USED Ford Ka Hatchback (96 - 09)

My car

I have just bought my Ka brand new as Ford were offering such a good discount due to the new model coming out.

The extras that come with the Zetec, like the alloys and spoiler, do add to the visual appeal, this is a little car brimming with personality!

Having seen complaints about the size of the cabin, I must say that I am not dissappointed as that is what I expected! The drive so far is great, especially the steering, and I have no complaints about the cabin quality. Also, the seats are very comfortable, I have driven a new Fiat Panda and although I liked the car, the interior was nowhere near as good as the Ka.

I have only rated it 3 out of 5 on ownership as the tax (Band D) and the petrol consumption are a little high for this type of car. I just hope it gives me a few years of reasonable reliability. But so far, so good!

My car

Poor. Not as good as the mark 4 and 5 Fiesta's its based on - and they were never great. If you get the versions with the older 1.3 endura engine you wont have any major problems (the engine is just very old). Performance wont blow you away, its gutsy, but will run out of puff up hill. A bit noisey at speed. Cabin is spacious in the front but very poor in the rear and feels a little cheap feeling and dated. The only problem you WILL have is rust. Like all Fords they rot. Check around the bottom of rear quarter panels/door area, petrol cap, behind rubber door seals, behind the bumpers and around the inside of the boot surround. Really showing its age now.

My car

I've had my 52 reg Ka for about three months now and I love it!

It's very quick to move off, and gets up to 70mph easily. It slows down a bit on uphill roads, but it's not a big problem. It's easy to drive, and it likes being thrown into bends. It feels really safe and stable when it corners.

The brake pedal takes a bit of getting used to as you have to press it harder than you'd expect, but the brakes are good and the car stops dead when you want it to.

Fuel economy is ok - I get about 45mpg, doing mainly short journeys. It hasn't needed any parts or servicing yet.

It's got plenty of room for shopping in it's boot, there are lots of little storage spaces inside, and it's roomy for passengers - my 6ft2 brother fits in easily. All the controls are well placed. The equipment is only basic, but it's got everything you need if you just want a little first car or runabout.

My car

My first car was a 3 yr old S reg 1998 Ka - So basic but brilliant to nip around in...the hard plastic bumpers are terrific stabilisers for those looking to improve their parking in tight spaces!! I could'nt fault it. I ran it for 5 years and it didn't cost more than the MOT and services with the odd tyre thrown in. Terrific! After a stint in a Grand Vitara 4x4, I bought a 3 year old 53 reg Ka Luxury, all leather job, with a view to decreasing my carbon footprint...what it did was significantly reduce my bank balance!!! Within 6 months I had spent in the region of £1000 fixing what were described as 'problems that were not typical for the age of the car'. All in all the advice from the garage was to 'get rid asap!'...so I did. Apparently Ford had started using cheaper inferior parts that had produced similar problems in other Ka's of similar age. My advice... avoid that age of Ka at all costs! They are not worth the gamble.