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2004 Ford Ka reviews

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Heidi Ford, England

Ford Ka 2004

1 star review

We bought our KA collection 2 years ago and had endless problems with it. The major factors were the front coil which snapped last year, had to replace the alternator and then 2 months ago the back suspension went while we were driving! Spent hundreds on this car, bad to drive, no power at all for overtaking - stay away do not buy a KA!!!!

Submitted: 20/07/2010 21:34:52

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Doug Newcomb, Kent

Ford Ka SportKa 1.6 AND 2001 Style 1.3 2004

5 star review

I bought my first Ka in April 2008, this blue Y-reg 1300 was my first car and was the car I learned to drive in. I’m a big petrolhead and car enthusiast and I deliberatly took the Ka over cars like the 106/Saxo and VW Polo because of the way it drives. The little Ka, even in base-spec like mine will go round bends better than some cars that cost three or four times as much new! Of course, the Ka 1.3 will never be the king of straight-line speed, and if I bought another 1.3 Ka, I would probably go for the 2003-on model, which recieved a new 70BHP 1.3 engine (1996-03 cars have the 60BHP pushrod Endura-E unit that can trace it’s roots back to the Ford Anglia engine of the 60’s). However, that said, if your budget can only stretch to a pre-2003 model, then it’s far from the end of the world. My Ka has the old engine and will happily sit at 70 MPH on the motorway, theres a bit more to give afterwards and the little Ka will max out at about 100 MPH. The Ka makes a brilliant car to learn to drive in, with an easy clutch, good visibility and group 2 insurance (bear in mind that if you’re a 17 year old bloke then its still going to be £1k+ for your insurance. Even on this!). Reliability on my 2001 example has been excellent and I’ve covered about 12000 miles in it since I got it at 23k. For my 18th birthday this Feb, I decided to buy myself a little present and I upped the ante by buying myself a 2004 SportKa with 56,000 miles on the clock. The Sportka came out in 2003 and is the result of Ford shoe-horning its 1.6 litre 100 BHP engine under the bonnet of the little Ka. I have to say, that if you’re serious about having fun, then this is the Ka to go for. It’s got an improved steering and suspension set up, better brakes and a more sumptious interior (with optional leather seats and air-con). The SportKa puts in a very respectable 0-60 time of around 9 seconds, but in the real world its the time it takes to get from 40-70 that really counts, and the SportKa does this so quickly that it can put the frightners up BMW 320 drivers on a regular basis. Through the corners, the SportKa will blow other small hot hatches like the Saxo VTR to kingdom come. My Dad has a new VW Scirocco 2.0 TSi and even he admits that he has to push it to keep up with the SportKa in the bends. The slight downside to this is that the SportKa isn’t as economical as the 1.3. But, thats the price you pay for more power, and in any case, it’s no real gas-guzzler. I still have both Ka’s, I use the SportKa daily for a 75 mile commute. My girlfriend is learning to drive in the 1.3 IMPORTANT- Things to look out for. RUST! Ka’s do have a tendency to get rusty. Look for cars that have been cared for, places to check include the bottom of the boot lid, around the fuel filler cap, and around the bottom of the doors as they stand proud of the side of the car and are prone to stone chipping. Some Ka’s have been known to suffer from water ingress into the ECU (the cars electronic brain that controls the engine) look out for misfiring engines. High mileage Ka’s with the old Endura engine can sound very tappety (clacky sound) this comes with age and theres not much you can do. Listen out for a P or R-reg Ka to drive past you in the street and you might hear what I mean. Whilst on the subject of mileage, pre-03 Ka’s only have 5-digit odometers, so if you come across a P-reg Ka that appears to only have 50,000 on the clock, then check the history, it might turn out to be 150,000! Post-03 cars have LCD screens for odometers which will read up to 999,999 miles. There have been reports of older Ka’s with engines that sieze up. As long as you use the car fairly regularly, then you should’nt experience this. This only seems to be an issue with Endura powered Ka’s. Would I have another? Absoloutley, I thoroughly recommend the Ka and SportKa to anyone in search of a cheap, fun and if you go for the 1.6, fast little car. My Ford dealer has been great with me and I find the running costs excellent. How much to pay? £700-1000. This will get you into the driving seat of an early model Ka. Bear in mind that these cars can be getting on for almost 14 years old now, and they will most likely be a bit (or alot) ropey. Many of these cars will have done alot of miles so insist on a full service history. Very early base-spec cars (’96-97) had no Power Steering, best to steer clear. £1000-2500. The market for Ka’s opens up here and you should be able to pick up a nice pre-03 Ka 1.3 here. Be picky with colour, mileage and spec because base cars dont have a lot of equipment. £2500-£4000. You’ll be able to get an nice post-03 model 1.3 or an early Sportka for around £3k. Very low milage 1.3’s (less than 20k) are around for £4k £4000+ This is the domain of the SportKa and the last 2005-09 registered 1.3’s. These will be the cars on the Ford dealers forecourt and should be immaculate. Dont accept anything less than that.

Submitted: 04/03/2010 17:12:40

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Adrian Harrison, England

Ford Ka 2004

5 star review

Purchased new in 04 and I still own it. I put CD player in and it broke, so put original radio/cassette back in. The dealer serviced at Ford and have had no problems, driven all over UK and it performed well, only niggle is suspension creaks a little and paintwork showing age and plastic bumpers are fading a little, but just needs a little TLC. Over all for a purchase price of 5K new and little maintenance it was bargain buy. As for being a girl’s car it ain’t, but you do get Neanderthal man complete with bad attitude trying to cut you up thinking it only has a 50cc engine, but when the 1.3cc engine complete with sensible driver holds its own, they lose their temper and throw toys out of pram and play horn honking. Ka: a design classic and fun car.Variant: base model. Year Of Make: This car was leased

Submitted: 27/07/2009 08:40:36

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Charlene Simcock, England

Ford Ka 2004

5 star review

The Ford Ka is excellent as it is easy to drive because it's small but big enough for the children to get in. It's reliable, cheap to insure and cheap to run.

Submitted: 27/02/2008 13:57:18

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