Ford Ka, what to look for.

[gadgetgricey]

Been asked to try and find a decent one of these for my Sister in Laws kid. Not my first choice for a first car, but meant to be ok for Insurance which I believe is the main reason.

 

Aware they can rust quite badly, but specific things to look for would be great.

 

Cheers

 

- Dave -

[DVee8]

Rust rust and more rust

[Squire_Dawson]

^

 

What he said.

 

Also, neglect in servicing.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

They were a great wee thing when new, but the rust is chronic - I saw an 08 plate one today with rot around the fuel cap - fucking 2008!!!

The later OHC engine is bugger all better than the old OHV so don't dismiss an older lower mileage one that's been well looked after. Most of them are driven into the ground. Generally they're scrap at 10 years old. Something like a Panda is a better idea or the 2002 onwards Fester.

[twosmoke300]

Steering racks leaking , plugs rusting in and also I believe some suffer slightly from rust

[gadgetgricey]

Just browsing and found this on RR.

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/165964/ford-fiesta-1998-zetec-pontefract

 

Think I might suggest a Fester instead.

 

Cheers all.

 

Dave

[dollywobbler]

My little sis has a *whispers* Vauxhall Corsa C and likes it very much. 2001 model. I did try a Ka for my other sister, but told her the third gen Micra I also drove was a far better option. She agreed and had many happy years with it.

[Bren]

Heater valve jammed.

 

Steering racks.

 

Very noisy engines - not to be confused with normal noisy valve train, i mean lack of servicing.

 

Rot everywhere.

 

Bumpers made out of recycled plastic that are a PITA to repair properly.

[fordperv]

I am expecting a large bit of abuse for saying this

 

I agree with dollywobbler the corsa c is a much better car than the ka, your eyes are not deceiving you all vauxhalls are not shit

[pandamonium]

What to look for?

 

A different car?

[brickwall]

The Ka was designed as a 'disposable' car....10 years and then to the dump. The way it's constructed  would not allow anything else IMHO.

 

If you find a good one, that is to say that it is the opposite of a lemon, snap it up by all means. BTW, changing things on the Ka can be a right fiddle and just getting as some bits is very difficult. Some up here are £150 with some tax and some test.

 

Use it>>>>>breaks down>>>> scrap or abandon it.

[cort16]

Rear axle bushes are common mot fails these and you're easier removing the rear axle to change it. As said when the came out they were great little cars but even the last ones built have the potential to be rusty shite heaps.

[jonathan_dyane]

They're rubbish, my girlfriend has one and it's dreadful.

 

It will rust and break constantly and because you found it it will be your fault.

 

Billy's 205 would be a much better car! (I'm deadly serious),

[anonymous user]

I think it's all been said about the Ka so unless the purchaser really has their heart set on one (in which case good luck finding one which isn't too rusty) try to get them to look at other things instead, like a Yaris (other small cars are available).

[crapcarcollector]

Something else. Don't get involved in the hunt for a Ka

 

 

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using the force.

[Bren]

I would'nt associate the term "disposable" with a ka.

 

"Biodegradable" is more like it.

[skoda_norman]

I had one for a while - great little car. I really enjoyed it and found that for a modern car it had all the feel and connectivity with your surrounds of a much older model. The downsides however were the (relatively) dismal fuel economy, truly awful seats and the aforementioned corrosion. 

 

The one I had was an 02 plate with 60,000 miles, been garaged for most of its life too and we scrapped it in 2012 because it was dangerously rotten along both sills and filler cap - and that was without looking for rot! 

[Bren]

I have seen quite a few really rusty examples - it would have been pointless weighing in them in at the end of their lives - the owner could have swept them up and put the remains in the green bin.

[Hendry]

That wee Fiesta looks a minter, odd spec right enough, rev counter, white dials, leather steering wheel, central locking, alloys, front fogs but no electric windows but looks a steal for the money.

 

As has also been said, Corsa Cs are decent first cars, I had a 55 plate a couple of years back and had no issues, I'd avoid the 1litre 3 cylinder ones as they all sound fucked with the timing chain rattle which I'm told costs more than they're worth to fix, avoid the SXi as well as most now have been abused or messed around with by boy racers. Early ones are pretty spartan inside and the two tone interior is horrid. Elegance/Design are the nicer ones which have usually been owned by people who've looked after them. The 1.3 diesel is supposed to be uber cheap to run, I had the 1.4 16v twinport (timing chain instead of belt) and it was nippy enough and ok to run but probably too expensive for a youngster to insure.

[RoadworkUK]

It really is a shame that they turn into orange powder with the alacrity that they do, coz they're triffic to drive.

 

The one that my parents have as a hack is still with them after fifteen years. Of course, it's very existence on the road is entirely due to Dad's possession of a mig welder. In fact, keeping it going has become a kind of obsessive hobby. They could go out tomorrow and spunk hard currency on something new, but, you know... Where's the fun in that?

[mercrocker]

Very few  owners  like Pa  and Ma Roadwork I would say....most  get owned by flibbertygibbits who  don't know one end of a dipstick from their boyfriend. 

[chaseracer]

The consensus is: check carefully for rust between the number plates.

[Noel Tidybeard]

...and ford forgot to fit the Ka(k) with brakes!

[Cavcraft]

Rust, steering racks, rust, self-welding-in-spark-plugs, rust, general hatefulness, rust, ugliest car on the planet and rust. Power sawing your own knackers off looks a better, less embarrassing and more comfortable proposition.

[Timewaster]

I always thought the Ka was a fun little thing to chuck about. A corsa is a miserable experience in comparison. Abuse and rust will be the killer.

[lisbon_road]

A few MIG sessions and a Corsa might not seem so bad.

 

The Corsa C handles rather better than a Corsa B, which does seem to bounce about a bit. 

 

I liked my Corsa C.  Just have to keep changing the oil - a prof mechanic told me to change it every 5K miles and use anything rather than the 20K Vauxhall suggested.  Was a bit undergeared mind, er a lot undergeared.

[Timewaster]

I've never driven a corsa c. Corsa b is well shit innit.

[twosmoke300]

A kak will be more mechanically robust than a corsa c . Any of the chain driven engines are fragile unless serviced over and above the schedule.

I'm talking of the older Michael flatly engined ka of course. Not sure about the newer ones.

[alf892]

Simple version.....What to look for :

 

From inside the car - the ground

From under the car - daylight or back of carpets

[Luckythirteen]

My first was a Ka. Great little car, fun to drive but mechanically, obviously from the stone age.

It looked like it had been sick from the filler cap, and predictably, everything inside of that was like a rusty colander. Got weighed in, surprise surprise.

I'd have another one, if a good one came up cheap. Not worth paying much for, and it's a whole different experience to anything new. Not keen on the new one either, it's bland and charmless.