I am not really a fan of small cars but have always liked Ford's Ka. Everyone I know that has owned one has been very happy with their purchase. The only small car that I think is 'funkier' is the new Fiat 500. At last though the Ka is getting the recognition it deserves and is starring in the new Bond movie - Quantum of Solice. It will be interesting to see what effect, if any, the movie has on sales.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 01/10/2008 at 19:37
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Had one as a courtesy car once - a more basic, noisy horrible tinny car I have yet to drive!
And it had bits of rust on it and it was less than 2 years old!
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It will be interesting to see what effect if any the movie has on sales.
Does anyone know if the use of the Citroen 2CV in "For Your Eyes Only" in 1981 had any effect on 2CV sales?
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At last though the Ka is getting the recognition it deserves
This will be the new model though, not the old tat the've been pushing for years!
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Q used to live in Bexhill On Sea (in the old town) and in the early 80's a yellow 2CV could be seen with bullet holes (painted on) in the very close vicinity.
Adding two and two and comming up with five, one could suppose that it was his?
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This will be the new model though not the old tat the've been pushing for years!
The old one was a unique design, and fun to drive. It has been around for ages now. The new one is a Fiat 500, and it'll probably be just another car. Although the old one had issues it still had character.
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I've had a Ka as a courtesy car three times (different sample each time) and found the driver's seat excruciating after about 5 miles.
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IIRC the new Mondeo was first seem in Casino Royale so obviously Ford have some sort of deal with the Bond film makers at the moment.
I looked at the outgoing Clio and Ka models when buying my new car last month and decided on the Clio as it will not be covered in rust by the time I have paid it off!
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I had a KA as a courtesy car, and much to my surprise I quite liked it. It was slow and tinny, sure, but reminded me of a Mk1 fiesta, a car I have fond memories of (would explain my lack of objectiveness...).
Alex.
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Raineman,
The new Ford KA which will be in the film is effectively the Fiat 500. Ford have bought the vehicle and are just putting a on a new body and trim.
The existing KA is prone to rust and the limited number of engines (not diesel) is prohibitive
Carse
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www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/222387/...y
.html
New KA is unlikely to fool anyone - it's clearly a Fiat not a Ford. All the Fittings, Switchgear, dials, etc are off-the-shelf Fiat.
Which means they'll break.
A lot.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 03/10/2008 at 19:43
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I see it's being built at a place called Tychy in Poland.
Suits it somehow.
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I really enjoy an occasional shot of my wife's Ka. It makes me think of a Mk1 Mini in some ways. Basic, certainly, but in some respects that seems to be the point of it. We have owned it from new and it will be 5 years old next Easter. I did find a wee rust spot under a door last Winter but I fixed that after some good advice from this site. ( Special thanks to Lud ) Not found any others since. Mechanically 100% reliable so far. It is a refreshing wee thing to gad about in particularly for urban use but is also quite good fun on twisty open roads. Handles neatly and you can drive the whatsits off it without being terribly antisocial or illegal. I like it, even if it does look a bit like a teapot.
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All the Fittings Switchgear dials etc are off-the-shelf Fiat. Which means they'll break. A lot.
I don't think Fiats aren't that bad. My Fiat is 9 years old and the only thing on the dashboard that isn't in perfect condition is the button to reset the trip counter. The trip counter button stopped working recently.
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For me, the most interesting thing in the AutoExpress piece is the fact that the Ka will get a 1.3 multijet diesel engine.
The same engine in a Ford and a Vauxhall?? That must be a first - and a sign of the times.
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& I understand (probably read it here) Fiat have supposedly recouped ALL the 500 development costs, by selling the rights to Ford, to use in Ka?!
VB
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The old Ka was an object lesson in small car design. Light, simple, fun to drive and cheap.
What it was not, was an object lesson in small car build quality or rust proofing.
Overall though, it was and still is brilliant, IMHO. Perky in town, not out of its depth on the motorway, and a grin a minute on a good B-road. More balance and feel than some cars costing five times as much.
Cheers
DP
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