Jon's SportKa type thread thing

[homeforsummer]

Do it. Though try and find one not from an unhelpful Vauxhall dealer.

MPG shouldn't be too bad either. A word about fuel gauges: Very optimistic for the 1st half, very pessimistic for the other half. Half way through the tank in my car it looks as though I'll easily break 400 miles from 40 litres, and then the needle drops like a stone as soon as it gets to about 1/3 full. I'm sure you could squeeze 50mpg from a SportKa on the motorway and I reckon you could easily average 35mpg in normal driving as long as all your journeys weren't stop/start town stuff.

 

[Carlos]

6 grand on a first car? What a waste! You may not write it off, but you will do damage to it.

I second that. I spent 12.000euros on my first car and crashed it after 20 days..

 

[ExigeEvan]

That's a damn good attempt at bargaining him down, someone has definetley done their homework 👍

And just to add to what H4S said, my car usually starts flashing the fuel light quite soon after 1/4 tank when there's any sort of hill involved.

 

[Famine]

My car doesn't have a fuel light and has a quite unusual fuel gauge.

More than full = Full
Full = 30 miles less than full
Half = Probably half
Between half and quarter = Don't know. Never seen it.
Quarter = a third
Empty = a fifth
Two needles' widths below empty = Probably empty

 

[ExigeEvan]

My car doesn't have a fuel light and has a quite unusual fuel gauge.

More than full = Full
Full = 30 miles less than full
Half = Probably half
Between half and quarter = Don't know. Never seen it.
Quarter = a third
Empty = a fifth
Two needles' widths below empty = Probably empty

That must be the weirdest shaped fuel tank in the world.

 

[Jay]

Thats actually pretty normal from many of the cars I have experienced.


"Oh good half a tank"

*5 minutes later*

"What the ..... quarter"

 

[G.T]

My friend's 106 actually helps him stop speeding.

At a stand still it will be a quarter, when he accelerates the fuel light comes on because it's nearly empty... and when he brakes hard he has half a tank.

 

[Famine]

Also, I have more fuel if I corner hard to the left.

 

[Jondot]

Right, new plan.

Minilites!

I've decided I'm going to go and drive that and try to find a discernible difference between it and the Sport in terms of power. If I can live with it and it's quieter at Motorway speeds, then I'll stop looking at SportKas and just buy one of those.

If I can't live with 70bhp, then I'll go and buy the unsensible SportKa, albeit not from second-hand Vectra-land.

Do it. Though try and find one not from an unhelpful Vauxhall dealer.

MPG shouldn't be too bad either. A word about fuel gauges: Very optimistic for the 1st half, very pessimistic for the other half. Half way through the tank in my car it looks as though I'll easily break 400 miles from 40 litres, and then the needle drops like a stone as soon as it gets to about 1/3 full. I'm sure you could squeeze 50mpg from a SportKa on the motorway and I reckon you could easily average 35mpg in normal driving as long as all your journeys weren't stop/start town stuff.

That's quite reassuring actually. I mean I know I was pushing it a little, but I thought it was a little odd that it'd gone down so considerably.

...and I'm not sure I will get 50MPG, somehow. Most of my driving will be short trips driving through the centre of Leeds, combined with a couple of 4 hour motorway journeys per year - the sort where I doubt I'll be wanting to stick at 60. So I wouldn't be expecting much out of any car (Prius aside), and the SportKa even less so. If I stayed above 35MPG overall I'd be surprised. Although not delighted

I second that. I spent 12.000euros on my first car and crashed it after 20 days..

Ouch.

That's a damn good attempt at bargaining him down, someone has definetley done their homework 👍

Why thank you

The dealer was a nice enough guy, but he wasn't half pushy... What particularly annoyed me was that he so blatantly dishonest. I mean that's fine (I wasn't planning on making friends with him), but it meant any haggling with him was near-impossible. It was like talking to someone that simply wasn't listening. When I mentioned the identically priced silver one (from the same franchise), he popped back from the office and tried to convince me that he'd phoned them and that it was the standard 1.3. Look mate, I drove the damn thing 2 weeks ago - I think I might have noticed the difference...

