Discussion
My wife wants a Ka. I was looking at the 1.3 as I believe they have the old Kent engine which I know is strong and reliable and not too expensive to replace if it dies. What is the rest of the car like as far as comfort, reliability and rust etc. Performance isn't an issue but fuel economy is. I was going to get something from about 2000 to 2002 depending on price. Any help appreciated.
>> Edited by falcemob on Saturday 7th January 16:05
>> Edited by falcemob on Saturday 7th January 16:05
A mate had one. Probably ok to drive, ancient engine though, which sounds like a tractor, the car is made out of re-used bean tins, and its not that economical either - struggling to return more than 35 MPG, which is diabolical because most 1.0 cars are faster than it these days.
They look gay too.
They look gay too.
falcemob said:
My wife wants a Ka. I was looking at the 1.3 as I believe they have the old Kent engine which I know is strong and reliable and not too expensive to replace if it dies. What is the rest of the car like as far as comfort, reliability and rust etc. Performance isn't an issue but fuel economy is. I was going to get something from about 2000 to 2002 depending on price. Any help appreciated.
>> Edited by falcemob on Saturday 7th January 16:05
Its a common myth that its the Kent engine. The Endura is very similar in the design but nearly all the parts on the two engine are different. Ford did completely redesigned it to bring it upto date. Although, yes its based on an old (but damn reliable) engine.
They are fine for driving road town, they arn't quick but dont handle too bad. Extremely simple so not much to go wrong and when it does its cheap to repair. Great fuel economy if they arn't thrashed.
F.M said:
Total garbage...If she gets hit by something big it`d flatten like a cheap bean can.
Honda or something jap...that`s where the quality is now...Don`t go to small...Safety first!
She doesn't want a big car and I wouldn't think safety wise there is much difference between a Ka and the Corsa she has now.
nightdriver said:
Oh, and ncap 3 star rating.
Is that good or bad?
I've got one at the moment and i am absolutely loving it!! 
its a proper little gem of a car!! mines an S reg KA. So its fairly old but so far the only thing that has gone wrong was some kind of belt fell off it but that was easily replaced!! and i can get a full tank of petrol for about £30! so even me with only a few saturday jobs can afford to run it!!
Kitty_Kat
its a proper little gem of a car!! mines an S reg KA. So its fairly old but so far the only thing that has gone wrong was some kind of belt fell off it but that was easily replaced!! and i can get a full tank of petrol for about £30! so even me with only a few saturday jobs can afford to run it!! Kitty_Kat
i will also be happy to back up the fact that they are great cars. i have one at the moment and (although i cant wait to change it simply because i am 19 and want something with more power) i have always been happy with it. they are ofcourse fairly basic but there is a surprising amount of space inside and the quality does seem very good; i have done 15thousand miles (a fair few of which have been on road rallies) in 2.5 years, and i have had absolutley no problems with it.
My friend has one, it's a 51 reg and it has now covered just over 155,000miles.....everytime she takes it into the Ford dealershiop for service they seem amazed by the mileage.......it is beginning to show signs of wear, e.g. the heater no longer works and a few bits of trim are working loose......but the engine still runs great (although as others have said a little noisy at motorway speeds) and it's on the original clutch etc.....so fairly solid I would say...
Ive owned one for 7 years and it has been very reliable. Note 10th most reliable car in uk in recent test.
The original engine may be old but has good torque and is good on motorway. I also have a 05 sportska which is noisier than my S reg !!!
Both cars have great handling. MPG is not brillaint to be true but buy a diesel if thats what you want.
Really excellent machines
The original engine may be old but has good torque and is good on motorway. I also have a 05 sportska which is noisier than my S reg !!!
Both cars have great handling. MPG is not brillaint to be true but buy a diesel if thats what you want.
Really excellent machines
Hi! I've got an '03 KA with the new DURATEC engine. Good for 70bhp but that's all! Anyway, as I've got the cheap model without the rev counter I don't know what the thing's ticking over at! Not a problem for changing gear really but I'm wondering if it has a rev limiter because I'm sure I had 60mph in 2nd gear once!
harristc said:
Hi! I've got an '03 KA with the new DURATEC engine. Good for 70bhp but that's all! Anyway, as I've got the cheap model without the rev counter I don't know what the thing's ticking over at! Not a problem for changing gear really but I'm wondering if it has a rev limiter because I'm sure I had 60mph in 2nd gear once!
just keep going until it will rev no more.. then change up!
Gassing Station | Ford | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff