Nine high-priced examples—from customised LA400s and limited editions to exceptionally preserved L880Ks

Today, let us do something slightly indulgent and explore the expensive end of Japan’s used Copen market.

However, this is not simply a search for the most expensive Copen followed by the conclusion: “That’s expensive.”

We want to understand which Copens attract the highest asking prices—and why.

Is the value determined by age and mileage? Does it come from the cost and quality of the modifications? Or are rarity, originality and preservation more important?

For this article, I selected three high-priced cars from each of the following groups:

Customised LA400 Copens
Factory-standard and limited-edition LA400 Copens
High-priced first-generation L880K Copens

That gives us nine cars in total.

The prices and vehicle details were checked on Goo-net in mid September 2026. These prices are simply domestic asking prices rather than the full UK on-the-road prices.

Nevertheless, the listings reveal what Japanese dealers believe makes each Copen valuable.

Let us begin with the customised LA400s.

How Much Can a Customised LA400 Copen Be Worth?

The value of a customised car cannot be explained by age and mileage alone.

The parts used, the workshop that built it, the quality of the finished car and the number of buyers who want that particular style can all influence its value.

Martin Cero — ¥3,350,000

The first car is a Martin Cero produced by Kumoi Motors.

It is a 2022 car with approximately 3,000 km, a CVT and silver bodywork.

The standard Copen Cero already has round headlights and a slightly classical character. The Martin Cero goes much further, with a redesigned front grille and bumper creating an entirely different face.

You could buy a normal Cero and collect the necessary parts to create something similar.

However, the value of this car is not simply the combined price of those parts.

It already exists as a complete, coherent car with a clearly defined identity.

If this is the precise style you want, buying the finished car may be more sensible than starting with another Cero and attempting to reproduce it from scratch.

*This is an edited image based on a Goo-net listing. Advertiser: Kumoi Motors Co Ltd.*

LB-WORKS Robe — ¥3,180,000

The second car is an LB-WORKS GT-K Full Complete Robe.

It was registered in 2023, has a CVT and is finished in black.

Its mileage is approximately 76,000 km.

That is quite a difference from the 3,000 km recorded by the Martin Cero.

In a conventional used-car comparison, higher mileage would normally reduce the price. Nevertheless, this car is advertised for more than three million yen.

The reason must be its identity as an LB-WORKS car and the very specific appearance that comes with it.

The wide body, extremely low stance and large rear wing are not intended to appeal to everybody.

However, for someone who wants this exact appearance, a mildly modified Robe will not be an adequate substitute.

This is a good example of why mileage alone cannot explain the value of a completed custom car.

*This is an edited image based on a Goo-net listing. Advertiser: Liverty Walk Co Ltd.*

GR Sport with T-demand Suspension — ¥2,970,000

The third car is a 2024 Copen GR Sport.

It has covered approximately 3,000 km, has a five-speed manual gearbox and is finished in Matador Red Pearl.

The car is fitted with T-demand Pro Damper suspension and a T-demand air suspension system.

A GR Sport already has its own styling and handling-focused specification, separating it from a standard Robe or Cero. This example starts with a recent, low-mileage GR Sport and then adds a clearly defined suspension-led customisation.

Its asking price therefore combines two types of value: the value of the low-mileage GR Sport itself and the value of a completed modified car.

Of course, spending money on modifications does not mean that every yen will be recovered when the car is sold.

The parts and labour only become added value when another person wants the completed result.

*This is an edited image based on a Goo-net listing. Advertiser: Car Boutique Club*

Sometimes, Leaving a Copen Unmodified Creates the Value

The first three cars gained much of their identity through customisation.

Our next three examples are different.

Their prices are supported by limited production, extremely low mileage and the preservation of their original factory specification.

In other words, their value comes not from what has been changed, but from what has been retained.

Copen Coupe — ¥2,970,000

The first car in this group is a 2019 Copen Coupe.

It has covered approximately 5,000 km, has a CVT and is finished in British Green Mica.

That is exactly the same asking price as the customised GR Sport we have just seen, but the reasons behind the two prices are completely different.

The Copen Coupe was developed from the concept car displayed at the Tokyo Auto Salon and was limited to just 200 production cars.

