Ford Ka (1996 - 2008) 1.3i (70ps) 3d (2005/05) Owner Review
Want to know everything there is to know about this car?
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Summary
What does this car say about you?
Tight fisted. Maybe that I've got too many points on my licence to afford insurance on something bigger? (not the case, incidentally)
What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?
They tend to chuckle at it until the sit in the passenger seat and I charge around country lanes scaring the wits out of them
Would you buy this car again and why?
No. Too rough at speed. Surprisingly heavy feeling at low speed. Tiny boot. Do not feel safe at all driving it.
What are you likely to buy next?
My wife is currently still driving this car and I have an Astra. When we do replace the car it'll be with another supermini but something a little more practical and safe such as a Jazz of the new Fiesta.
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Buying experience
Type of dealer you bought from?
Franchise
Did you buy this car new?
Yes
What price did you pay?
£5,000
When did you buy the car?
September 2005
Did you get a good deal and why?
Yes - we picked this up for £5K on the nose with just 2miles on the clock because Ford had just released the updated version (new interior). We also managed to get mats, full tank of fuel, tax and 2 years free servicing thrown in.
Is there any special reason why you bought this car?
Needed something that was cheap to buy, cheap to run and most importantly at the time, cheap to insure! At the time, my commute was only a 14mile round trip so didn't need anything bigger really
What was the dealer like?
Easy to deal with. He tried to be pushy so we walked and he came back a day later with a better deal, so we pushed and got lots of extras!
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Driving it
What's it like to drive?
Fun! Its very quick off the line and 0-30mph is actually very impressive if you thrash it a bit, but after that it becomes painfully slow! It can, and has, done 80mph on long trips (Bedford to Devon, Bedford to Preston) but is very noisy and gets uncomfortable after an hour or so because there is nowhere to rest your left foot. Nimble of country lanes and can go all the way around roundabouts at 40+, but the body roll can get a bit unerving at times.
What's it like to park?
Because of its size, you can fit it into some very small spaces. Visibilty helps with this too. On the down side, the sterring it surprisingly heavy and makes for hard work when parallel parking!
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Living with it
Have you had any problems with the car?
Mostly electrics. It kept blowing fuses for the windscreen wipers and rear lights (luckily bulbs and fuses are quick and easy to repalce on the Ka). Took it in a few times but they could find the fault. Then the ignition started playing up too. The final straw was when the wipers failed again, in a torrential downpour so had to get the RAC to tow it to the dealer and they stripped it out to find the fault, which turned out to be a frayed wire touching the body and shorting out - fixed on warranty and no problems since.
What's most practical about your car?
Size mean its easy to fit into small spaces. Boot is ok for a couple of shopping bags but that's it.
Favourite gadget, option or accessory?
There aren't any on it! Lack of a CD player is a constant irritation
