Ka

The link

Are ford ka cars any good. I need a reliable respectable looking ka . Would I pick one up for approx € 1000 and if so where. Private/dealer ?

Look forward to any ideas

Plug

They are a load of crap, basically a fiesta gone smaller and wrong. And if you get one for a grand have a look under the bonnet and make sure theres a motor!

carchaeologist

Dont be so hard on them, fair enough the engine is as ancient as the anglia, but a good ka is a fun drive!!:) Im not sure what a grand will buy you though,they get a bit ropey as they get older.

hitcher

look at www.carzone.ie

The Real B-man

There an ideal first womans car as for lads:rolleyes:

Darwin

I have driven the Ka once and I was surprised by how much fun it was to handle so put your preconceptions aside. True the 1.3 litre motor is bit of a thrasher, but with tidy handling and cheap running costs I could easily think of worse cars to buy.

unkel

I'll echo the positive comments. Fun to drive and the old engine is fine for most. Timing chain (not a belt as in most competitors) so a lot less to worry about things going wrong

GERMAN ROCKS

I need a respectable looking ka .
Look forward to any ideas[/QUOTE]

is there any such thing as a respectable looking one

bazz26

They are very cramped on the inside but were never designed with space in mind.

1.3 litre engine originates back to the 1960s Ford Anglia but at least it is simple to work on if needs and is peppy enough in the KA. Parts are also cheap and in plenty of supply.

RobAMerc

great little car with a not so good engine.(although reliable)

really good fun to drive though - love it or hate it looks

biggest mistake you've made is asking for opinions here

ignore them all and read some proper motoring reviews from the web.

what you'll get for 1k is trouble

Barr

KA's are great fun to drive , spec can be pretty basic though

With only a grand your better off looking for a Fiesta

Zonda999

The KA is unbelievably dated for a car thats still in production to this day.I believe the suspension and wheelbase was taken from the 89-96fiesta.Not sure how old the engine is but its completely breathless.Hav'nt driven one but apparently there good fun.Would'nt want to have a crash in one BTW:D

groupb

Plug wrote: »

They are a load of crap, basically a fiesta gone smaller and wrong. And if you get one for a grand have a look under the bonnet and make sure theres a motor!

Name a car of that size that handles better. You obiviously have'nt driven one.

bazz26

When your spending around €1000 on a car, you take your chances with reliability.

unkel

groupb wrote: »

Name a car of that size that handles better.

And second hand price! I can't think of any car in this banger price region of around a grand that handles better

unkel

bazz26 wrote: »

When your spending around €1000 on a car, you take your chances with reliability.

I agree. But with the Ka there's no worry about the timing belt. That's the main worry (and main worry it is in most cars) gone!

carchaeologist

groupb wrote: »

Name a car of that size that handles better. You obiviously have'nt driven one.

its the handling that makes it, drive one and see if you havent already, its worth it!!:D:D

Stky10

I had one for years and I never had a bother with it. Its an ideal learner car, or for when you just need to get from a to b without any fuss. And its nippy and easy to park.

This wikipedia entry has details on what you need to look out for when buying a second hand one, as well as some details on the new version out this year

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ka

itarumaa

KA´s 1.3 engine is actually a push-rod engine, so it does not have neither timing belt or chain,

Can you really get KA´s around 1k, if then it seems really cheap to buy.

dh2007

I had a Ka until about a year and a half ago. It was my first car and was absolutely perfect! (large bumpers!)

it handled like it was on rails - I loved it! I nearly even shed a tear when I sold it on - sniff!

I think you should up your budget a bit if possible. You'll only get a 97 or older ka with high mileage for that price and the older ones dont have power steering.

I sold mine for 3000 with 58k on it and it was in great nick.

BeardyGit

unkel wrote: »

And second hand price! I can't think of any car in this banger price region of around a grand that handles better

Peugeot 106 with a 1.1 injection engine.

Easily had for that sort of money. I've bought two, and had both NCT'd and fitted with new tyres for under a grand each. Did 25,000 trouble free miles in the first, and sold the second to a friend (with only 67k original on the clock).