While a conventional LA400 Copen has an electrically operated folding roof, the Coupe uses a fixed CFRP roof.

It also has 16-inch BBS wheels, a MOMO steering wheel and round LED headlamps, but its greatest source of value is probably the fact that only 200 were produced.

This is not the sort of car that can be recreated simply by collecting a selection of replacement panels.

Once production has ended, buyers who still want one must compete for the small number of cars that already exist.

20th Anniversary Edition in British Green — ¥2,910,000

Next is a 2023 Copen 20th Anniversary Edition.

It has a five-speed manual gearbox, British Green Mica bodywork.

The remarkable figure is its mileage.

Six kilometres.

Since being registered, it has barely moved.

The 20th Anniversary Edition was introduced to celebrate 20 years since the launch of the original Copen and was limited to 1,000 cars.

Its status as a limited edition already gives it some rarity, but this example is closer to a preserved collector’s car than a conventionally used second-hand vehicle.

Cars are made to be driven, of course.

However, there can also be value in a car that has not been driven.

If you bought it, would you begin using it normally and allow the mileage to increase? Or would you try to preserve its present condition?

It is a car that makes you consider its future before you have even bought it.

*This is an edited image based on a Goo-net listing. Advertiser: Now Co Ltd.*

20th Anniversary Edition in Pearl White — ¥2,884,000

Let us look at one more 20th Anniversary Edition.

This is also a 2023 five-speed manual car. It is finished in Pearl White III, has covered 69 km.

It has travelled further than the British Green car—but at 69 km, it has still hardly been used.

Even two examples of the same limited-edition model can have slightly different values depending on colour, mileage, condition and the dealer’s pricing decision.

This is therefore not a question of looking at the difference between ¥2,910,000 and ¥2,884,000 and declaring one of them the bargain.

Do you want British Green or Pearl White?

Do you intend to use the car, or preserve it?

At this price level, those questions probably matter more than a difference of a few tens of thousands of yen.

*This is an edited image based on a Goo-net listing. Advertiser: Vans Plus Ltd.*

The First-Generation L880K Can Also Approach ¥3 Million

Having explored the LA400 market, let us return to the first-generation L880K.

An older model is not automatically a cheaper model.

As cars age and the number of good examples decreases, the differences in value can become larger. Mileage, history, special editions, originality and the quality of any modifications all become increasingly important.

BARIKI Demonstrator — ¥2,911,000

The first L880K is a 2004 Active Top.

It has a five-speed manual gearbox, Green Metallic bodywork.

Its mileage is approximately 101,000 km, so it is certainly not a low-mileage car.

Nevertheless, it has the highest asking price of the three L880Ks.

The explanation lies in its specification as a BARIKI demonstrator.

The listing includes an aftermarket turbocharger, F-CON engine management, RAYS TE37 Sonic wheels, a 195-width tyre conversion, a BRK brake kit, coilovers, three additional gauges and J-WORKS bodywork.

Collecting those parts individually is only the beginning.

They must then be installed, combined, adjusted and developed into a car that functions as one complete package. That requires time, money and experience.

Nearly three million yen is undeniably expensive for a Japanese kei car built more than 20 years ago.

Look at it instead as a completed demonstrator produced by a Copen specialist, however, and the price begins to tell a different story.

*This is an edited image based on a Goo-net listing. Advertiser: Bariki Ltd. Suzuka*

10th Anniversary Edition — ¥2,700,000

The second L880K is a 2012 10th Anniversary Edition.

It has covered approximately 4,000 km, uses a four-speed automatic gearbox with a manual mode and is finished in a dark brown colour.

This car is almost the opposite of the BARIKI demonstrator.

Its value does not come from extensive modification. It comes from being a limited edition with exceptionally low mileage and a documented history.

The listing records service documentation from Heisei 24, 25, 27 and 29, followed by Reiwa 1, 3, 5 and 7.

Low mileage alone does not automatically make an old car a good car.

Rubber components, fluids, brakes, cooling-system parts and the Active Top mechanism are all affected by age, even when a car is not being driven regularly.

