The KA seems like an excellent car, stylish, economical and fun to drive.
Uses a little more petrol than I expected (costs about £30 to fill the tank, whereas Ive heard people saying they can fill theirs for £20). Travelled about 350 miles before running on the orange line which isnt too bad.
Brakes dont seem too bad, although you sometimes have to be a bit forceful to get to a quicker standstill (I was used to a Fiesta with ultra sensitive brakes).
Had a patch of rust on the door sill before I bought it, the garage cleaned this up for me. I have noticed that during heavy downpours the car can sometimes leak, although when I try to imitate this with a hose pipe it seems water tight!
Im a bit worried about peoples complaints of rust, although my KA is 5 years old now and the only bit of rust is the patch that was cleaned up and sorted out.
In terms of speed and power it seems okay. Ive got up to 90mph on the motorway and could have gone faster if I wanted. Sometimes you can find yourself out in the country on a hill (not necessarily a steep one) doing 50mph and you wont get it any faster until you reach the top though which can be a bit irritating!
The body does seem to suffer from scratches and chips, in fact mine is covered in lots of fine scratches from head to toe (looks like someone took it through a dodgy car wash or something) although they do seem to shine up okay.
Interior is pretty funky, but a little on the cheap side (do any other cars on the market have unfinished metal interiors these days)?
I think possibly a newish Fiesta is a better buy for the more conservative. Youll get more room in the back, better power and decent interior styling and trim. The KA is obviously regarded as more stylish and modern which is why it is quite popular (and why I got one) but Ford do seem to have cut costs with regards to the inside.
Handling and parking is fine. The KA3 gives you everything youll need (CD Player, Electric Windows, Air Con, Alloys, PAS, etc). The KA1 is bog standard (manual windows, useless cassette player). I personally feel that resale value and demand is better on a KA3 or KA Collection than a KA1, regardless of age.
I havent had this car long but I dont think you can go far wrong with any Ford. Cheap insurance and road tax make this a good first time car too. Ive also heard theyre a babe magnet but to be honest I wouldnt know. Personally you might be better with a Lamborghini and if you cant afford one why bother trying :-)
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed May 2002.
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--a brilliant little car--bought new (3years ago) it's been no trouble--EXCEPT I've just discovered rust at the bottom of the doors and the sills !!!! the garage where I bought it says--" Yes, this is now recognised as a design fault--stone chip damage--quite a few coming in with this anf Ford will not authorise repair !!!--even though it's a great car, I doubt if I'll be buying another Ford.
Owned for 3 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed April 2002.
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I am a Ka owner from Hong Kong. Ka is the first car in my life. I buy it because of the design. You can actually tells that many other car are copy or get concept from the design of KA. I bought it 2nd hand for £2,060ukp. Really fun to drive. But so hard to find aftermarket stuffs in Hong Kong. But I did modify something such as headlight, suspension kits, exhaust catback system, 15" alloy wheels. All from UK. By the way, hope everyone remember try to learn how to do maintance and protect your KA more. Don't just complain and drive without love & care.
Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2002.
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I have a 4 year old Ford Ka. It's great apart from one thing - I can't listen to CDs in it. Once I work out what the model number is of the current radio I'll know whether it has changer controls. Unfortunately, my girlfriend passed her test on Friday, so I'll have to let her borrow it.
Owned for 3 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2002.
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I have got a KA as a courtesy car (X reg)for a period of a week. The only problem is the radio only appears to pick up FM. I can't see any buttons that change to MW - how can I listen to Radio 5 Live.
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed January 2002.
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Had my KA for nearly 4 years. Only one major gripe, rust has appeared on both nearside & offside doorsills. Ford initially corrected problem but it has since returned. Now Ford want nothing to do with it. Have you experienced rusting doorsills on your KA. I suggest you contact Ford Customer service to discuss. Alternatively email me and I'll tell you my sorry saga!
Owned for 4 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed November 2001.
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My friend has a "P" reg Ka, with only 22K miles. She has it serviced regularly at the Ford Dealership. In fact, she spent about £300 on the MOT a couple of months ago. However, it broke down on the motorway last week, and Ford are suggesting that it's either the camshaft or a new engine. I find this hard to believe, that a low mileage well maintained car would suddenly develop such a major fault. Has anyone else had such a problem with their Ka or can they suggest the approach she should take with Ford ?
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed October 2001.
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Hey how can I upgrade my stereo in my Ka to a new NON ford one, can this be done as it seems to be moulded in. Any help would be fantastic!
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed July 2001.
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anyone had problems with Ka central locking going wrong?
I've had a Ka1 one for 3 years and now a Ka 3 for 2. Only problem with Ka 1 was the brakes going in < 10000 miles (common problem) and the casette player was rubbish - but otherwise - fantastic car.
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed February 2001.
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Rear exhaust box fell off after 13,300 miles. Is this a documented problem [Log in to view email]
I've had my Ka since Nov. '97 and it was going great until about a month ago when it started cutting out intermittently going round corners and braking for lights etc.
The Ford mechanics can find nothing wrong but one of these days it's gonna konk out and a bus will hit it.
Owned for 2 years.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed April 2000.
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Well, trading the Punto in was definitely a good idea - I LOVE the Ka!! Have almost run it in now (850 miles)and it is definitely speeding up, impressively nippy! I agree that the stereo is a bit naff though - a small price to pay methinks for such a lovely, cheap, nippy, groovy car!! (even my 'family car lover' friend likes it!) Krista 16.4.00
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed April 2000.
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Since I got my Ford Ka for Christmas, I've yet to have a problem. After the initial running in period, the car is beginning to loosen up and boy is it nippy.
Loadsa room for the driver - I'm 6ft 2, and it really looks the part.
My only gripe - The radio. I'm a Ka 1 owner and the radio is really poor. I would upgrade it but I'll have to buy a £12 fascia!
Owned for 3 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed April 2000.
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Since I got my Ford Ka for Christmas, I've yet to have a problem. After the initial running in period, the car is beginning to loosen up and boy is it nippy.
Loadsa room for the driver - I'm 6ft 2, and it really looks the part.
My only gripe - The radio. I'm a Ka 1 owner and the radio is really poor. I would upgrade it but I'll have to buy a £12 fascia!
Owned for 3 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed March 2000.
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IVE ONLY HAD MY CAR FOR 1 WEEK AND ITS ABSOLUTELY FAB, IT LOOKS GREAT (WITH FULL BODY KIT, LOWERED SUSPENSION INCLUDING ALLOY WHEELS) IT DRIVES GREAT, WHAT MORE CAN A GIRL ASK FOR ?
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed March 2000.
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i have been a ka owner for three years now and i have tuned it up by using a high performance air filter and exhaust along with a superchip and 16 inch alloys
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed November 1999.
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My new little Ford Ka is absolutely brilliant. It's loaded with features and I think it's absolutely gorgeous.
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