Here's Why The Original Ford KA Is A Hero Car, and Future Classic
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- Опубліковано 28 бер 2022
- In today's video, we look at an example of one of motoring's most humble cars - the original Ford KA. Produced from very humble underpinnings, but with the input from Richard Parry Jones, the car became a hit in the UK. Now they're disappearing from the roads - but are they worth saving? Here is why I think so.
#Ford #KA
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Was watching this video and instantly I recognised the number plate. I sold this car 3/4 years ago. Back when I was a rookie car trader. Those floor mats still are the same. The smile on my face in stupidly wide at the moment 😂
Hahaha wicked!! Did the previous owner put the mats in?? I don't really fancy the pink edging but they are sort of part of the car now.
Haha that's amazing
@@mekapaedia Yeah I believe so. The standard mats were awful. 😂 These have more flair one could say
@@JayEmmOnCars Really look forward to each of your videos. Today’s one really surprised me and has made my day. Nostalgia
@@haidersohail1649 Haha that's fair! To be honestly, they've worn really well, so I shouldn't complain!
My 83 year old mum still owns one, only done 25k since bought new in 2005. She still loves its small size and doesn't want any other car.
How has it been maintenance wise? Is it doing okay rust wise?
@Father Sunglasses Always garaged and regular maintenance every couple of years. Sills fine, had rust repaired on inner part of rear wheel arch, all fine now, passed MOT last summer no advisories.
In many ways a real spiritual successor to the mini. Great fun to drive as well.
I keep saying this!!
If only Ford had thought at about its terminal and early rust, especially to the nearside rear panel.
Which might be one of the great obstacles for it becoming a classic.
This is what makes this channel great. Variety, nostalgia, the exotic and the humble treated with as much respect as the regal.
I was really glad to see this car come up. Years ago I had to buy one of these going through a difficult financial time. It was burgundy with black bumpers. An old couple owned it and it had just 18k on the clock. It was like a new penny, but a far cry from the Mercedes I had to sell. I have to say it did me a great service. It never let me down on my daily commute come rain or shine, summer or winter. It was ludicrously cheap to maintain. It was actually quite fun. I thought I would feel embarrassed, but I was proud of it and kept it pristine. It saw me through that time until being able to get back to my next car which was a, new at the time, Audi A6. Great car and glad to see it featured on here.
See one of these everyday, the fuel cap area is held on with a metal band and about 12 self tappers.
I know a lot of people very fond of the old Ka, and much prefer it to the new one.
Wow nice to see you here!
+Budget-Builds Official
Here in Germany this was the Car you'd see most 18 year olds who just got their License drive together with the Nissan Micra, Renault Twingo and Peugeot 208 as all 3 were very cheap to buy used but also pretty reliable with low fuel consumption. It's definitely an Icon here in Germany you'd see absolutely everywhere being driven by 18 year olds from 2000-2010
I was in Spain in '96 when I first started seeing these Ford Ka's on the streets. At first, (as an American), I was embarrassed by the looks of them, but I soon realized the purpose behind making an entry level car stand out so much, and I kind of respected the people buying them, and the company making it. Nowadays, in San Diego, California, it's fun to see one every once in a long while, with Mexican plates, on this side of the border. Especially if it's the convertible.
For real. It would be embarrassing for most of us to been seen in this in NA. This one is okay. But this class of car always has the worst styling. Not to mention it looks very unsafe. Even hitting a Camry looks like it would kill you!
My very first car was a Ford SportKa. It was my mums old car. Have so much funny memories of it. It was an incredibly quirky car and weighing just over 900 Kilos with 95HP and a 1.6 liter machine it drove like a gocart and was quite quick. It was just a really fun car to drive !
I bought one of that this year here in Brazil, it's a 2004/2005 Ford Ka GL with 1.0 Ford Zetec Rocam engine. I like it, because it is compact and has all the needed optionals (i.e. electric windows, A/C and power steering).
