ADUK Archive

Hello folks!

Been browsing various things through sheer boredom.

Discovered that Ka's appear to be a reasonable amount of car for the money you pay for them...

Has anybody here got any experience of a Ka, and are they a candidate for a first car? (or should that be Ka?)

StressedDave is your man. But the answer is yes, definitely. A lot more car than most give it credit for. Should be very cheap to run, also.

the worst thing about them is the (probably unfair) reputation they have - a few years ago they would never have been seen as a 'mans' car being seen as a bit girly, but high insurance leading to smaller cars being bought has changed that perception and I know a few teenagers with them... the reality is I think a good car for the money - Ford simplicity and reliability, wheels at each corner giving a fairly go-kart style of handling... worth considering...

Alasdair

The major failing on these is rust, unusual for a car nowadays. There's also the matter of sparkplugs rusting into the head and being hard, sometimes impossible, to remove.
Bit of searching will provide you with information on what to look out for.
I'm assuming we're talking previous generation not current. General opinion seems to be previous gen good to drive as said above, current one not as good as the Fiat 500 with which it shares much under the skin.

How can anyone offer an opinion without knowing which one it is?

This:



or this:



?

trashbat wrote:How can anyone offer an opinion without knowing which one it is?

well...
(toungue-in-cheek!) it is not unusual on the internet to offer opinion without knowledge

but I was writing based on the first as generally new drivers buy cheaper and I think the OP has commented that he doesn't have a huge budget...

Alasdair

Daughter & her boyfriend are both 17 and learning to drive

His dad is a fireman

The ONLY car he actively advises against is the original Ka

akirk wrote:...it is not unusual on the internet to offer opinion without knowledge
Alasdair

Huh, tell me about it. I do it all the time.

As for the KA; I've heard they can be great fun to drive, but prone to excessive bodyshell corrosion.

TheInsanity1234 wrote:Hello folks!

Been browsing various things through sheer boredom.

Discovered that Ka's appear to be a reasonable amount of car for the money you pay for them...

Has anybody here got any experience of a Ka, and are they a candidate for a first car? (or should that be Ka?)

They're very ugly.

http://www.euroncap.com/en/results/ford/ka/15517

For comparison
http://www.euroncap.com/en/results/ford/fiesta/15516

[rude comment warning]
Someone described the rear aspect of the earlier Ka as 'looking like a dog taking a dump'

akirk wrote:the worst thing about them is the (probably unfair) reputation they have...
Alasdair

The most marvellous thing about my inability to care means I can happily purchase a Ka and not give a damn.

Trashbat - I meant the 1998-2008 versions, I couldn't afford a post 2008 version at all!

I am aware that they have a bit of a reputation for getting a tad crusty if you're not wary
A family friend had a Ka for 10 years and it was just nudging 100k miles when the coolant hose fell off and threw the coolant everywhere a few months ago. It was still drive-able, but the heater and all the blowers were packed up, which meant it was dangerous to drive as you couldn't demist the windscreen on the move!

But she says that was the first major failure they had with their Ka, (and it was second hand when they got it!) and it certainly wasn't the most pristine example! (I'd guess at it being worth about £450 with a full tank of petrol before it broke )

I'd obviously be going for a newer model with lower miles.

She has given me one or two bits of information, but if you guys know any more, I'd like to hear it!

I'm very tempted by the LuxuryKa models, simply because they've got the electric demisting windscreens, which is a great thing to have!

Would I be better off going for post 2005 or pre 2005 as they had a engine update at 2005...?

StressedDave wrote:They can be rust buckets, especially around the fuel cap area,

I have seen examples with rust on the A pillars.

The electric front screen is brilliant when you have an iced up screen and the temperature is -5C outside.

It can be cool



just be aware of the compulsory footwear



Alasdair

TheInsanity1234 wrote:

akirk wrote:the worst thing about them is the (probably unfair) reputation they have...
Alasdair

The most marvellous thing about my inability to care means I can happily purchase a Ka and not give a damn.

My son's partner's 2006/7 Ka is parked outside at the moment. She's had it from new: problems have been dash electrical problems, ABS controller (I had the ECU repaired) and minor rust.

As a first car, it's OK; small but quite versatile, and relatively cheap to run. My son, who used to be a bit of a car snob, drives it quite happily!