Ford KA! Problems, what to look out for when buying an S REG!?!?!? PLEASE HELP

Question

Im going to see a red KA S reg tonight, i really like it and hope there is nothing wrong with it! What is some common faults with KA's of this age?! What shall i look out for? Please give me as much advice as possible!

Answer 1

I wanted a cheap to buy & run nippy little car & my wife liked the colour - my honest opinion is dont buy one, MOT time you will be paying for steering racks suspension mountings & worst on an Sreg will be the rust - apart from all that they are reliable mine starts 1st time every time - you might be better with a Corsa or Yaris Micra..(if you buy a 1 litre car the insurance & tax will be cheaper).anyway if you do go take someone to check it over who knows a bit about cars rust on door sills round petrol filler cap, drive it over a few speed bumps to check for clonking noises & finally look for signs of leaking from the steering rack ( the owner may have topped up the levels so thats no indication)

Good luck

Answer 2

Test drive it! Take your insurance cert along and verify that it is taxed and mot'd before you take it on the road. If the seller is reluctant to let you drive it WALK AWAY. Bear in mind that if it is a private sale you have no protection whatsoever under the Sale of Goods Act. If it blows up next day it's your problem. Personally I dislike the Ford KA as one I had as a courtesy car, from a Ford dealer, had brakes to die for (if you get my drift). I understand that you will be buying the car for it's looks first and reliability second. If you were really sensible you would buy a Honda Jazz from a franchised dealer. Even old ones are very reliable and you get legal protection if it happens to be duff.

Answer 3

NEVER buy a car car just because you like the colour/shape, which is what your doing. The car Ka has a history of trouble, which if you do a search, you will find out for yourself.

Answer 4

The best advice I can give, is take someone with you who knows about cars & doesn't like Ka's - that way, you'll get an unbiased opinion.

Ford Kas are very popular with young & learner drivers, so many have had a hard life.

They are not very well built & suffer badly if shortcuts are taken with maintenance.

Get your knowledgable friend to check all the usual used car stuff - tyres (including spare), brakes, steering, bodywork, fluid levels & condition, etc

Then check everything under 'what to look out for' here;

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ind...

Remember, there are plenty about - if it's not right, walk away.

Answer 5

Check out the Parkers website - it'll give owner comments on the car.

With a car of that age you should also be checking:-

Service history (should be regular, make sure well maintained).

How many owners.

Rust - yep, lay down on the floor and check!!

Steering - on the test drive on a straight road, take your hands off the wheel and see if the car veers to one side.  Again, try this when gently braking (keep your hands near the wheel so you can grab it!!).

Don't put the radio on, you want to listen to engine noise / rattle / gear change noise, etc.

Tyres - are they in good condition.

Read last service report - any items flagged by mechanic for attention, you can use this as a bargaining tool.

Answer 6

i dont know

Answer 7

My financee had a S reg one that we got rid of 3 years ago as it had a number issues.

Look out for:

Oil Leaking

Power Steering Leaking

Heater Not Working

Rust

A Clunking Noise When Going Over Bumps (Anti Roll Bar, Common Problem)

I would also look at the likes of Parkers and What Car to see what they say to look for.

I would check the brakes and tyres are in good conditon too, if you know somebody who knows a bit about cars, take them with you.

My fiancee now has an 03 reg Ka and an issue we had with that was it lost power under acceleration and needed a new coil pack.

Hope this helps !!!