USED Ford Ka Hatchback (96 - 09)

My car

I owned this car for a year and it didn't break down once!

It's very light and picks up speed very quickly. I beat my mate who was driving an MR2!

However, it has very little room and its suspension is quite vunerable, so less good for someone with a family.

If you've just passed your test, though, and want a car that is easy to park, doesn't struggle up hills and gives you a thrill when you drive it then this is the car you must get.

Its handling is superb and it doesn't take much revving to get it to 40mph.

It's a must. You just have to buy it - it's excellent.

My car

The car is excellent value for money, but fuel economy can drop to low to mid-30s mpg. The highest I have recorded is 43mpg.

It's good to drive but motorway runs in the summer are hard work because the ventilation is poor, requiring opening of all the windows. The Ka is good around town, good on A roads, as long as you have a run up to overtake, and motorways are OK.

I have covered 55,000 miles in two years and three months. The only problems are new plug leads, fitted at 30,000 miles, front suspension wear (in fact most of the front suspension has been or needs to be replaced). It’s a good job it has a three-year 60,000-mile warranty.

However, I would buy another as I will probably lose very little money because I paid £6300, which included metallic paint.

My car

Ka is second vehicle in the family, and is used for commuting. Its handling on country roads is great and it has a punchy engine, although it lacks performance for overtaking in some cases. This Ka has the new Duratec engine that is far superior to its predecessor. Build quality could be a lot better and better plastics used in the interior but on the whole it still has that funky and fresh fun factor. I would not hesitate to purchase another although there are probably better alternatives for the money. I would certainly always ask for discounts before purchasing. All in all, this little car is like the old Mini - a wheel in each corner. It's also like the Tardis - more room than you think inside.

My car

A really excellent car and, I believe, only 1000 were made up to 2002, so very exclusive!

The roof was the main reason why I decided to buy the car, and boy was it worth it! Fantastic fun in the summer, and a definite head-turner! It has a comfortable cabin, excellent ride and handling, but is quite poor on petrol consumption. It can also be noisy on dual carriageways, due to the roof, even when its closed! If you can find one, it's well worth the money!