I know Ka's rust, but............

[HH-R]

Never liked the look of them, but never hated them either. They're charming in a way that you know they're shite and well behind the times but enjoyable at the same time.

 

Would have had one to say I've had one at the price point they're at now but knowing how they rot, no way.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

They were great little cars when new, but they're not really worth having now. Well - they are, but only when they're £399 with a long test on the basis that they are just disposable. But even then, you'd just buy a Yaris, Micra, Coresa or one of the many small cars that don't dissolve in rain water, cars you might get 3-4 years out of.

[theshadow]

the car in front is a toyota,not a ka...

[vulgalour]

I like the Ford Ka, it feels like the spiritual successor to the Fiesta far more than the Fiesta does.  Great fun to drive, wonderfully basic but not that nice to look at.  Definitely one of those cars that are going to be silly money into the future helped by the blue badge on the front and the low survival rate.

[Bren]

When i bought focus for wife trader had a very clean 08 plate for sale - he admitted that he normally avoided them due to rot, but his example was immaculate- a real exception. Must have been stored in a vacuum.

 

Probably the one car I would want to be knocked over by - it does'nt have crumple zones - the shell breaks up like a ryvita.

[richardmorris]

They were great little cars when new, but they're not really worth having now. Well - they are, but only when they're £399 with a long test on the basis that they are just disposable. But even then, you'd just buy a Yaris, Micra, Coresa or one of the many small cars that don't dissolve in rain water, cars you might get 3-4 years out of.

No, I had one as a courtesy car in France when my cx Pallas was cruelly deaded in 2001. It was a despicable excuse for a car. Poorly put together new, no wonder ford doesn't even seem to have painted the unseen metal, never mind rust proofed it. The world is better off without KAs

[HMC]

Mine was tremendous fun to blatt about in, Id say they are hard not to like especially once driven, and theres a design purity about them that appeals. I can well imagine the (rare) survivors fetching decent coin in 20 years.  Although I must say these rustaceous pics and similar stories were a factor in me ditching it whilst some ticket remained. At 12 years old it had already had one sill skin and the filler cap was bubbling up nicely (not for the first time I would imagine) By and large not bad looking at some of the newer ones on e bay. DVLA says its tested for another year so it was either solid or has kept a welder busy, I never hung around to find out what was going on under the plastic bumpers.

 

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

No, I had one as a courtesy car in France when my cx Pallas was cruelly deaded in 2001. It was a despicable excuse for a car. Poorly put together new, no wonder ford doesn't even seem to have painted the unseen metal, never mind rust proofed it. The world is better off without KAs

 

Yes, I had one new in 1999 and it was completely reliable, economical and fun to drive. As a new car it was streets ahead of stuff like the Corsa and Yaris. 

[KruJoe]

Easily the nearest thing in spirit to the Mini I've ever driven.  

 

This week I've been thinking exactly that about this Seicento Sporting I've been buzzing about in. It's not "fast", but it's massively entertaining, and the ride/handling balance is very... erm... Mini.

[dieselassist]

Jesus!! 

 

 

2005 as well. It had no sill left on passenger side. I mean, it wasn't there.

 looks like that air-release flap is actually laughing at all that newly uncovered  rust in that pic - 'HA'HA - CAR IZ FUGGED WIT RUST - MIG CANT HELP YOU HERE HA-HA!!!" etc

[MarvinsMom]

the ka's that i have had a go of have left a good impression on me.

 

fine road manners, a responsive engine, quirky looks and a pleasant interior. 

 

they have been, in my experience the closest new car to the real mini both in spirit and on the road. the fact that they rust so spectacularly just reinforces that opinion. i used to get one as a courtesy car when the flogged half too death company focus was in dock.

 

and yes, i too think that in a few years the survivors will be, as in the way of the OSFSCENETAXYO be worth good money.

[Timewaster]

I like a Ka. I had an ex from years ago who got a brand new one on an R plate.

The first day she had it she did 90 down the bypass in it.

It did 35k before it got serviced.

I changed the pads after her saying it had been making grinding noises for 2 weeks.

She couldn't kill it. When she gave it back at the end odd the PCP they wanted £1500 for the damage done.

 

Years later my wife got one add a courtesy car. It had number Wang seats. I loved it. She hated it.

