Ford Ka - spirtual successor the Alfasud and BLMC 1100/1300

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

..........great handing and absolutely shocking body rot. Pulled the rear bumper corner from an S plater and......

 

 

That mudguard bit is supposed to be fully attatched. The thing needs the sills welding as well.

[Ross_K]

Wow That's pretty bad for a 10 year old car.I understand all Ka's are this bad when it comes to rustproofing?

[michiel]

Ouch. Is that the consequence of all the nice looking black plastic then?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

No, a total lack of effective rustproofing. Kas are made in Valencia as were most Fiestas - remember how those bastards used to rot.

[r.welfare]

I was pretty stunned to get under an 02-plate "new" Fezza recently for some spannering work, and note that there's a complete lack of visible underseal. A nice metallic blue floorpan stared back at me - how long it will stay like that, who can tell? I would imagine most 3dr Corsas from the mid-90s to be like that Ka if you pulled back the rear bumpers too...anyone wanting to keep a Ka for a long time would do well to spend another 10% of the purchase price with Ziebart or similar, methinks.

[jonkw]

I welded up the sills at the rear both sides, and the front n/s/f floor on a KA recently, it was as rotten as a chop. Also did rear subframe bushes (another weak point) and put 2 new front arms on it too.They really are very fragile.

[55bloke]

I have to admit, this amazes me- I'd thought the days when cars rotted like that were long gone!! Also a bit worrying as my folks have one, which they absolutely love!

[Cavcraft]

To be fair the early Corsas did rot, notably boot floors, inner wings and chassis legs but honestly nowehere as the God awful did and does.I often try and imagine a car I'd like to own less than a Ford Ka but I really can't think of one.Steering racks are another favourite to go with the rot, and lets not forget sh1tty, wheezy, rattly asthmatic engines with spark plugs that weld themselves into position if you don't change them every bleeding week or so.I weighed a few in in the space of a couple weeks last year and have sent quite a few over the bridge in total and honestly most other small cars of that age would have been saved.

[garycox]

There's a P reg Ka near me with fairly big rust holes on the pillars near the bottom of the windscreen...

[Milford Cubicle]

Are any so far gone as to be scrap fodder?I don't see many early Kas these days.

[Cavcraft]

Are any so far gone as to be scrap fodder?I don't see many early Kas these days.

Bloody loads I'd imagine. I couldn't even be arsed stripping the ones I collected before weighing them in.

[Richard]

I sometimes deal with a V plate Ka and I'm not aware of having seen another one even as old as that lately.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

There a thousands of early ones about. I sold a very tidy P reg one last year for £1000. There are probably 4 or 5 P-R-S plate ones in the local auction every week and they're fetching good money still. They are easily patched up and MOT so throwing one away is a bit stupid really.Mind you I did drive an MOT'd and running S reg 2 litre LS Vectra to the metal yard last year. Shame nobody drove it there in 1999 and cut out the poor middleman! Trouble is, an old Vectra is worth nothing so there was no financial incentive to save it from the crusher. There was a Y plater there as well on Monday. The yard I go to don't even keep GM stuff (corsas apart), they just crush them straight away as they don't sell much from them.

[mk2_craig]

That sounds a bit wasteful. We've had the "not worth the hassle of selling to society's dregs" arguments before but surely a car with MOT in running order has a value over and above its worth in scrap metal, even if only to some bloke from Eastern Europe who's gonna ship it back there to flog for profit.Or is Vauxhall stuff considered really that bad these days?

[Split_Pin]

I remember sanding copious amounts of rust off my ex's 5 year old Ka before we chopped it in for a Civic. Steering rack almost knew how to dismantle itself too as it had been in for repair so many times!There are loads of rusty Ka's up here, for example a T-reg one with ugly 'cover-sills' and a y-reg one with rot around the fuel filler.The only other 90's car I can think of that looked tired so soon was a Lada, but at least they did not pretend to be anything but.Mk5 Fiestas seem to go pretty early around the rear arches too - much quicker than the MK4's if i recall correctly.

[Cavcraft]

That sounds a bit wasteful. We've had the "not worth the hassle of selling to society's dregs" arguments before but surely a car with MOT in running order has a value over and above its worth in scrap metal, even if only to some bloke from Eastern Europe who's gonna ship it back there to flog for profit.Or is Vauxhall stuff considered really that bad these days?

