Ford KA gone to KA heaven

[Marm Toastsmith]

The scrappers offered me £150 for this, but so far I haven't had the heart to see it crushed. It's a great little car, fairly low mileage and drives brilliant. I got it from a family member, ran it for a year and had great fun with it.

 

It's a runner. MOT expired. Last time it had an advisory for a rusty sill. Doesn't look that bad to me but I haven't poked it too hard. Starter motor doesn't always engage but the last time it was tried it started first turn of the key. Starter motor aside, everything works apart from one wheel has a slow puncture.

 

In my ownership it had new front tyres, and new speakers in the doors. I even fitted some Eibach sport springs and a new set of KYB shock absorbers. It handles brilliant and at the time I was toying with the idea of entering some Autosolo events in it. That never happened, but it's still a fun cheap little thing to thrash around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[The Moog]

Location location location ?

[Marm Toastsmith]

Location location location ?

Sorry, London N21...thought location was in my profile, but I suppose "the smoke" is a bit vague.

[Christine]

The Smoke = Londinium?

[outlaw118]

HAve driven a couple of these, and whilst I didn't really fit into them, they're a proper laugh to punt about.

 

Engine sounds like a bag of bolts OBVS and they rust like bastards.

 

GLWTS.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Sorry, had a few shandies in the sun this afternoon. The car's not at my place... it's on my mother in law's driveway in London N21. Not far from the A10/M25.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I'll stick my head above the parapet and say its now time some of these got properly restored or preserved.

 

They are still a reasonably common site but I'm pretty sure these are poised to dissappear off the face of the earth overnight.

 

A shame as I quite liked the one my wife had for a year. Hers was moved on because the MOT man, on completing the test, looked me in the eye and very firmly said "sell this while it's got a full test because it won't see another"

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[spartacus]

That would do well in autosolo, Moog, I'm looking at you!

[Split_Pin]

Instrument cluster says this is the later Duratec engine so should be a bit smoother. Chapper engined ones are getring scarce now.

[Doctormop]

I had an 04 Ka (PK04 UJH)  in 2012 with more rust than this, wish to God somebody had offered me £150 for it, I suppose Isopon just wasn't worth much back then.

Seriously I'd bite the scrap man's hand off.

[Marm Toastsmith]

HAve driven a couple of these, and whilst I didn't really fit into them, they're a proper laugh to punt about.

 

Engine sounds like a bag of bolts OBVS and they rust like bastards.

 

GLWTS.

 

Instrument cluster says this is the later Duratec engine so should be a bit smoother. Chapper engined ones are getring scarce now.

 

Yep, can confirm it's got the later Duratec engine, so quieter and faster than an early one. Pretty nippy really and not even too bad on the motorway.

 

I had an 04 Ka (PK04 UJH)  in 2012 with more rust than this, wish to God somebody had offered me £150 for it, I suppose Isopon just wasn't worth much back then.

Seriously I'd bite the scrap man's hand off.

 

It's not about the money... Oh, and FWIW this car has never seen any filler or paint other than what was applied at the factory.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I'll stick my head above the parapet and say its now time some of these got properly restored or preserved.

 

 

 

 

Already have done. I got hold of a 2006 one, did the filler cap repair properly with new sections (inner and outer) and then waxoyled the bastard front to back. I tipped black waxoyl into the sills from inside the car with the rear trim panels out so it was dripping from the drain holes on a warm day. The problem is that they have no rust protection whatsoever from the factory. None. Just painted, assembled, out the door. Ford didn't wax inject them at all. 

 

The mud traps around the rear inner wing areas are spectacular. 

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Once raced a Porsche Boxster (on a private road) in one of these KAs and won. Everytime we got on to a straightaway, on coming traffic meant the porker couldn't get past and then thanks to my 2FAST2Mental-overtaking a tractor & trailer as it was preparing to turn right (booted it in 2nd) Boxster man disappeared in my mirrors never to be seen again! Epic fun.

[The Moog]

That would do well in autosolo, Moog, I'm looking at you!

