Besides the copen I have a 1997 L601 Daihatusu Move, A 1992 Daihatsu Mira, 1984 Sa310 Suzuki Swift and a 2002 Vx Holden Commodore. Of all the cars Myself and my wife have the commodore is the most unliked but it's neccessary to be able to tow a trailer and any of the other cars on the trailer if needed.
A lovely mustard yellow 2014 Juke Tekna with 33,500 miles on the clock. Same mileage as my 2006 Copen.
I have: 2008 '58 Copen 1.3 - 5,675 miles 2007 '07 BMW X3 35d - 63,356 miles 2005 '05 Porsche Boxster 2.7 - 69,976 miles
I know it won't be a popular question on this forum, but how are you getting on with your new MX-5? I've been thinking about exactly the route you have taken (i.e. a hardtop 1.8 or 2.0 MX-5), so it would be interesting to hear your initial impressions... Much more cabin room for starters? Apologies to everyone for the blatant disloyalty!
Apologies accepted. The NC MX-5 with a retractible hardtop is a beautiful car, both aesthetically and from a technical perspective. I have driven an old NA for a while and it was lovely. The RWD makes it arguably more of a classic roadster than pure beloved little Copens. there's not that much added practicality in my opinion.
Interesting question and it’s not a slam dunk for the Mazda as it happens. I’ve got the 2010 NC 3.5 variant 2.0 Sport Tech which comes with heated leather seats, A/C, front and rear fog lights, retractable hard top, Bilstein shocks etc. So in summary, everything matches the Copen with the exception of built in Bluetooth phone connectivity. The Mazda boot is deeper than the Copen but slightly narrower in my opinion and you have to lift and lower stuff into it due to the higher load levels. The big advantage though is that it’s separate from the roof space so it’s always usable and you don’t have the paranoia of checking it before lowering the roof. Storage space in the cabin is absolutely the same. A similarly sized glovebox, smaller central armrest cubby, passenger seat pocket and and additional hatch between the two seats. For those interested in such things, it does have proper cup holders in each door with the net pockets below. Roof is slightly easier to deploy in that there’s one central latch rather than the 2 in the Copen but the windows don’t go down fully so you need to do that yourself. I reckon it’s quicker overall to lower and raise. The biggest difference is size. The Mazda is a full size car. My proper car is a BMW X5 so I’m used to a bit of bulk, but the Copen would fit through any gap. My first few days with the Mazda left a few people thinking what’s this idiot doing aiming for a moped sized gap in the road. As far as performance is concerned, I look after my engines so don’t normally rev past 3,000 rpm until warm and rarely past 4,500 rpm. The Copen felt faster off the line to 50/60 mph but the Mazda is much smoother. Also, if you see some of my early posts, the Copen had a severe scuttle shake with the roof down whereas the Mazda is virtually rattle free. On the other hand, the Copen regularly returned 45-48mpg and I don’t hang about. The MX5 is showing around 35mpg but I haven’t yet checked it tank to tank. The Copen also has more torque in that it does 90 degree junctions in 3rd. The 6 speed Mazda needs shifting down to 2nd. I also find that 4,5,6, are very close in ratio to the point that I sometimes wonder what gear I’m actually in. It’s early days and it obviously hasn’t rained since I got the Mazda 2 weeks ago, so I can’t comment on wet weather handling (which was superb in the Copen). For the money, the Copen was great value. I paid £5k and spent another £2k bringing it up to scratch. I paid around £9k for a similarly aged Mazda but it doesn’t seem to need much doing to it plus I have an approved used warranty. The biggest advantage though is the dealer network, local indies, and ready availability of spare. Hope this answers your question and helps.
The great thing about the Copen was that it showed me I definitely needed a convertible in my life. Maybe I should have figured that out before I got to 59 !
That’s exactly what he old NA MX-5 did for me, before ending up in the Copen! I did beat you to it by 28 years, though...
Beat you to it by 41 years Never had anything else than convertibles Thank you for sharing your insights with the NC MX-5, I would probably look into buying one should my car get destroyed and there are no viable copens on the market
I would like to think that if we treat our beloved Copens really, really well, they'll last until someone finally gets the idea to import the new ones in meaningful numbers... One may wish, right?
Hey, you're speaking my language. I have always thought the same, no other cars like them on the road. Just acquired my Copen and already looking for a Cube.