I wouldn't say so but I'm bound to say that. I can get stupid money for old Corsas and honestly can't think of a single Vauxhall that isn't easily sell-able for decent money.Of course if Vauxhalls were as rubbish as some people painted then a) they wouldn't have sold so many and yards would keep them to sell the parts off them as they're obviously so badly bad made?There aren't many early Kas about round here either, precious few in fact but I can't argue that they are popular. Some of the absolute shite I used to drive through the auction fetched stupid money despite most rattling away like a skeleton break dancing on a tin roof.Useable cars with an MOT and driveable are always worth more than frag money, though it's not always easy to sell them if they're considered unpopular.Funny things are Vectras: despite some people's opinions (and I admit a ot of people don't like them) they're actually a competant car and can last a long time with little maintenance. My latest one has coming up to 150k on it and drives superb. I'll have no bother selling it when the time comes but this is down to my confidence and knowledge of Vauxhall stuff. I don't mean that as being cocky but we all have certain makes/models we know about and know the market for.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

That sounds a bit wasteful. We've had the "not worth the hassle of selling to society's dregs" arguments before but surely a car with MOT in running order has a value over and above its worth in scrap metal, even if only to some bloke from Eastern Europe who's gonna ship it back there to flog for profit.Or is Vauxhall stuff considered really that bad these days?

We live in a wasteful society. If it's not new, it's shit etc etc. GM stuff is no better or worse than anything else even though I hate them with a passion. They're just soulless tin cans to me, white goods on wheels.I bought the Vectra for £150 with a short (2 months) MOT and a very good Sony CD changer and head unit. I took these out and attempted to sell the car for £250. Not a chance. I just had mouth breathing 'wass ya best price pal' idiots. One such cretin offered 200 quid, which I accepted. He went to the cash machine to get 200 quid and I never saw the fool again. So I just weighed it in for scrap with a selection of old BMW doors and engine bits, and got a taxi home £180 quid better off.

[pogweasel]

<*predictable pro-Vauxhall rant alert*> To be fair the early Corsas did rot, notably boot floors, inner wings and chassis legs but honestly nowehere as the God awful did and does.I often try and imagine a car I'd like to own less than a Ford Ka but I really can't think of one.Steering racks are another favourite to go with the rot, and lets not forget sh1tty, wheezy, rattly asthmatic engines with spark plugs that weld themselves into position if you don't change them every bleeding week or so.I weighed a few in in the space of a couple weeks last year and have sent quite a few over the bridge in total and honestly most other small cars of that age would have been saved.

SOUND THE VAUXHALL FAN-BOY SIREN! Are "KA"s really that bad?Sure they look like a shoe, have an amazing propensity to oxidise, and after 5,000 miles the engine sounds like a bag of spanners in a washing machine... but hey, the early ones are basically cross-flow engines from 400 B.C (or whenever), and so they will rattle and wheeze on for years. And they do drive quite nicely. If it weren't for the grot I would pick one over a Coarser. And Corsa's rust too. Mother-in-law has one (previously owned by 'Er Indoors, we donated it when the fambly got too big). It's a '99 and there's not a panel on it that isn't bubbling or blebbed, and it's a bit patchworky underneath already. Plus it's pretty grim to drive - amazingly heavy steering for such a small 'light' car (when we have it SWMBO would often rob my Astra wagon as it was easier to park, with no PAS!!!), uncomfortable, and as for those riduculous 3-pot engines Sound like a lawnmower and any kind of 'power' they do have is available between 4000rpm and 4003rpm. Anything else is no bloody good. M-I-L is getting shot as the cost of getting it bodged through a ticket every year is increasing. She'll be 'inheriting' a 2004 KA as a replacement.

[Cavcraft]

Ain't that the beauty of forums like this though? Seriously. I mean I feel what you do about VWs, bloody abhor the things. I'm not looking for, and don't want, an argument with anyone about this but if we can't agree to disagree or speak our minds without personally trying to insult the fans of some makes/models then we're knackered I reckon.Vectras are harder to shift than other Vauxhalls no denying it but certain places are good for selling them and a lot of it (like most other cars) is down to luck and right person/right day.Dead right about the wasteful society: I can't believe how many kids these days pass their test and end up in new/ one year old cars. It's people like us who are the real recyclers and do our bit but saving/fixing/driving what most probably see as old rubbish.Still, let the others carry on, we know the depreciation they're throwing good money after bad at is enough to see us on the road for a few years to come!