Brought my wife a Ka3 when they first came out and absolutely loved it ! When popping to the shops I’d use it rather than my Jaguar - it looked funky and was genuinely fun to drive. When I replaced it with 1.7ltr hooligan Puma Thunder the Ka was passed along to my eldest daughter and a new StreetKa was purchased a few years later for my youngest daughter. Still love 💕 that era of Fords.
These were briliant. Always loved the first generation Ka! Too bad they had severe corrosion problems...
This is why I champion your channel as one of the best out there, you test literally anything you can get your hands on. Channels that solely focus on the latest and greatest supercar are a dime a dozen, when half the time I want to see quality stuff exactly like this. Great work 👍
Thanks Mike, very kind!
£210 tax a year is such a shame though. They do drive really well. Would much rather see road Tests of these rather than supercars. Definitely a classic.
One of my friends had a couple of these. He rolled them both, I got to be in board for one of the rolls - I can attest it is a fun car!
Jay buys an F12 then reviews a Ka, that’s why this is one of the best channels, Keep up the great work please
I like the KA. I had a new KA3 as my sensible car when I had a new S1 Elise. Ended up commuting from Surrey to Leeds in it every week. You could get an extra 5 mph top end out of it with the air con off. I basically drove it with my foot to the floor the length of the M1 every week and back. Was great. Nothing went wrong, then enjoyed the Elise at weekends.
I find these common old car segments very interesting and different than most motoring channels on youtube.
I've got a 2008 ford ka collection and a 2006 ford ka collection. Just love these cars man. On the 2008 ka I've got 360000km on the clock-it's still going strong.
I had one of these as a courtesy car and was amazed how great they handled. You could slide them around and have fun at any speed.
I ended up getting a SportKA and spent the next few years importing parts from a company called SWR in South Africa and souping it up to about 125 BHP. That's plenty for such a tiny car and was so much fun.
Unfortunately, it literally fell apart at 100k miles. Great handing cars for the money, but shocking build quality.
I had one as a runabout and loved it!
Now a funky bassline is playing in my head
Great little cars. Genuinely mourned the departure of my other half's once the rust took hold. Still look out for low mileage ones to knock about in.
A mate of mine built a Cosworth Version, swapped the engine longitudinal, moved the firewall back a foot and made is rear wheel drive. With well over 300bhp and looking standard (ish ), it was certainly an utter hoot
Is that the grey one with the Fiesta dash?
@@schmoosmith Yea it is grey, not sure about the dash though. Rich that built it was in Plymouth, but took it to many race meets and tracks
I’ve seen at various events. Absolutely sick car and I would love buy it if he were to sell it.
Why?
@@PibrochPonder Why not? It’s a Ka with a Cosworth YB lump. Would go nicely alongside my Escort Cosworth.
The amount of times I thought I'd found a parking spot only to find one of these
The first car I had that wasn’t a £500 skip was a Ford Sport Ka. I loved it then, and I still think it was one of the best cars I’ve ever owned. I toured all around the UK and Ireland in it. It felt like a over excited puppy to drive and never let me down.
I had a Ka for 6 years. I absolutely loved it in city driving. So fun.
Good Ol Ka. I still have my 2004 SportKa, ive had it just over 8 years and its just on 43k miles. Its been on alot of roadtrips, Channel Islands, Isle Of Man, Ireland, Isle Of Wight and most of the UK and its still going strong. It has had a bit of work done to it recently but its running better than it has in years! Its the car i want to see how far in life i can get with it.
Remember a Saab trying to catch me on twisty B roads in my KA. Great fun on B roads excellent handling.
They drove amazingly, it’s a pity they never stuck the 1.25 or 1.6 16v in it.
Sadly the 54 plate one I had back in 2013 was rotten around the fuel filler, the N/S inner rear sill and behind the rear bumper. To put that in perspective, that’s like a 13 plate car nowadays being absolutely rotten- simply unheard of in this day and age
Sport Ka got a 1600!
Here in Argentina we got the 1.6 for the facelifted version. Also the brazilian redesign got it.
