2009 Daihatsu Copen Roadster

Registered in March 2009, this Daihatsu Copen was supplied to its first owner by Daihatsu dealers Hursley Hill Garage near Bristol.

The lady owner kept the car for 10 years, never driving it far but having it serviced each year at Hursley Hill. In late 2019 they re-sold the car to its second owner, who has added fewer than 900 miles in the last 18 months.

The grey paint finish on this roadster was the second-most popular colour choice after silver, although red and yellow were also an option, but it is in near perfect condition right across the body. There are a couple of tiny scuffs on the front valance and another halfway down the nearside sill but very few other blemishes that caught our eyes.

The lamps at the front of the car seem too big and too numerous for the size of the car but the look seems to work with the Copen’s character. Curious, though, as to why the supplying dealer fitted a standard UK number plate centrally leaving part of the off-centre plate hanger on show - buyer’s preference perhaps?

The motorised folding metal roof looks in good order and operates as expected. Unlike a lot of convertibles, the Copen looks equally good with the roof up or down, although it does seem to come alive when open to the air.

Aerodynamically, we’re confident that the bootline could have just been rounded off without any other adornments, but the addition of the duck-tail spoiler lengthens the look of the car and certainly gives it more swagger.

The car sits on 15-inch 6-spoke alloy wheels, which are in a good condition and all are shod with their original factory-fit Bridgestone Potenza tyres. Despite now being 12 years old, they’ve only driven 7,800 miles and appear in good order.

The appearance of the interior of a roadster is as important as the outside as it’s as much on show when the top is down. This car doesn’t disappoint, the combination of black vinyl trims with bright red leather upholstery is a very strong look, especially against the grey exterior.

The leather across the heated seats looks in good order, without undue wear or damage and the red is also featured on the door trims and on the hand grips of the Momo steering wheel. Another nice touch is the chromed gear knob which could so easily have been just a black item but it adds interest in the centre of the car.

The dash and centre console appear to be in good condition too and there is a Clarion CD Radio MP3 player installed. As far as we’ve been able to test, all electrics and interior equipment function as they should.

Behind the headrests are small chromed rollover hoops - hopefully never required but nonetheless reassuring - and a small Daihatsu-branded wind deflector screen is fitted between them.

The black carpets are very clean and undamaged with fitted Copen-branded floor mats. As if that weren’t enough protection, there are also rubber overmats on both sides.

As with most modern cars, especially diminutive ones, the engine bay is a masterpiece of computer-aided packaging, with barely a slim hands-width between any of the components. It is, however, immaculately presented as if it had rolled off the boat from Japan yesterday rather than over 12 years ago.

You won’t be surprised to find that such a small car with a retractable roof doesn’t offer much in the way of boot space, although if you don’t need to lower the roof, you can apparently fit in a golf bag. There’s a divider to reserve the space for the roof and as long as you only use the space behind it (and underneath for very flat things) you can fit in a couple of small overnight bags. You also won’t be surprised by now to hear that the boot space on this Copen is immaculate.

Underneath is the first place we’ve found on the car that isn’t spotless. It’s not really fair to expect it to be and compared to most cars we see it is still pretty clean and tidy. There’s a little bit of surface rust on the subframes and some of the steering and suspension components, but nothing at all untoward and everything else looks in very fine order.

The car has a current MOT valid until May 2022, which it passed without a single advisory note - as it has done at every one of its annual tests.

This Copen was well looked after by the supplying dealership - Hursley Hill Garage near Bristol - right up until November 2019, despite minimal annual mileages, and they stamped the service record accordingly:

Mar 2009 - 23 miles PDI

Feb 2010 - 1,487

Feb 2011 - 2,817

Feb 2012 - 4,017

Feb 2013 - 4,747

Feb 2014 - 5,861

Feb 2015 - 6,299

Feb 2016 - 6,536

Feb 2017 - 6,640

Mar 2018 - 6,706

Feb 2019 - 6,856

Nov 2019 - 6,955 - then sold again by them to its second owner.

The car comes with three sets of keys and its original owner’s book pack.

Needless to say given its visual similarity, the Copen will appeal to those who like the Nissan Figaro, and fans of the Smart Roadster would also have some affinity for it. But as we mentioned earlier, it also evokes the spirit of classic roadster motoring like in the Midget and Sprite, albeit with the superior comfort and reliability that modernity has bestowed.

We think it’s a charming little car, looking a bit like a diminutive first-gen Audi TT but with attitude and charisma by the truck-load and enough confidence to carry off a Porsche-esque duck-tail!

This one is an absolutely fabulous example, spot on in all areas with very low mileage and well serviced, which we think will sell for between £6,000 and £9,000. It’s not much money for not much car but you’ll be getting more fun from this pound for pound than many other more obvious sports cars.

What could be better than heading into summer as the new owner of this cheeky little roadster?

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.