Thoughts on the Ka.

[SSD-85]

Evening folks,

My experience on 4 banger Fords is very limited, so I am needing perspectives on the Ford Ka.

A family member is thinking about buying one, so what are they like for reliability & ease of maitenence? Or for any inherent faults?

[martinijosh]

The old 96 onwards model?

Apparently the 1.3 is a pushrod motor and prone to big hassles. Probably safer bet to get a Festiva or old Fiesta if you're after something cheap and reliable. WP Fiesta cost about the same as a Ka.

[PepeLePew]

We have a 99 TA Ka I have not found a way of killing yet. 170000 and going strong. Torquey, actually lots of fun to drive with the wheels pushed out on each corner, sunroof, easy to install aftermarket stereo kit. Bits easily available from the UK where there is stacks of aftermarket support for them. Only issue we had was a power steer hose dripping onto the alternator but otherwise it just keeps on ticking. I'd buy another. The engine is old tech and clunky yes, but has what the little thing needs and is economical as all buggery.

[V8 Ghia Mike]

We have a 2001 Ka2. It's only had a clutch, front rotors/pads and a coil pack replaced in 165,000km. Engine fine, hardly uses oil between 5000km changes. Everything works (not much to break really), it is amazing on fuel around town, has fun handling and we love it to death. Certainly not a bullet, but yes, very torquey and won't get you many speeding fines. Pretty noisy inside compared to today's low NVH cars, but it's all part of the fun. the thing just always make you smile.

Mike

[mik]

I did a stint in a rental agency when the ka was new, something I saw a few times was bent rims, indeed rentals cop a hiding, but it did appear the steel rims where a tad light in gauge for traversing pot holed roads, if looking at cars to buy i would be having a good look at the rims, as well as the usual things, i used to bring one home on occasions, they actually seemed a good run about.

[SSD-85]

Well they ended up buying it.

And you guys are right, they are so simple & indestructible. And are a bunch of fun to drive for a pushrod 4 banger.

[mik]

Actually today I saw about the last ten minutes of a car show, they featured the Ka, the host had owned 3 k's and spoke highly of them, he had a fe w other guys with ka s, t w o where done up , another riced up but with a 50 hp shot of nitrous .

[Xauterus]

Its like a Mark ! escort but fwd and fuel injection. It is the old kent pushrod engine.

[mik]

you wouldn't kid a bloke would you Xauterus, fair dinkum, how cool would that be, when your ka is well and truely worn out and engine has carked, oh hangit ill get one out of a corty down the wreckers........ or an escort .
i like those little kent engines, very simple.

[SSD-85]

He's right mik, they are the Kent engine.

[mik]

hahah how cool is that, thanks for the reply Forevermore, that is really making use of your known designs, i wonder if they had a couple of million old corty engines sitting in the warehouse as spares that never got used and thought , bloody hell we can recycle those .
i remember (vaguely) as a young buck using engine parts from a 1600 crossflow and a good 1500 from the earlier model to try make one good engine, pistons where a tiny bit too big though, i couldn't fit the rings on the pistons .

[SSD-85]

Imagine an EFI conversion into a corty? Would be a neat little retromod