Cons:
- Compared to a Focus, it's a little basic. But then Focuses cost more, so...
- Two of my possible unis (the top two) are Leeds and Huddersfield. That eliminates the air con issue, but a 5 hour journey in a go-kart is not an idea I relish the thought of.
- Ideally I'd like something a little bigger. I loved the Ka when I was 13 because it was the only car I could see over the dashboard of. I'm considerably taller than I was when I was 13, and it's now a bit of a squeeze.
- This is the car I'm probably going to crash. I value my legs, and this was the car that received the award for 'Worst Brakes' in Auto Express's reader survey not all that long ago. Hmm...
I'm interested. Opinions, please.
(And obviously I'd stick some minilites on it ASAP)
Let me address some of these, as a Fiesta owner, and a model of Fiesta that shares the same engine as the Ka (the 1.3) and has a trim level about the same as a very basic Ka. For the record, I have driven an actual Ka for a reasonable distance too, enough to confirm that it's similar enough to the Fiesta for everything below to apply to both.
Yes, it is basic. But then basic means less stuff to go wrong, for a new driver. Take my Fiesta as an example. The power steering fluid has never leaked, and the pump has never gone. Mostly because it doesn't have power steering. The electric sunroof, window and mirror motors will never wear out, because it doesn't have any of those either. It doesn't have aircon, which means you can't inadvertantly leave it on and be left with less power and 10% fewer miles to the gallon. The seats are basic - just fabric, but it's hard wearing. Mine has a CD player because I politely explained to the salesman five years ago that nobody listens to tapes anymore, and they agreed so fitted a factory CD player. Along with metallic paint, it's the car's only luxury. I've had the thing for five and a half years and don't feel too hard done by. You'll feel the same with a Ka.
EDIT: And you'll probably have power steering. Did you know, the geometry for the power steered cars is different to that of the non power-steered cars - and that they fit them with wider tyres and a slightly shorter final drive? Ford thought that those going for power steering would appreciate better handling and a little more kick from the engine. Useless info courtesy of an old 1996 issue of Autocar.
How tall are you? I'm 5'9" ish and have enough space, and the seat is nowhere near fully slid back. Fair enough, not many people would want to sit behind you if you're taller and the seat is further back, but rear passengers are overrated. I wouldn't worry about long journeys either. At the weekend I did... *calculates* over 600 miles in mine, or about 15 hours of driving, involving driving between Newcastle and Leeds, down to London, around London, then right back from the centre of London to Newcastle again in one pop. The car was easily capable of it (80mph cruise on the motorway absolutely no worries), I stepped out of it in Newcastle with no aches or pains, and it's done more than 45mpg on a tank to boot.
EDIT: And I see you've got the newer engine, so you'd have no problems whatsoever on the motorway with the extra helping of torque and extra 10bhp. And the trim level will be much better than the very first Kas that came out.
Kas aren't all that bad in a crash, really. Safer than my Fiesta, and when they came out in 1996 they were much safer than the Vauxhall frigging Corsa, and even slightly better than the VW Polo of the time (I recall, from an old issue of "Complete Car" - I miss that mag...). Obviously it won't be as safe as a Focus, but then thats why God gave you eyes so you could anticipate idiot drivers and keep yourself out of trouble.
Ignore Auto Express and especially ignore the sort of people who fill in their surveys. These are people who know very, very little about cars, and only buy issues with surveys in so they can bitch about how bad their choice of car is. I tend to read Autocar much more (genuine enthusiasts and very professional writers), and they adore the Ka. On the brakes thing, they're perfectly adequate. The Ka is light. The brakes bring it to a halt pretty well because they don't require much effort. If your sister's has ABS you won't have any troubles - I've locked my wheels three times in 5.5 years - once to try and avoid hitting a pheasant (I failed), once on a very greasy country road, and once in Leeds when I failed to spot a red light and reacted instead to my girlfriend screaming "RED!". And in each situation the car still stopped pretty sharpish.
EDIT: And I see you have ABS, so the above problems are null and void.
And yes, you
will stick some Minilites on it
Methinks Famine is being a little harsh on the Ka itself (though not on the drivers, who are generally as hopeless as he says). Styling wise it's grown on me, rather than getting tired. Back in 1996 when I was 11 and generally knew nothing, I thought it was hideous and couldn't understand why anybody would buy one over a Fiesta. Given another 12 years of hindsight, I can see that it's an immensely good small car, genuinely the spiritual successor of the original Mini.
If you have your heart set on something a bit bigger and more comfortable then it may not be the car for you though, so think carefully. I'm just here to say that the Ka is a bloody good car and the opportunity to buy one that you know the history of, at the price a dealer would
give for it (not the price they'd sell it for) is a good one to take.
