bhp thanks to its thrummy 0.7-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine.

It drives neatly as long as the hood is in place. But, as soon as you go topless, the body loses vital stiffness, resulting in a car that feels less tidy to drive, while any bumps in the road shudder through the cabin.

While the roof is up, the Copen feels civilised, if a bit small, with most of the road roar and wind noise kept out. Drop the lid and there's plenty of wind buffeting above 30mph, which proves tiring over long distances.

Inside, it's easy for all but the very large to get comfy, although the driver's seat has no height adjustment, and the steering has very little. Everything inside and out feels solid and well made, and the folding roof is ingenious. However, it does takes up almost of the boot space when folded down - and there was precious little to start with.

Used Daihatsu Copen 2003 - 2011 review

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