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Buying a used KA.....quick check
nib1980 - 24/9/12 at 08:32 PM

HI All,

due to my last car dieing a death, i'm looking at a SportKa or KA

Now i believe the 1.3 is chain driven so no belt to worry about. But is the 1.6 also a chain? (Endura / durateci think)

and is there anything else to watch out for?

Neil

big_wasa - 24/9/12 at 08:36 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nib1980

and is there anything else to watch out for?

Neil


rust and lots of it.

nib1980 - 24/9/12 at 08:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
quote:
Originally posted by nib1980

and is there anything else to watch out for?

Neil


rust and lots of it.



is this a common problem?

BigFaceDave - 24/9/12 at 08:43 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nib1980
quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
quote:
Originally posted by nib1980

and is there anything else to watch out for?

Neil


rust and lots of it.



is this a common problem?


Yes! I had to put some patches on a X reg one about 6 months ago and now the woman who I did it for has a friend who needs hers done too and ive been told that ones a 54 reg so its not even just the early ones

nib1980 - 24/9/12 at 08:45 PM

bugger......

and i hate car shopping too, always feel im being ripped off somehow

Davegtst - 24/9/12 at 08:46 PM

Er yes very common. The front suspension lower arm bushes are rubbish too. On the 1.3 if they haven't been looked after and the the tapets adjusted at every service they will sound like a bag of spanners. Why a ka? Imo there are far better cars out there for the same money.

nib1980 - 24/9/12 at 08:48 PM

just what i saw round here.

but suggest away, the other was a corsa C 1.2 sxi

MRLuke - 24/9/12 at 08:49 PM

I picked up a 156 diesel with full leather for £400. Does 45mpg

will121 - 24/9/12 at 08:49 PM

how old ka are you thinking? rust around fuel filler, and rear quarter sills and suspension, 1.3 engine seems to run ok and parts are cheap but just rust major issue

tegwin - 24/9/12 at 08:51 PM

Don't do it... rust is terrible...

Better off with something that uses thicker steel!

daviep - 24/9/12 at 08:52 PM

fiesta 1.25 zetec, less rust, more power, just as simple and cheap to maintain.

nib1980 - 24/9/12 at 08:55 PM

well i have up to £2k so i want as low mileage and value for money as i can

grassracer - 24/9/12 at 08:59 PM

Check for :
Rust...outer and inner sills at the rear especially
Lower front suspension arms
Broken coil springs front and especially rear
Corroded steel brake lines especially in the rear wheel arches
Uneven front tyre wear
Nothing that can't be fixed but it'll all cost money

Bear in mind also under the bonnet is very tight not a lot of room to work on stuff especially behind the headlights etc, pig to put bulbs in!!

dlatch - 24/9/12 at 09:01 PM

the little ford KA's are great little cars but rust is a issue but really depends on how the car has been looked after.
same issues but more performance i would go for a puma 1.7 it goes much better and has a surprisingly decent size boot.

Any reason why your looking at small petrol models?
there are some bargain larger engined petrol powered cars around these days but the prices on the small engined hatchbacks is still strong money.
if you want cheap to run get a pugeot/citroen turbo diesel the cheapest motoring out there imo

perksy - 24/9/12 at 09:13 PM

Ford KA

Rust
Spark plugs seizing in the head

tegwin - 24/9/12 at 09:23 PM

2K would get you quite a nice 51 plate polo 1.4 16v

nib1980 - 24/9/12 at 09:27 PM

But how many miles?

MikeRJ - 24/9/12 at 09:35 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nib1980
But how many miles?


Buy on condition not mileage.

marcjagman - 24/9/12 at 09:37 PM

Citroen C1 or C2, great little cars, Punto even better. Corsa's can have inexplicable high fuel consumption problems.

nib1980 - 24/9/12 at 09:45 PM

Surely mileage means more mechanical wear though?

perksy - 24/9/12 at 09:51 PM

Don't rule out on mileage aslong as it's been correctly maintained

Worth looking at some of the Japanese offerings in that price range aswell

nick205 - 24/9/12 at 10:07 PM

Nib, now I've never met you and please don't take this personal, but you will not look good in a Ka

imp paul - 25/9/12 at 05:51 AM

rust and more rust also need good welder to keep up. petrol cap rusts out as standard you will also need lots of strong coffee for the long nights of welding to keep you awake

nib1980 - 25/9/12 at 07:08 AM

so the conclusion is

RUST....

tegwin - 25/9/12 at 07:33 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nib1980
Surely mileage means more mechanical wear though?


Depends how it has been cared for...

I would buy a 110K mile polo any day over a 50K mile rustKA

cliftyhanger - 25/9/12 at 07:35 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nib1980
Surely mileage means more mechanical wear though?


Not really. Give me a well maintained 100K car that has lived on the motorways over a 40K car that has lived in town all its life.