 

[TheCracker]

The dealer was a nice enough guy, but he wasn't half pushy... What particularly annoyed me was that he so blatantly dishonest. I mean that's fine (I wasn't planning on making friends with him), but it meant any haggling with him was near-impossible. It was like talking to someone that simply wasn't listening. When I mentioned the identically priced silver one (from the same franchise), he popped back from the office and tried to convince me that he'd phoned them and that it was the standard 1.3. Look mate, I drove the damn thing 2 weeks ago - I think I might have noticed the difference...

Surely not a dishonest 2nd hand car dealer

 

[homeforsummer]

My car doesn't have a fuel light and has a quite unusual fuel gauge.

More than full = Full
Full = 30 miles less than full
Half = Probably half
Between half and quarter = Don't know. Never seen it.
Quarter = a third
Empty = a fifth
Two needles' widths below empty = Probably empty

That's basically what mine is like. Mine has an "empty" mark and then a further mark below that. I frequently run it to an imaginary mark the same distance again on the other side of the last empty mark.

Right, new plan.

I've decided I'm going to go and drive that and try to find a discernible difference between it and the Sport in terms of power. If I can live with it and it's quieter at Motorway speeds, then I'll stop looking at SportKas and just buy one of those.

If I can't live with 70bhp, then I'll go and buy the unsensible SportKa, albeit not from second-hand Vectra-land.

I'd back the decision to buy a Ka. The engines in the later ones are better than the Endura-E they put in the first lot (and in my car). A bit more shove and a bit smoother, yet still usefully torquey. And the Ka is lighter than my car too.

I drove the one below a couple of years back while mine was being serviced as I needed to go to York that day and didn't want to take the train. Basically did everything my car did but slightly better.

70bhp really isn't such a hardship. If it was, I'd have got rid of my car long ago. I'm not saying that more isn't nice, but it's not necessary.

...and I'm not sure I will get 50MPG, somehow. Most of my driving will be short trips driving through the centre of Leeds, combined with a couple of 4 hour motorway journeys per year - the sort where I doubt I'll be wanting to stick at 60. So I wouldn't be expecting much out of any car (Prius aside), and the SportKa even less so. If I stayed above 35MPG overall I'd be surprised. Although not delighted

60mph? Pah, mine will cruise at 80mph and still do 50mpg. If anything, you'll have to work the SportKa less hard than my car so even though it'll drink extra fuel through extra capacity, I doubt it'll use too much more if driven with a little sense.

 

[Jondot]

Surely not a dishonest 2nd hand car dealer

I know, I know But he should have woken up and realised that I wasn't an idiot and then we might have actually had a decent conversation. Instead though he persued his vendetta and lost a customer.

I'd back the decision to buy a Ka. The engines in the later ones are better than the Endura-E they put in the first lot (and in my car). A bit more shove and a bit smoother, yet still usefully torquey. And the Ka is lighter than my car too.

I drove the one below a couple of years back while mine was being serviced as I needed to go to York that day and didn't want to take the train. Basically did everything my car did but slightly better.



70bhp really isn't such a hardship. If it was, I'd have got rid of my car long ago. I'm not saying that more isn't nice, but it's not necessary.

Knew you'd approve

I popped over and had a look today, and it's all in very good nick. ...but it would be, seeing how it's 2 years old. The dealer said it was basically priced for a quick sale (there was a £1000 off sticker in the window) and that there was 'no negotiation, basically'. Which is fair enough, as according to WhatCar it's worth £200 more than it's advertised for.

Anyway, I'm off to drive that tomorrow morning. I'm not sure if I want to spend £5000 on a car, but at least I'll have driven a normal Ka of some sort.

Oh, and had a look at the £4000 SportKa down the road, and it's in far better condition than Mr Vauxhall dealer's model. Not a spot of rust on the thing.