It was the crap 8v 1600 though, it was a ROCAM engine (rebadged as a duratec) and it was weak and rough.
The 1.6 Sportka was ridiculous fun on twisty Scottish B-roads. I had two! Couldn't really go any faster around the corners... 😄
I had a ka as my first car loved it they drive like a go karts
I bought one last year. Used to hate them ,but absolutely love it. Glad I'm not the only one lol
I had a 1999 Fiesta Zetec as a first car. Wasn't much of a Ford fan. Just got it because it's what I could afford. One of my all time favourite cars. Remember learning to drive in it and just thinking it was so much fun but not knowing why! At 17 I thought all cars were like that. It was comfortable and could do the longer distance stuff, but it was just so direct. It was slow, but the engine made a lovely growl when you went for it. The IB5 makes a nice whine in the lower gears. It had all the ingredients that make a car fun and give it character! Which is what we've lost in car design today! I now have a Fabia Mk1. Fantastic in its own way but glad I had the Fiesta first. The Fabia gets you from A to B but is very forgettable. 😅
They are so much better than it's a replacement but I really wish they didn't fizz away for fun. They always look like a boat anchor underneath.
I had a Ka3 which proudly served as my daily whilst the M5 waited for the weekends. Super reliable, always did 40mpg, lots of lift off oversteer. Perfect.
Ditto had a KA3 which I would use as a daily, then hop into my Impreza at the weekends. Super little car. I always remember having to switch off the A/C as I approached a local long steep hill, just to give that extra 10bhp and prevent dropping into first 😃
I owned one for 3 months while my mini was in the garage taking ages to be fixed. Really enjoyed it, engine was punchy for its size and made an interesting noise. Handling was interesting I’m fairly sure I could’ve put my hand on the road going around some bends :p. Genuinely better driving feel than an m2 comp I tracked, (it’s a worse in every other metric, but the lack of feeling in that comp was genuinely depressing) I would sooner drive one of these again than the m2
A great and simple city run-about.
Had one as an accident repair loaner years ago and loved it. So much more attractive to look at than its anodyne jelly mould replacements as well.
I had one, on an R- Ka2 in fact. I loved mine. Friends didn't quite get it until they came out for a blast on some back roads, show it something twisty and it offered massive entertainment. Yes the Valencia engine could be chatty at higher revs, but the gears were well chosen and it was rarely an issue.
A friend of mine bought a red one brand new when he was on his learner's permit. As I was his only friend with a licence, driving it was my duty. The owners manual said 145ish kph in 5th, the speedo showed 155 with 4 youths on board. It looked basic then, but was an exceptional gocart with a/c, CD player and sun roof. It did go quite well for what it was for very little fuel. I'm buying a 1.6L Hyundai Getz for my daughter and maybe myself.
My friends first car was his grandpas Hyundai Getz with a tiny diesel engine and we had many a good time in it! Roadtrips and all!
Had a 1.3 Getz since I passed my test 5 years ago such a good reliable car
Such a fun car to drive
I have one now, my very first car. overall, a great car for two people. and still looks cool 😊
My first car ford ka back in 05 until 07
My ex wife's first car was a KA
Honestly I loved it
Work all weathers in Scotland and that wee KA was great In the snow
Felt like a king gliding past X5s and ML s in the snow
i had one for 4 years. i bought it from my neighbour for 300 euros and i thought id drive it until it broke and then scrap it cause rust and so on. well the little thing just kept going and going, after 4 years something broke in tje engine and i scrapped it. i took it camping on mountains and drove it offroad almost daily. fun car to drive. the only drawback its it fuel consumption, which is terrible
I bought one on September 2001 with 7 miles on the clock, it was £6000. It was a great car.
I remember first driving one when working for a Ford dealer in 96. No PAS, but noticeably tiny wheelbase and fantastic fun! They really should have put the yamaha derived 1.25 in it from the start.
There won't be any left soon. Mine died from rust after 14 years when my 28 year old Volvo 480 and 19 year old Clio are fine
Well that's a good thing actually.