Our Zafira has 110K on the clock, is tight, tidy and drives well. Started to use a little oil now, but I can live with that. Costs an extra £20 a year.
Seen others same age, half the miles and they are doggy. Don't get me wrong, ours gets washed when it rains, but feels good to drive (well, as good as a family bus can be)

£2K really is middling price. could get a blinder, could be a dog. Beware really low mileage cars. Friend bought an 8 year old Golf with 20K on it. Mechanically good, but it appears the reason the mileage was so low is the constant stream of electronic issues. They traded it in after a few miserable months, at a substantial loss.

I would buy a well maintained car, age/condition more important than mileage. And Jap stuff tends to be pretty bombproof. Go talk to your local garage, ask them what they see least of, and the MoT man who will tell you which cars are likely to be dogs.

roadrunner - 25/9/12 at 09:29 AM

If you get one, dont have an accident in it.
I wrote my golf off swerving to miss a young lass who had pulled out write in front of me while I was doing 60.
If I had hit her, it would of been like a hot knife through butter.
It dawned on her later when plod told her, that by missing her completely, I had saved her life.
Brad

Irony - 25/9/12 at 10:36 AM

I've seen them rusting around the fuel filler cap. I wouldn't have one. There pig to work on ad well.

richardR1 - 25/9/12 at 12:47 PM

Something along these Grande Punto lines would get my money on your sort of budget. Do not rust at all, cracking little engines and nice to drive. They don't feel like a small car to drive, I have done a couple of 300 mile trips in a mates 07 version and certainly feels like something a size up

britishtrident - 25/9/12 at 03:17 PM

A Ka is just a Fiesta with loads of extra rust.

£2000 will find a lot of small car but spending 2k on a Ka I would not advise.

britishtrident - 25/9/12 at 03:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
quote:
Originally posted by nib1980
Surely mileage means more mechanical wear though?


Depends how it has been cared for...

I would buy a 110K mile polo any day over a 50K mile rustKA


VW are way over valued by the market, buyers still think they are as bullet proof as they were 20 years ago.
Body wise the VW is a lot better than any Ford especially the Ka but the Polo has a history loads of niggling electrical issues.
Mechanically Fords are pretty good and generally simple to fix and the fixes are well known.

nib1980 - 25/9/12 at 06:57 PM

ok, so opinions on Audi then?

ettore bugatti - 25/9/12 at 07:02 PM

I have looked at SportKA's in the past, but rust at the filler cap and just above the rear bumper (while beeing from 2003 and 2004) seems to be standard equipment. They seem to attract drivers/owners that dont looked after their car. Still they asked strong money.
A shame, because the press praised the handling when they were new. Equipment isn't bad either with leather and A/C on the SE.

In the first instance I bought a Peugeot 106 phase 1 Roland Garros; nippy, quite rare and easy to work on.
The second instance I treated myself with a BMW E46 323i; which is more of everything these silly hatches can offer, at the cost of fuel consumption

Not Anumber - 25/9/12 at 07:39 PM

My wife has a 54 plate Polo 1.4. In the last 3 years weve had the ignition coil go suddenly and the wiper linkage brake but apart from that it;'s been fine. Polos seem to command a higher resale than many other small cars of their class but i'm not certain why, maybe people think they are close to the Golf for driveability - personally I couldnt agree with them. To drive it's ok but despite alloys and air con it somehow manages to feel quite basic compared to say a Fiesta. A mate had the Skoda equivalent, same bodyshell as the Polo just different styling and badge, it was nicer on finish and build quality, the suspension seemed more progressive and it had a 16 valve lump which went better but still gave the same fuel ecconomy. I'd buy the Skoda version over the Polo now given the choice - but then you can pick up a damn good Fiat Punto or Panda for less money and they are thoroughly excellent value. Nothing would tempt me to buy a Mini I'm afraid, they are well built eye candy but way too expensive for what they are. A nice condition 1 owner Ford Puma would be a really good buy if you were looking for something interesting to keep for a long time as I'm certain the Puma will be regarded as a classic within the next few years.

Ninehigh - 26/9/12 at 06:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nib1980
ok, so opinions on Audi then?


Don't think anyone's got a bad word for Audi really

MikeRJ - 27/9/12 at 06:44 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
quote:
Originally posted by nib1980
ok, so opinions on Audi then?


Don't think anyone's got a bad word for Audi really


Bland, dull, and often driven by angry people.

sebastiaan - 27/9/12 at 06:48 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nib1980
ok, so opinions on Audi then?


We have an A2 in the family since a few years. Rock solid thing that just needed a set of stabiliser drop links and a power steering sensor (knew that was broken when we bought it). Fairly good on fuel for a 12 year old car, different, quite comfy and a lot more "car" than the Ford Ka it replaced. Which had rusty sills. Of course...

roadrunner - 27/9/12 at 07:07 PM

I have an Audi, It's 7 years old, and It's like new.
Massively impressed with it, but it is a Quattro.