A continuous history is therefore important. It helps us understand what happened during all those years when the odometer was barely moving.

A low-mileage limited edition with this level of documentation is not something you will find every day.

*This is an edited image based on a Goo-net listing. Advertiser: Garage En Ciel Ltd*

Ultimate Edition S — ¥2,598,000

The final car is a 2011 Ultimate Edition S.

It has covered approximately 6,000 km, has a four-speed automatic gearbox and is finished in Dark Green Mica. Its vehicle-only asking price is ¥2,598,000.

The specification includes factory 15-inch BBS wheels, a factory MOMO steering wheel and black leather seats.

The Ultimate Edition S was one of the special models offered towards the end of first-generation Copen production.

It is not an aggressively modified car. Its attraction is that a well-equipped, late-production version of the original Copen has survived with very low mileage and much of its factory identity intact.

Some buyers want a Copen that has already been transformed.

Others search for the least altered example they can find.

For the second type of buyer, a low-mileage Ultimate Edition S will always be an interesting proposition.

We Found Three Different Types of Value

We have now looked at nine cars, but this is not an argument that the most expensive Copen must also be the best Copen.

Instead, we found three broad reasons why a Copen may be advertised at a high price.

The first is its value as a completed custom car.

The Martin Cero, LB-WORKS Robe, T-demand GR Sport and BARIKI demonstrator all have clear concepts. Their prices include more than the cost of their individual components; they reflect the value of buying an already completed package.

The second is factory rarity.

The Copen Coupe, 20th Anniversary Edition and 10th Anniversary Edition were produced in limited numbers. If demand remains after production ends, another example cannot simply be ordered from the factory.

The third is preservation and history.

An LA400 that has covered only a few kilometres, or an L880K with exceptionally low mileage and years of service records, occupies a different part of the market from an ordinary used Copen.

These are still advertised prices set by the dealers.

They do not tell us what the cars will ultimately sell for, nor do they represent the average value of a Copen in Japan.

They do, however, show that the Japanese Copen market recognises forms of value that cannot be explained by year, mileage and grade alone.

Can We Simply Import One of These Cars to the UK?

For those of us in Britain, this is where the discussion becomes more practical.

Finding a desirable car in Japan does not guarantee that it can be imported and registered in Britain without further consideration.

UK government guidance lists passenger cars more than 10 years old among the vehicles exempt from vehicle approval. A younger imported car may require an Individual Vehicle Approval process before it can be registered.

This is particularly important for the newer and more extensively modified LA400s in this article.

Ride height, body width, lighting, projections, wheels, tyres and exhaust-system details may all require consideration before the car is purchased.

A completed Japanese custom car can be very tempting, but we should not bid for it on appearance alone.

The three L880Ks in this article are already more than 10 years old and therefore fall within the vehicle-approval exemption. Import procedures, an MOT, DVLA registration and compliance with the laws governing vehicles used on British roads are still required.

There is also another route.

Instead of importing the completed younger custom car, we could find a good, registration-friendly base car in Japan, import the parts that matter and build our preferred specification here in Britain.

We can use the Japanese car as inspiration while selecting only the elements we genuinely want.

In some cases, this gives us better control over the mechanical condition of the car and allows the completed specification to suit its intended use in Britain.

Which One Would You Choose?

Would you choose a completed custom car?

An almost unused limited edition?

A carefully preserved first-generation L880K?

Or would you import a good base car and create your own version in Britain?

Each of these nine Copens has a high asking price for a different reason.

We therefore cannot decide which one represents the best value by looking at the price alone.

How do you want to use it?

What do you want to preserve?

How much of the finished car do you want to create yourself?

Answering those questions is the first step towards finding the right Copen for you.

TR imports UK assists with building your budget, searching for cars in Japan, reviewing listings, selecting auction vehicles, importing them to Britain and planning subsequent maintenance or customisation.

Should you import the completed car, or begin with a better base vehicle and build it in Britain?

Once you know the Copen you want and the budget you have, talk to TR Imports UK. We will help you choose the right route to find it.

What Do the Most Expensive Copens in Japan Look Like?

Nine high-priced examples—from customised LA400s and limited editions to exceptionally preserved L880Ks