[captain_70s]

Bless it, must think it's a 1970s Toyota.

 

Got to say, there is a Mazda 3 in the car park at work that is doing it's damnedest to rot away faster than my Triumph with surprising levels of success...

[warren t claim]

What sort of anti corrosion warranty were Ford selling these with?

[Matt]

I'd really like to try a Ka, do properly rust free ones actually exist or are they all rust heaps by now? 

 

Hmm, this place is bigging themselves up something proper.

[Lord Sterling]

KAs are hugely fun things to blatt about in, I absolutely love 'em and I guess if it wasn't for my love of stupidly huge gas-guzzlers, I'd happily buy one.

 

I'm yet to try understand the consistency or non-consistency in the quality of thier builds. Some rust worse than Alfa or an 1100 where as others seem fairly solid still. I've driven many of them and even knew of an example that was eventually scrapped due to accident damage that showed no signs of rust underneath the broken off bit of the front plastic bumper. Even that example still drove very well.

 

I guess they are like kate K11 Micras, some, like Ma's Micra are still solid until now despite living in all sorts of weathers since new, where as some just corrode very badly.

[Split_Pin]

My ex had a W reg Ka which she mercilessly abused for the first 5 years of its life.

 

I recall at that point sanding and repainting the sills to tart it up for trade in.

 

I gave her £1200 towards a 2 year old Civic sport as she had no more credit left due to having already consolidated 17k worth of debt.

 

2 weeks later she fucked off for good, she wrote of the Civic 4 years later but the little Ka that I had liberated from her clutches survived until last year. Ha ha.

[gordonbennet]

Shittin hell, having a prang in that Ka you'd be safer on a bicycle, how many times have i read comments (from people who never look under cars) that moderns don't rust, clueless the sods.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

What sort of anti corrosion warranty were Ford selling these with?

 

It was a six year corrosion guarantee.

 

Meaning that you could guarantee it would be rusty at six years old. They weren't wrong.

[Lacquer Peel]

Ka's rust. Ka is rust.

[anonymous user]

Is Ka the chemical symbol for ferrous oxide?

[Timewaster]

Is Ka the chemical symbol for ferrous oxide?

No.

[flat4alfa]

It is now.  Official.  Ka = Fe.

 

 

a responsive engine, quirky looks and a pleasant interior. 

 

What, even the old 1950s OHV engine rejigged from the Anglia?

 

 

[xtriple]

There's a 54 reg silver KA that parks round the back here, it's absolutely mint. Not a spec of rust or even dirt on it.

 

The only one I've ever driven was the old company pool car that while looked after, was always getting dented (usually by the bloody boss!) so completely rust free as about 90% of it was constantly new! I was dreading using it 'cos it wasn't my 'posh' co car but I really enjoyed it. Great little thing for barrelling around in but the engine sounded worse than a 70's Escort. Went alright though.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

It is now.  Official.  Ka = Fe.

 

 

 

What, even the old 1950s OHV engine rejigged from the Anglia?

 

Yes. The Enduring E (based on the narrow Valancia Fiesta engine and nothing whatsoever to do with the 105E Angina Kent unit) does go surprisingly well.

[MarvinsMom]

if i'm honest i prefer an ohv engine to some multi valve twink thing.

 

the b-i-l has a pug 208(?) thing that is just plain horrid. anything less than 3000 rpm it just doesn't want to know.

 

even worse was the rover 45 shaped honda civic vtec thing i once had as a company hack. that too had to be screaming its guts out just to stop it from stalling.

 

that is in complete contrast with the a+ series motors in the mini and the metro. even at tick over they just wanna go. no ok, both run out of puff pretty quick compared to a modern engine, but they suit me far better, and they make a cool sound....

[HH-R]

Aye, I've noticed that going from an ancient 8v to a modern 16v. Had to reverse up a hill to park today and you have to rev it's tits off or it just cuts out. No warning, or struggling, just bam, off.

[Rusty_Rocket]

The Endura in the Ka may be pokey-ish but it uses way more fuel than it should do.

The whole affair is just a cheap & nasty hash up but I'll give them their due- they looked bloody fresh & original when they first came out.

[HH-R]

Didn't they scrap the endura early on?

[New POD]

Makes the front wings of a metro look like something designed to last