So, I kinda just bought my wife a '95 659cc Copen for her birthday. She's loved them for some time and was suitably surprised, but I've realised that I have no idea what i'm looking at (other than the obvious)! It has a good service history and 45,000 genuine miles, which seems reasonable. Any tips/hits on things to check over??...
Oil change every 3,000 miles. They have a tendency to rust basically everywhere if you look hard enough. (aluminum bonnet, roof and boot can corrode, although it's most common on the bonnet and top of roof) Check boot for moisture or water. This can affect all Copen's after they age. If the boot gets wet, there is a risk of rust and folding roof failure. And read the owners manual, it tells you almost everything you need to know assuming nothing is broken and you just want to keep it running smooth for a decent time. Tires in the original size are almost impossible to find, unless you don't mind riding on some budget trash. (or importing from Japan) Also, I just noticed something as I am typing this. You say you have a '95 Copen!?? The copen didn't officially exist until 1999 when the concept was shown at the Tokyo motorshow, and it never went into production until 2002 (2003 for Europe) Just thought that was strange and wanted to point out your mistake.
If you intend keeping it for any length of time make sure you get under body sealed. Lots of good solutions out there.
Check the car for rust in the wheel arches and check for any strange noises when the roof is going up/down. You could get a humidifier to put in your garage (if you have a garage). It is definitely best to keep your Copen out of rain so maybe you could use your Copen as a fun car and then have a car for every day use in rainy weather and winter. I definitely agree the under body may need to be sealed depending on the condition.
