Thoughts on the KA

VioletGT · 11-03-2010, 09:05 PM

Hi all,
Friend of mine is thinking of buying a KA, not too sure about the details of the exact car she wants but i just wanted to know if there are any common faults or any other major dramas with them. Reliable or lemon? Any help would be great guys.

Cheers, Tony.

trento · 11-03-2010, 09:21 PM

DONT DO IT!!! Tell her to buy a Fiesta!!! She could pick up a straight WP with around 100k on the clock for less then $8000.

Surditas · 14-03-2010, 07:03 PM

First, they're a Ford Ka, not a Ford KA. If anyone calls it a "Kay-Ay", they're wrong.

My wife had one from new to 60,000km and they are great little cars. We had no major problems with it. Reliable, light on fuel and mega fun to thrash.

If you like something distinctive then I strongly recommend one. The onpinion of anyone who doesn't "get" them isn't worth asking.

small_ford · 15-03-2010, 01:52 PM

They are fun cars (Kas?) to own, we have owned two. Main thing to look for is corrosion in the bottom of the doors, especially on wind up window version. I know in the UK the petrol cap area is also prone to rust, and the sill at the back of the doors, which gets stone damage. Also flaring (revs not dropping) of the engine when changing gears, there is a TSB to fix that though. Engine can suffer from noisy tappets (its an OHV), and stuck spark plugs if it hasn't been serviced properly. As with all used cars, check the body, get a feel for how it drives and look at the service record. A bad one can be expensive to fix, partly because the access is tight to the engine compartment, and partly because Ford dealers in this part of the world are not too familiar with them.