Someone I once knew owned a 2001 Ka with the 1.3 litre Endura motor and after driving it I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. I was expecting it to be a complete slug but it performed rather well and was quite a fun little car to drive.
I got a few Kas as rental cars in the late Nineties. They performed well in my "standard hooligan test": accelerate fast up a parking ramp and make it jump at the end. Power to weight ratio and low rev grunt were so good that the Ka surprisingly did this better than an Alfa 156...
So excited to see the video on my little KA out! Brilliant as always, and it was great to meet you!
The heated front windscreen was a Ford patent, that’s why it’s attributed to cars that have a Ford connection. Not sure if they’re still the patent holders but also not sure I’ve seen them fitted anywhere else either!
Ahhh!! Makes sense!
Seems to be fondly remembered in the comments. The only brand new car my Dad ever owned. He loved, though regretted not forking out for power steering! My son has a one owner '99 example tucked sway under cover. He's 24 and fascinated by the design. And you never know, may be a sought after classic some day.
Thanks for a great review.
2006 Ford ka mk1 I love that car
I like how grounded your channel is you review a wide range of cars not just high end luxury cars good for you bro
This is a brilliant car price doesn't come into it still the best small car I've ever owned.
Thanks J, a simple cheap fun car, as you say, I hope modern cars can keep this formula, despite all the new regulations etc.
Mrs had one years ago...lilac green 🙈. She loved it and wouldn't let me drive it cos I loved thrashing it.
Had one as my first car I bought myself. It was brilliant, and I loved it. Just needed better gearing for motorway miles.
Great little gem ! ☺ have had it 22 years! ☺ has 20000 ks no problems but needs rear bushes ! ☺ ❤ LOVE it !!! ☺ regards vicki ! 😊
Sorry my car has done 2000000 thousand ks !!! ☺
My local garage loaned me one when my 147 was having work done and I had huge fun getting to work. Very chuckable and forgiving though I remember the engine not wanting to rev much. I currently drive a 2008 Aygo which similarly makes me smile but has a way better engine. Cheap can and should be cheerful.
James, I suggest you try a Mk4/5 Fiesta with one of the Zetec engines and some decent tyres. They certainly can be thrown into corners, and will stick pretty well, even progressively oversteering if the surface camber and grip levels are "right" (wrong?).
I had a MK4/MK5 Zetec-S on better rubber before this car, and it feels quite similar! The KA will also lightly oversteer if you lift off, esp in the wet!
@@mekapaedia Maybe James wasn't driving it hard enough then! 😂I had a Mk4 1.25 on Yokohama AE539s and that would grip like you wouldn't believe. Went round roundabouts like it was on rails. Huge fun.
@@joshbrailsford haha well this car is still on the slightly cracking mismatched cheapo tyres that were on it when I bought it - so no real reserves if you are a bit liberal with the oversteer!
Indeed, my 1st car was a 2001 MK5 Fiesta Ghia (1.25) and was capable of ridiculous feats of cornering that would have had the equivalent Corsa of the era ploughing head long into a tree!
The Ka... marvellous little cars. Seeing one always brings back happy memories of a few days with one as a loan car. I recall the much younger me driving the Ka on a country lane, being followed by a BMW M3 driver, who was having fun too, seemingly not feeling the need to overtake for quite a few miles...
I remember these being everywhere now i see one once a year. Nice review. Keep up the good work.
Richard Parry-Jones RIP.
Absolute legend.
I've had a few cars but the only one i miss is the Ka. Fantastic steering and lively back end. Contrary to what Jay says, trail braking into fast corners could see you well pleased of it's quick rack. Even without being silly, using small amounts of weight transfer could get the back to gently scribe round with some satisfyingly subtle over-rotation. A deserted sweeping country b-road with your foot pinned for mile after mile was nirvana.
I have a Sportka for last two years, Love it. Dart like handling and go kart road holding. Twisty road it's a modern XR2. Pure fun.