Shhh I don't need any more cars at the moment. Luckily it is very far away

[CortinaDave]

Its a shame these rot so badly because they are tremendous fun for what they are, and were really different when they were new too. The start of the whole Ford new edge design period

[Tickman]

Shhh I don't need any more cars at the moment. Luckily it is very far away

 

Need? What has that got to do with anything!

[Pillock]

 

Oh, and FWIW this car has never seen any paint other than what was applied at the factory.

 

Or as everyone else calls it, "Not quite enough".

 

Good luck, admirable that you'd rather see it live than Hotpointised. I think these are a nice feature on the roads and it'll be a shame when they properly vanish, never had the good fortune to drive one but I understand they're very much "Italian" in the flat out, everywhere sense.

 

And the rust sense

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Shit. I was just thinking this morning how much I missed my 98 Ka.

 

It was like a go kart around the corners and I drove it pretty much flat out the whole time.

 

Had the original engine. 59BHP. S434 LCW. Totally bASe. Amazing car.

[Aston Martin]

[Cavcraft]

Soz and all that, but they're bloody awful cars and £150 from a scrap yard is very, very good money.

[Marm Toastsmith]

To me they are very much like a proper (issigonis) Mini, only better in pretty much every respect. The last Mini I had (in 1997) I paid £100 for, kept for a year, and sold for £50... I'm glad I had one when they were cheap. No desire to relive the experience at today's prices. But I dare say I'll be telling a similar story about the Ka in 20 years time. Of course, not everyone thought the Mini was brilliant, either.

 

I agree that £150 from a scrapper sounds generous, I rang a few at the time I needed it off the road (christmas), and quotes ranged from £zero. Maybe the banger boys like them? For the time being it's safe where it is, so I'm in no rush to get shot, and if it doesn't sell, at some point it's possible that I might put another MOT on it. I love it, but it really serves no useful purpose at the moment. As I say, I'm not too bothered about the money.

 

I have got a proper Thule roofrack for this, it's very useful, and I might be pursuaded to include it to the right buyer.

[greengartside]

That’s a shame. Dealer tag on the plates suggests this was sold new by my local Ford dealership in Suffolk.

[Doctormop]

Yep, can confirm it's got the later Duratec engine, so quieter and faster than an early one. Pretty nippy really and not even too bad on the motorway.

 

 

It's not about the money... Oh, and FWIW this car has never seen any filler or paint other than what was applied at the factory.

 

Fair play to you, yours is obviously a well cared for example, mine was a high mileage rusty old nail that seemed very cheap for a 7 year old car, it replaced a 1998 Avensis 2.0 and really did feel like a soap box racer, within 24 hours of buying it I was flinging it around, nipping through gaps and generally enjoying driving a small nippy motor again, I was almost tempted with a one owner luxury KA a few years ago but, you guessed it the dreaded rust had gotten hold of it.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do with it.

[sierraman]

I'd take the £150. At the end of the day money is money. Weigh the fucker in!

[purplebargeken]

For those who don't know.... N21 is Winchmore Hill. A whole 5 minutes away from me. Happy to have a look for someone. 

[Marm Toastsmith]

For those who don't know.... N21 is Winchmore Hill. A whole 5 minutes away from me. Happy to have a look for someone. 

Very near you... Not really Winchmore Hill. In fact more like Edmonton. The house is in one postcode, the garage in the other. Happy for you to come have a look for someone!

[Bren]

Even though I liked Billy's post where he advised taking the frag money I find a sport ka oddly appealing.

[purplebargeken]

Seeing  that Ka go round the track is interesting. Show's what putting the 1.7 Puma engine into something that weighs the same as a small Belgian waffle can result in fun times. 

[purplebargeken]

Edmonton........ I live in Edmonton. Sadly.

[SiC]

For those who don't know.... N21 is Winchmore Hill. A whole 5 minutes away from me. Happy to have a look for someone.

This is like a more modern version of the AX but similar idea in execution... Must be something right up you're street?

 

Needs welding too!