60mph? Pah, mine will cruise at 80mph and still do 50mpg. If anything, you'll have to work the SportKa less hard than my car so even though it'll drink extra fuel through extra capacity, I doubt it'll use too much more if driven with a little sense.

You'd be surprised. The Sport is geared... well, badly. Ford have engineered it with the pure purpose of getting the 0-60 to less than 10 seconds (apparently any slower and Mr Saxo owner would be put off). That's all lovely, but as a result 5th gear is too short. 70mph uses a lot of revs for a 1.6 (hence the noise), and so it drinks more fuel than you'd think. In fact, even Ford themselves give the extra-urban figure at 47.2, and no car ever reaches that figure, let's be honest, let alone goes over it.

It's just not an economical car. In fact I think a 1.8 Mondeo might be cheaper to run overall.

 

[homeforsummer]

You'd be surprised. The Sport is geared... well, badly. Ford have engineered it with the pure purpose of getting the 0-60 to less than 10 seconds (apparently any slower and Mr Saxo owner would be put off). That's all lovely, but as a result 5th gear is too short. 70mph uses a lot of revs for a 1.6 (hence the noise), and so it drinks more fuel than you'd think.

This I can't argue with, if it's geared badly then this probably will affect fuel consumption. However...

In fact, even Ford themselves give the extra-urban figure at 47.2, and no car ever reaches that figure, let's be honest, let alone goes over it.

...I regularly thrash the combined fuel consumption figure for my car. Ford quote 41mpg, the last half dozen or so tankfuls of mixed driving I've got have been around 44-45mpg I'm fairly sure I could match the combined figure on the urban cycle... and as I reckon a tank solely at motorway speeds can achieve a fair shot over 400 miles from my usual fill of 35 litres (which works out at around 50-55mpg ish) then I'm pretty sure I can beat Ford's combined figure too.

I'd love to drive something like a Prius or a Smart ForTwo diesel to see if I could beat their quoted figures too even though I don't use any hardcore "hypermiling" techniques.

 

[Jondot]

My my I have some updating to do...


Firstly, drove my friend's Clio to Cardiff and back again; hated every minute of it. Gearbox, brakes, steering and build quality are all hateful hateful things (closing the sunroof at 70MPH made the driver's door simply pop open, for example), so I've vowed never to go near the damn thing again.


Secondly, remember this?

I popped over and had a look today, and it's all in very good nick. ...but it would be, seeing how it's 2 years old. The dealer said it was basically priced for a quick sale (there was a £1000 off sticker in the window) and that there was 'no negotiation, basically'. Which is fair enough, as according to WhatCar it's worth £200 more than it's advertised for.

Anyway, I'm off to drive that tomorrow morning. I'm not sure if I want to spend £5000 on a car, but at least I'll have driven a normal Ka of some sort.

Yeah, no. I got a phone call at about 8AM the very same morning telling me someone had just phoned up and put down a deposit. So I never did drive a standard Ka.


Thirdly, took a trip down to see the SportKa that isn't guarded by slimey Vauxhall salesmen today, had a good look round it, took it for a drive, bought it

...well put down a deposit anyway, and will pay the rest when I go and pick it up. So I shall soon be the proud owner of a SportKa Because none of you saw that coming, did you?


So, details... It's done 49,000 miles, was registered in December 2004 and was owned by a woman living about half a mile away from me, as it turns out. Everything is absolutely pristine apart from the steering wheel (which has got a little chafed, as is normal with leather ones), and there's not a spot of rust on the thing as far as I could see. I agreed to pay £3995 in the end because 1) he wouldn't budge, 2) there were no others of that age for any less on AutoTrader or eBay, 3) I was impressed with the condition, and 4) it was very close to WhatCar and Parkers' suggested independent dealer prices. And it comes with a 3 month warranty and a shiny Ford 6 disk CD Changer, which as far as I can tell was a £500 option when new.

