P-reg Ford Ka's

[Billy - Medhurst]

21 hours ago, MJK 24 said:

I know very well they were £4,995 as I took a friend to Peoples in Liverpool to pick his up! 

Wasnt knocking you or doubting it - Just showing how the prices were yoyoed.

[DVee8]

Instead of a early one, how about a late one?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/834393254108720

[Spottedlaurel]

My only Ka experience is being loaned this one back in 2012:

I remember liking it more than I'd expected, the engine had a pleasant, old-fashioned feel and the gearchange was good.

Apparently they'd got it from a salvage yard and it needed lots of welding, last MoT pass was in 2014 and it got through after more welding.

[MJK 24]

1 hour ago, Billy - Medhurst said:

Wasnt knocking you or doubting it - Just showing how the prices were yoyoed.

I think the £4,995 was to shift the last models.  It was at ‘participating dealers’ as far as I remember.

Im surprised at some of the negativity from some of the posters.   These things would tackle any corner at any speed without fuss or complaint.  Yes; the engine was old.  But it was reliable and had good torque.  Rust will eventually get them all.  But they’re old, bargain basements Fords that were cheap new and sold to people who were unlikely to cherish them.

I would love an early red one with the black ‘nappy’ bumpers and the radio without a tape or CD!

[MJK 24]

The replica minilites looked great on the run out models!

A neighbour had a Ka Collection which was a high up model mid way through the production run.  It has all sorts of jazzy extras that I can’t recall today!

[chris667]

I know nothing about modern cars.

Is there anything like it anymore?

[Split_Pin]

On 9/8/2021 at 9:19 AM, GeordieInExile said:

Did they move production to Brazil at some point during the run or have I got that ass backwards..?

No but they binned the venerable Endura E chapper in late 2002  in favour of a Brazilian made 1.3 OHC unit. This was the same engine fitted to the Sport Ka in 1.6 99bhp form. I have no idea why they didn't fit the 1.7 Yamaha engine, the Puma had gone out of production by then so there wouldn't even have been any in-house competition 

 

[155V6]

14 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

No but they binned the venerable Endura E chapper in late 2002  in favour of a Brazilian made 1.3 OHC unit. This was the same engine fitted to the Sport Ka in 1.6 99bhp form. I have no idea why they didn't fit the 1.7 Yamaha engine, the Puma had gone out of production by then so there wouldn't even have been any in-house competition 

 

That would have been great fun,especially in a van version 😎

 

[Timewaster]

A old girlfriend had one brand new on pcp. It was a purple base model on an R plate.

I remember the day she got it she took me out for a drive..... 90mph down the bypass!

Shortly after she got  a new job and the company coverd the payments instead of arranging her a company car.

In 3 years and 70 odd thousand miles the only maintenance it ever got was when I changed the pads because " it sounds like a spaceship". Metal to metal both sides. I might have put some new speakers in it too - priorities right?

When it went back at 3 years old the penalties were horrendous,  like half the cost of the car,  mainly because it was double the mileage allowance, no service history, bald tyres and generally trashed.

Luckily for her the company covered that too.

[R1152]

I had a 51-plate one given to me by my sister, in the same way she gave me her G-reg 5 Campus.

It was shockingly built compared to the Renault, but my goodness it was fun to drive. Several happy commutes on the A1 in mid-winter in it, with a kind of cosy warmth from the heater my BMW 5er can't manage. Not that economical on a run (the BMW matches it) but better around town.

It now does sterling service as a shed, because I can't bring myself to scrap it.

Would I have another? Hell yeah I would.

[egg]

One of things I am picking up from posters on this thread is 'memories' - lots of memories means eventually a car is sought after, no matter how good/bad it is.

[Dave_Q]

I had a 51-plate one given to me by my sister, in the same way she gave me her G-reg 5 Campus.
It was shockingly built compared to the Renault, but my goodness it was fun to drive. Several happy commutes on the A1 in mid-winter in it, with a kind of cosy warmth from the heater my BMW 5er can't manage. Not that economical on a run (the BMW matches it) but better around town.
It now does sterling service as a shed, because I can't bring myself to scrap it.
Would I have another? Hell yeah I would.

