USED Ford Ka Hatchback (96 - 09)

My car

I have owned my KA for 5 years and it has never put a foot wrong not counting issues raised during servicing. It is an good choice as a first car and as something to potter around towns and villages. Long motorway driving can be a bit painful as the power is lagging and the interior is a little cheap although nicely laid out. For the economically minded, I have had my MPG up to 50 but the average is around 45 due to mainly motorway driving. Low insurance & road tax will appeal.

Being a bloke in his late 20s, owning a KA is not good for your street cred; I have received a lot of stick for hanging onto mine. I am not really bothered as I still find it a responsive and fun ride which doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg (plus any of my friends who have driven mine love the handling and response). Practicality wise, there is a fair amount of room in the back but I wouldn’t have passengers in there for a long journey and the boot is small if you are carrying, say, two suitcases. It’s fine for food shopping and you shouldn’t run into too many problems unless you are buying huge products like TVs. As for servicing, it isn’t expensive, though I am finding more of the car is running into problems, last time the front suspension needed to be changed which wasn’t a huge cost but one I could have done without.

I can highly recommend mine, a 2003 1.3 Ka Style, but do think the Collection is the best of the bunch with electric windows, mirrors and CD player.

My car

I had a Ka as a courtesy car for 4 days. At first I disliked it but gradually warmed to it as I appreciated the go-kart handling and surprising performance. Rather noisy with a pathetic stereo and not as economic as I expected. Typical excellent Ford gearchange. Bearing in mind it is now a little long in the tooth and about to be replaced with a Fiat 500 based range, not bad as a cheap secondhand runabout.

My car

I owned a Sportka SE for 2 years from new. I have to say that it was brilliant fun to drive and took corners like a go kart and I never got tired of B road driving. I am reliably informed that it wasn't the best passenger experience though due to the sports suspension and the direct steering. It could maintain motorway speeds with little effort although at highter speeds it did get a bit noisey. I used to do a lot of motorway driving in it and still got 33 mpg of it.

I was recently hit from behind while stationary by a car doing 60mph and although the car is a write off I walked away with just whiplash. I think for a small car it performed remarkably well and I shall miss driving it.

My car

My KA was a 03/03 Collection, with just 12,000 miles when i bought it from in November 2007. I loved this little KA, so nippy to drive, easy to park, comfortable for the 2 in the front, & with enough room for 4 for the occasional time I required it. Unfortunately the problems started the day after I bought it. The temperature light started to come on on the dash for no reason, then the battery light started to do the same. The dealer insisted there was nothing wrong with the car that a 'good run' wouldn't fix. To cut a very long story short, after a very frightening breakdown on the M5, the problem turned out to be corrosion of the Powertrain Control Module where it connects to the wiring loom, due to water ingress. Repair cost 1,800 +. Also catalytic converter probably damaged due to fault, another 700+. I was unpleasantly surprised at the cost of these repairs. Six months of badgering the dealership, not being able to use the car, & the stress of preparing for a court case, at the 11th hour dealer agreed to have the car back. That day it was on their website for sale!!!. So, if you're buying a pale green metallic, Ford KA with just over 14,000 miles on the clock - BEWARE - check that the PCM, wiring loom & catalytic converter are all OK. Would have loved another KA, but can't take the risk of going through this nightmare again.