[MrRegieRitmo]

I don't understand how A) some manufacturers are churning out models that are built to a worse standard than the previous model - how is that progress? and why some models in a manufacturer's range are more fragile than others, don't they have standards?? Feels like we're going backwards! How, after all this time, have lessons not been learned about how to stop cars rusting?

[mk2_craig]

I can't believe how many kids these days pass their test and end up in new/ one year old cars. It's people like us who are the real recyclers and do our bit but saving/fixing/driving what most probably see as old rubbish.

Changed days from Jersey 1995 when the 17-year-old Mk2_Craig was freshly on the road in a 1989 Mk3 Fiesta - still in production at the time. One of the girls in my year had a 1992 example, remarkably she still owns and drives it today. There were one or two late model Pandas, some rich bitch had a custom '57 Beetle that she soon chopped in for a nearly new wideboy Vitara, and the rest were assorted Minis, Mk1/2 Fiestas and Metros. Cream of the crop (save maybe for the brief appearance of a 1985 BX GT) was arguably the 1978 Chevette with every panel a different shade of red, the lad got a proper ribbing for owning that pile of shite but in his defence it was kinda forced upon him as his father had a few examples cluttering up his garden at the time. Without knowing it he was already living the Autoshite way of life: "if you can't laugh at yourself..."

[Cavcraft]

Hey Pog, as I said mucker Corsa do rot but again each to their own.Vauxhall went backwards with the intorduction of the Ecowreck engine though to be fair they're not as bad as some will tell you.The 8V was a very tough act to follow: extremely durable and almost bullet proof with a decent turn of speed (especially the awesome 2.0 130 engine), good economy and ease of maintenance.I've not found too many Corsas which are too far gone to be saved, in fact any I've scrapped (very few to be honest) have mostly been accident damaged or robbed of their engines for da boi racers Vauxhall did make a few pretty rubbish/badly received cars in the past like all makers did and I'm not blind to their shortfalls. I am, however, a huge enthusiast of the marque and because I know them so well I'm very comfortable owning and running them.Sorry to keep banging on about them by the way, it's just I honestly reckon that value for money and reliability wise there is VERY little to touch them.

[Father Ted]

Changed days from Jersey 1995 when the 17-year-old Mk2_Craig was freshly on the road in a 1989 Mk3 Fiesta - still in production at the time.

Hell the ONLY car I have ever owned that was still in production is the Blingo - a full 20 years after passing my driving test. Started off life with a H plate ADO16 rustbarge and gravitated downwards in a spiral of £50 knackers every 6 months or so for a few years.

[Volksy]

I think that the reason that Vauxhalls sold so well, especially Astrays Chavaliers and Vectras, was due to the huge share in the fleet market they held in the 80's/90's. This is not necessarily that they were better cars, or more reliable. It's due to the fact that fleets are bought by, in general, an accountant who looks at the discount they can get from the manufacturer and the delivery lead time. I would never buy a Vauxhall product, only through personal choice, despite one of my mates having a Corsa Auto that has given him fine service for the last few years. Why would i not? I just find that they fall dynamically short of other manufacturers, they seem sparsley equipped, utilising quite old tecnology, and under developed. I mean have you actually looked at the driving position you had to use in a Nova? The steering wheel is completey offset causing you to twist into a weird semi reclined position to avoid backache.I was given a use of company cars from a pool fleet years back. The choices were on any given day - Ford Sierra 1.8 GLXi, Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0 GLi, Nissan Primera 2.0 SGX and a Volvo 440 2.0i I would always choose the Primera followed by the Volvo, due to the fact that they were more comfortable, better equipped and just seemed better thought out. The Sierra was awful in crosswinds, and well the Cavalier was just dull. The example we had lasted well, never really broke down, apart from the fact that it seemed to start to rot before the others. I think my point here is that although they are competant cars they just hold no interest. I have had a GM Saab 9-3 recently, which for all intents, is a Cavalier in Ikea gear, and to be honest i do miss it (despite its insessant bings and bongs) But it shows that something far more interesting can be done given a bit of effort.I also had a 56 plate Vauxhall 5dr van thing (combo?) as a company van two years ago, it was the 1.7 DTi and bloody hell it was quick, but it disspointed me in the fact that a huge anount of the detail, switchgear etc, was lifted from as far back as the Cavalier. I know "dont fix it if it isn't broke" but come on, a bit of effort please!The Transit minibus I had before the Combothing was probably the only Ford I have liked, despite at 6 months old it was starting to fall apart, rubber seals dropping off etc. For honest no frills motoring I guess that a Vauxhall or Ford fits the bill, but for the price you pay, especially by the time in a cars life that i'm looking at buying one, there are dynamically better cars about. I guess that i just expect that little bit extra from my car than just transportation.