Shockingly built compared to a renno 5 is a pretty damning

[MJK 24]

50 minutes ago, 155V6 said:

That would have been great fun,especially in a van version 😎

 

They did van models for BT?

[D.E]

13 minutes ago, egg said:

One of things I am picking up from poster on this thread is 'memories' - lots of memories means eventually a car is sought after, no matter how good/bad it is.

True. And because of those memories, someone, somewhere, will spend lots of hours and money to restore a Ka to showroom condition. Because it was his first car, or because his mum had one, or because the red one on pages 10 and 11 of the 1996 brochure was his dream car when he was a kid. And that's totally fine. If we would only lust after cars that were objectively the best/biggest/fastest/toughest of their class, the world would be a bit more boring.

[twosmoke300]

I like them . As an apprentice at a ford ( commercial ) garage in the early 2000’s I have driven loads up to Daventry on training courses . Great fun to drive and always reminded me of the mk1 fiesta , which it basically was .

But my god the rust !!! And the leaky racks and the PAS pump was a knob to fit .

[Vince70]

I’ve got a beautiful early example  S plate which is actually rot free with 19000 on the clock and I picked it up about a year ago now  for £150 off Facebook marketplace.

I waxoyled around under the rear suspension turrets and the dreaded petrol filler cap but was wondering if you guys thought it would be a good idea to drill a hole on top of the sill in the the door aperture and filled the sills with engine oil then fit a rubber bung in the hole.

 

[MJK 24]

A couple of aerosols of Bilt Hamber would be easier to apply and do a better job than engine oil.

That little machine is well worth preserving!

[Vince70]

26 minutes ago, MJK 24 said:

A couple of aerosols of Bilt Hamber would be easier to apply and do a better job than engine oil.

That little machine is well worth preserving!

I’ve got some Bilt Hamber that I used around the rear suspension turrets but it seems a bit thick for my trusty rust prevention garden sprayer so wondered If thinning it out with a bit of old oil would maybe help it find its way into those internal nooks and crannies.

My Mrs has a Ka as well that she gave to her daughter about 5 years ago now and that’s completely rot free but has picked up the odd dent and lost a few panel clips on the way but it’s been fantastic and has taught 3 kids to drive and her daughter won’t part with it as it’s really been reliable and mistreated plus it’s never serviced  and the only thing that it’s needed in 5 years is a £12 coil pack and one HT lead.

I even tried bribing her with my Cooper but she wasn’t having none of it and I suppose really the Ka is more of the spiritual successor to the original mini anyway as they really are a hoot to drive.

 

[sierraman]

Don’t rustproof the sills at this stage. When it does want doing it’ll be a twat with all the gloop in. Wait till it rots out, weld it then rust proof it. 

Didn’t help with these that the filler tube was spot welded in, no seam sealer round it, almost a magnet for salt water and damp.

[Vince70]

I was told by the mot tester that looks after  our KA’s that the worst offenders for rust was the end of the line 07/08 variants.

I guess there’s something in it as my neighbour took over his elderly mothers low mileage 1st generation 08 KA about  6 years ago that had been garaged and cherished and after one winter of him using it as a 30 mile a day commuter car the car was finished due to tin worm as he said it just rotted out basically in front of his eyes over that one winter and obviously the first tell tale sign was the dreaded filler cap.

[Vince70]

40 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Don’t rustproof the sills at this stage. When it does want doing it’ll be a twat with all the gloop in. Wait till it rots out, weld it then rust proof it. 

Didn’t help with these that the filler tube was spot welded in, no seam sealer round it, almost a magnet for salt water and damp.

Thanks for coming to the rescue again Sierraman I will just keep it clean underneath then mate.

I just hope my E36 stays rot free in the sill department as over the years it’s had waxoyl and old engine oil plus linseed oil poured into the sills  and I grease around the jacking point covers so that one will most definitely catch light if it got near a welding torch.

[ETCHY]

On 9/8/2021 at 9:50 PM, Spurious said:

I think if you want a small basic new car you can't go too far wrong with a VW Up or it's Seat/Skoda brethren or something like an Aygo. They seem to be basic, cheap cars and still rather small. 

The Fiesta these days is as big as a Golf was 15 years ago. 

Picanto's are alright, they're still small cars.

[MJK 24]

[RoverFolkUs]

Spotted for sale: 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/847948913816368/