I've sorted out the insurance, and now have to sit and wait while Quinn-Direct send me the certificate so that I can go and tax it.


But there we are, I have a car ...or will have soon!

 

[Famine]

👍

 

[Giancarlo]

I like it, very snazzy. And it's got air-con!

 

[devildog666]

So, details... It's done 49,000 miles, was registered in December 2004 and was owned by a woman living about half a mile away from me, as it turns out. Everything is absolutely pristine apart from the steering wheel (which has got a little chafed, as is normal with leather ones), and there's not a spot of rust on the thing as far as I could see. I agreed to pay £3995 in the end because 1) he wouldn't budge, 2) there were no others of that age for any less on AutoTrader or eBay, 3) I was impressed with the condition, and 4) it was very close to WhatCar and Parkers' suggested independent dealer prices. And it comes with a 3 month warranty and a shiny Ford 6 disk CD Changer, which as far as I can tell was a £500 option when new.

I've sorted out the insurance, and now have to sit and wait while Quinn-Direct send me the certificate so that I can go and tax it.


But there we are, I have a car ...or will have soon!

You forgot one thing. Apart from the way it looks. Did you not look at it before you bought it or did you lose a bet?

 

[Jondot]

👍

Was that a thumbs up at the new purchase or the Clio hate?

I like it, very snazzy. And it's got air-con!

Thanks, what gave it away?

Dear Jon,

I'm pleased to read the news of your latest purchase (see pic: SportKa).
I would firstly like to congratulate you on finding an example in such excellent condition for a reasonable price, and secondly on your exquisite taste for settling on such an excellent car (which frankly I would be lucky to have on sale in my country).

Finally I would like to thank you for enriching my life with both your superb wit and excellent attention to detail in your efficient and well written reviews throughout your car shopping experience.

Sincerely,
devildog666


P.S: I've always liked your haircut.

Very kind of you, thanks

 

[ExigeEvan]

So is the faux-Burberry cap an optional extra or is that in the mail?

 

[Jondot]

It comes as standard on the SE, I think you'll find

 

[Joey D]

Cool, I like it! Congrats on getting, well almost getting, a new car.

I've always liked the Ka, I think it's a cool little car, to bad we never got them here in the states.

 

[Danny]

Congrats, Jon!

I give it 5 minutes in Leeds before it's scratched halfway to hell.

 

[Jondot]

Congrats, Jon!

I give it 5 minutes in Leeds before it's scratched halfway to hell.

Thanks, I'll look forward to that. Like I'm looking forward to paying £500 more on my insurance premium.

Cool, I like it! Congrats on getting, well almost getting, a new car.

I've always liked the Ka, I think it's a cool little car, to bad we never got them here in the states.

Thanks, glad you like

 

[homeforsummer]

Nice one, Jon 👍 Great car and in easily the best colour for it too. Now you have no excuse not to bring it to the next UKGTP...

 

[Jondot]

Nice one, Jon 👍 Great car and in easily the best colour for it too. Now you have no excuse not to bring it to the next UKGTP...

Provided you keep it up in t'North, it's a deal.

I'm now waiting for the stupid insurance certificate to come through so I can go and tax it. I'm supposed to be leaving on Friday, so I'll have to ring them up and shout at them to make sure I get it in time.

 

[Jondot]

Just in case anyone was doubtful... I did actually get it in time for going up to Leeds, but I've only just had an opportunity to give it a good clean and take some (bad) photos. So uh... tada!

...and yes, that is Kermit.

Annoyingly the front bumper has got massively stone-chipped with my motorway driving, but other than that all is good

 

[homeforsummer]

👍

Them's pretty good photos. And you definitely got the best colour.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Steering wheel looks rather awful.

 

[homeforsummer]

Yeah, it's not the most stylish of things but luckily the rack and the suspension it's connected to is brilliant so you can forgive it.

 

[Lucas]

You've got a fantastic looking car right there, Jon! Congratulations! I also have to echo what homeforsummer said, great choice of color. 👍