Super handling and a fun little car to own and drive.

I've driven a Ka late model 1.3 'sport', and been in an RTA involving an earlier Ka....I wouldn't buy one....

Gil

furtzy

Wife had one and it was a fine little car. It was however an extremely low mileage 02 model in prefect nick. Very simplistic engine so very easy to work on. Great handling and surprisly quite fun to drive....I actually miss it!

Anything under a grand will probably be a different story

bf

For a first car they are ideal, fun to drive and cheap to maintain - most jobs can be done yourself in very little time.

As previous posters point out they are not the most technologically adavnced in the world but they are fun to drive.

To be honest you will only buy trouble for €1k. My sister in law is about to sell her 99 Ka with about 45k on the clock for around the 2k mark - PM me if interested

BF

CuppaCocoa

I had one of the first ones produced in 97. Worst car I ever had! My old Corolla with 220 thousand miles on it was far superior! The back box delevloped a big hole in it after 3 months which was replaced, then the same thing happened a year later and was replaced again! The year after that the clutch went :eek: It was the first time I've ever had a clutch replaced and I've driven plenty of bangers! The gears were stiff and unresponsive. The only positive thing was the power steering was nice and light. I Couldn't wait to get rid of it.

zilog_jones

Earlier models were known to have crappy clutches, which they resolved at some stage (not sure when exactly). I wouldn't recommend a '97 or earlier because of that and the earlier Endura-E engines had problems with excessive cam follower wear (resolved some time in '97).

Other problems to watch out for seem to be similar to the Fiesta (I have a '98 one with the same engine), like:
- Worn suspension bushes - I had to replace the rear ones along with the shock mounts in mine, though most trouble seems to be with the front. Listen out for knocking or creaking when going over bumps. The bushes seem to go regularly anyway, so it's nothing serious but will cost a bit.
- Spark plugs rusting into the cylinder head (check to see if they've been replaced recently enough)
- Idle control valve getting dirty. I had this problem - easy to clean it out. Try flooring it while stopped in neutral then letting go of the pedal quickly - if the engine cuts out (or nearly does) it's probably that. €20 job
- Heater control valve dying - check the heating can actually heat after about 5-10 mins of driving. €45 for a new valve IIRC, but easy to replace (I did it myself).
- Excessive front brake disc wear

KA´s 1.3 engine is actually a push-rod engine, so it does not have neither timing belt or chain

Seems to be a common misconception. Petrol pushrod engines in cars generally (always?) have a timing chain, but it's usually not something that needs to be changed. They are known to go loose and rattly in the Skoda OHV engines - I dunno if the same can happen in the Endura-E.

Eoin

groupb wrote: »

Name a car of that size that handles better. You obiviously have'nt driven one.

mini Cooper?

blackbox

Darwin wrote: »

I have driven the Ka once and I was surprised by how much fun it was to handle so put your preconceptions aside. True the 1.3 litre motor is bit of a thrasher, but with tidy handling and cheap running costs I could easily think of worse cars to buy.

+1

I used to have one - ancient motor was given a new lease of life by fuel injection. Quite nippy and brlliant handling and quite comfortable in the front. Not much room in back or in boot, and only 2 rear seatbelts. 45+mpg.

blackbox

eoin_s wrote: »

mini Cooper?

If you're referring to the new model, you've obviously never seen a mini cooper parked beside a Ka - it's about twice the size!

Eoin

blackbox wrote: »

If you're referring to the new model, you've obviously never seen a mini cooper parked beside a Ka - it's about twice the size!

No, I deliberately put "mini" in lowercase, I mean the old school one.

zilog_jones

blackbox wrote: »

45+mpg.

I get about 30mpg around town in my Fiesta
I know it's a bit heavier than the Ka, but still -

JHMEG

itarumaa wrote: »

KA´s 1.3 engine is actually a push-rod engine, so it does not have neither timing belt or chain,

Here is a diagram of a pushrod arrangement. The camshaft is beside the cylinders (not above) and (push)rods connect the rockers to the cams. A modern engine has the camshaft on top, working the rockers directly, and has no rods or tappets.

Fiona_242

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