[reallyloud]

I have to say the Ka would never be my first choice but they are quite fun to drive and are actually quite tough little cars. I was 'rear-ended' in one a few years back and took quite an impact......I can't really think of anything else to say about that really.The rust issue is something that will always plague cars in areas with high salt content - the scrapyards are full of T, V and W plated cars with seriously rusty rear arches up here in the North East. While I'm here why is it that most mk 4 (94-00) polos have battered rear valances?

[Torsten2001]

I have just realised that despite owning 100's of cars over the years I have never owned a Vauxhall and quite frankly I feel that this must be redressed!

[Spottedlaurel]

I have never owned a Ford or a Vauxhall (though does a Manta count?). And thinking about the old ‘Big 3’ had something made by BL ( a Clubman estate) for only a month. I’m not pro or anti any one of them in particular, there are examples of individual cars from each that I’d love to have, but when it comes to everyday ‘modern’ cars there are other things that I know and trust that rank a bit higher on my own list.

[55bloke]

Prior to my sad adiction the Renner 25s, I was always a Ford man! Had all marks of Cortina except a 2. Also owned a couple of Minis, which are probably still the most fun cars I've ever driven (which is possibly a little bit sad!!) but agonisingly uncomfortable. Recently, aquired my 1st Vauxhall- an N reg 1.4 Astra Montana. It's a minter with only 40k on the clock, and we're it's temporary custodians 'til my stepdaughter passes her test. I've got to admit to being pleasantly surprised by it. Obviously, it's not quick, but it's astonishingly quiet and smooth to drive, and comfortable on long journeys. I'd never even considered them as possible purchases before, but it just goes to show- don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

[r.welfare]

Hmm. In 30 cars, I've had only 2 Fords - a Mk1 Fiesta 1.1 and a prefacelift Mk2 Granada 2.3 - and 4 Vauxhalls - Mk1 Senator 2.5, Mk2 & Mk3 Cavalier 1.6s and an Omega 3-litre. Oh, and two Opel Rekords. Hadn't realised up till now that 20% of my car history has been GM.The Rekords were definitely better cars than the Grandad (handling and comfortwise), the Cavs had GR8 engines but wooden handling, the Omega had numerous problems (bloody Ecotec), the Senator was slow despite being a manual (I think headgasket in retrospect), and the Fiesta was a beancan on wheels.Only other "Big 3" products have been 3 Rovers - 214, 420 and 820 - the last one only got driven on the road once, but I liked the other two, mainly for their engines. The M16 motor (it was a very early J-plate) in the small 400 body made for a fun combination, and a decent K-series is really quite a nice donk.Everything else has been predominantly Japanese (usually Honda) or German, with 3 Volvos in the mix (although 2 of those were Dutch rather than Swedish).Funny how people are polarised - we had a great experience with a Mk3 Golf, for example, and I'd probably still be driving a Volvo 340 (my first car) if an ex hadn't written in off. I swore never to own a French car, or a diesel - now I have three! Italian car is obviously next on the list, if I am ever allowed to get something else.Anyway, back to the Ka(k) - why are the sparkplugs such a problem in this particular incarnation of the Kent engine? I can't recall issues with previous models of Fiestas, or even Escorts/Cortinas/Capris/Anglias that had basically the same lump?

[Timewaster]

back to the Ka(k) - why are the sparkplugs such a problem in this particular incarnation of the Kent engine? I can't recall issues with previous models of Fiestas, or even Escorts/Cortinas/Capris/Anglias that had basically the same lump?

The original spec spark plugs in the KA were long life platinum items.Unfortunatley - as alot of KA's were second cars, they didnt do many miles and they potentially ran the same plugs for years and years.Hence when the plug spanner comes along - SNAP!To add to the sprk plug woes, they changed the gap from 1.3mm to 1.1 in an effort to make them last as long as they said they would.Later they gave up and reverted back to copper plugs with a sensible lifespan.Incidently - I was in the pub with a mate who runs a garage, and had just quoted £800 for all the welding and MOT repairs on a W plate Ka, and they want it done!