Daihatsu Copen V Smart Roadster

hamsterboy

Hi All
The GF is changin her beloved MX5 for something that will be cheaper to run but yet still give her the open topped thrill she has become accustomed to.
At the mo we have it narrowed down to a Smart Roadster and a Daihatsu Copen
Would appreciate any views on either of these or even alternatives......

Regards

HB

ShadowHearth

Mx5 is cheap as chips to run...

How can bouth of those be cheaper?

As far as I remember parts for smarts are not on a cheap side.

Alanstrainor

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Mx5 is cheap as chips to run...

How can bouth of those be cheaper?

As far as I remember parts for smarts are not on a cheap side.

I was thinking the exact same thing.

MX5s are supposed to be one of the cheapest cars to run full stop.

hamsterboy

Wellllll
Yeah the MX5 IS pretty economical for what it is but hers is a 1.8 and she has a pretty hefty commute every day. Fuel and Tax are her main reasons for considering a change.....

HB

Mr Benevolent

hamsterboy wrote: »

Wellllll
Yeah the MX5 IS pretty economical for what it is but hers is a 1.8 and she has a pretty hefty commute every day. Fuel and Tax are her main reasons for considering a change.....

HB

Get a 1.6 MX-5 so. The difference in tax will be inconsequential compared to the fuel bill anyway.

Alfagtamini

i owned a smart roadster. there a brilliant fun. mine was remapped and the gear change was fine. don't believe the pub stories of 10 second gear changes

9 out of 10 tho do leak badly. i went to see 6-7 before getting my one. they can leak everywhere.
pop over to www.theroadster.net for a buyers guide.

great car but do need to be looked after.


.

hamsterboy

Lol. Cheers for the first owners post dude.

colm_mcm

Beetle tdi cabio!

_Conrad_

The copen and smart roadster are not sportscars so will not be similar to the MX5 in terms of driving experience apart from the open tops....

Mr.Boots

As roadsters go the Mx5 is cheap to run...i had one so i know what im talking about.
The copen isnt great, never driven the Smart so cant coment...but neither will ever be in the same legue as the Mx5.
If she needs economy get a small diesel.
Whats the budget?

ShadowHearth

hamsterboy wrote: »

Wellllll
Yeah the MX5 IS pretty economical for what it is but hers is a 1.8 and she has a pretty hefty commute every day. Fuel and Tax are her main reasons for considering a change.....

HB

Right. I don't know what mpg is on smart roadster, but I doubt it is great. Small engine with turbo. It will have to be Flored to get it moving. I will be surprised if you wil save alot on petrol. The only thing you will save on will be tax. I presume it's around 100eu per year? So only saving you will do - tax.

Let's see smart now. 600cc turbo engine vs n/a forged engine with no turbo. Remember that turbo engine will allways cost more to run then n/a. More complicated and it will need way more often services then n/a.

Smarts are not popular and getting parts for them is a pain in a gap. The girl I work with has normal smart and it costing her 600+ for cat alone for nct. For mx5 same part is less then half. There are loads of enthusiast online shops for mx5s so that's why parts prices are so reasonable.

Don't understand me wrong, that smart roadster looks to be loads of fun, but I don't see it as alternative to save money coming off from mx5. By saving very little on petrol and a bit on tax, you will pay alot running costs and selling/buying.

I know I sound like mx5 fanboy, but try to see bigger picture.

hamsterboy

I agree totally with what you're saying. The MX5 is a brilliant car but she seems adamant to change. The Copen is in the running atm. 0.6l turbo. Service not a concern as my brother is a mechanic. She drives an average of about 120k a day, and the tax on the 1.9 is hefty enough. Shes taken a lot of hits in her pay in the last year.
If I had my way the MX wouldn't go anywhere but just trying to get some advice for her.
Cheers for your input

HB

ShadowHearth

hamsterboy wrote: »

I agree totally with what you're saying. The MX5 is a brilliant car but she seems adamant to change. The Copen is in the running atm. 0.6l turbo. Service not a concern as my brother is a mechanic. She drives an average of about 120k a day, and the tax on the 1.9 is hefty enough. Shes taken a lot of hits in her pay in the last year.
If I had my way the MX wouldn't go anywhere but just trying to get some advice for her.
Cheers for your input

HB

Np m8. Allways happy to help.

I know having a mechanic friend/relative is huge perk, but in the end parts will still be same price or only a little bit cheaper as for direct connection of mechanic with supplier.

Just give her all facts. The whole swap scenario can really be more expensive then she thinks. Spending extra 2-3k + your own car, to save 300eu per years does not sound great.

Maybe problem is that she got bored and looking for something fresh? The running costs just an excuse? We all been there

BanzaiBk

A family member has a Copen, really wouldn't recommend it from a driving pov. You say she has a big commute? The ride is pretty hard and the whole thing rattles like a tin can. The cabin isn't really insulated against noise so you have all different kinds of sounds going on as you drive it; rattly roof, weird noise from the engine, etc. I've never travelled for long in a smart Roadster but it was pretty comfortable.