I recall a couple of rather off color commercials the ad company produced for the Sport Ka. The Ka’s “evil twin”. One invoked a cat being decapitated by the sunroof, the other a bird being badmintoned by the hood.
Classics if you can find them…
Great review. Had one as a go to work car. Loved it !
Had one of these - loved it flat out and sideways everywhere!!
Bought a purple! one new in the end 90's and it was super cheap and fun! Never let us down even across the Alps. Until our son was born. Impossible to put a buggy ànd a baby together inside so replaced it end 2003 with a brand new Avensis wagon. Our neighbor bought it for his wife and they enjoyed it for many years. Great car, grateful to have owned one. Nice video too.
A small light ford 😀 this is why I keep a 13 plate ford fiesta ecbopost 125bhp on the drive.
Handles very well,pulls very well, is rust resistant, cost peanuts to run and insure, and parts are plentiful and cheap.
And when the engine blows up (she is on 108'000 and runs as sweet as a nut with no advisories on the not) ,plenty out there to replace it with
My wife bought one as a stop gap when her car developed a problem with the CVT gearbox which kept going back and fourth and never got fixed. (I did tell her not to buy it but she knew best).
The Ka reminded me of cars from my youth. You feel everything. It did nothing for you in the way of technology. Good cheap, budget vehicle.
My daughter wrote off her first car which was a 2nd generation Ka. She hit a post while speeding on a icey road near Brands Hatch. She walked away without a scratch, not sure if that would have happened in this gen. For this reason I'd happily recommend the 2nd gen over the 1st for first time drivers.
I've had quite a few (5!) Ka in my life, and they hold a very special place in my heart. Yes, they are under powered and rust like it's a competition, but they are such fun little cars to drive.
My first was a '98 bog standard red with the black bumpers one, and I really think that having such a basic car really helps with letting a driver understand the mechanics of how they work and drive without being too scary because they were so simple to fix or service yourself.
I've also had a 2000 Ka that had a Van Aaken Turbo conversion on the original 1.3 Endura engine. It gave it a bit of a boost, which in something that weighs about the same as a wet fag packet, made it incredible fun to drive. I sold it for a 2000 Ford Mondeo ST200 Estate (a rare beast) and although the Mondeo was faster and more practical, I found myself missing the Ka. So, after selling the ST200, I got my last, and final Ka which was a 2007 Ka Luxury. Better spec, better engine made it a joy to own for 10 years until went to pastures new and I do miss it. My current Mk 7.5 Fiesta Titanium X is on paper a much better car, and it's very good, but I just never quite get the same smile on my face as when I was behind the wheel of one of my little Ka.
If you can find one without a ton of rust around the filler cap or arches 😂
Amazing to see a video on this car. I think that many countries had the ka spot game where you hit your friend or brother when you are the first one to spot the car. Never been in one, but still a great part of growing up. Now Just hoping for the Renault Twingo video
I had a KA as my first car and one thing I will say is they will make you never want to work on a car yourself again. Compared to the fiesta I moved onto it was hideous to even just do basic maintenance on
I completely agree. My wife had one exactly like that, for 6 years until recently and it never missed a bit. Cheap as chips to run and fun to drive. Ok, rust was an issue, but you get more that your moneys worth with these cars.
I had two of them, surprising little cars.
I remember when these first came out and my mates dad chopped in his 1.9 205 gti for one. At the time I thought it was a cool swap but now I think he was mad.
Fantastic little car I ran 1 aside a b7 rs4 to keep the miles down and block in at night on the drive , fantastic handling for a small car and never lost a penny on it , unlike the rs4 !
Had one of these as my first car. Still the best fun car I've owned, not the best in many other ways, but for chucking around back roads it had my Polo and now Accord completely beaten in terms of fun
Glad to see your warming to old fords, despite the haters they are ground breakers especially in the Richard parry Jones era, great review 😁
Great little fun cars
I drove it back in 1998. It's ride was like nothing else on the market back then.
I saw an old one of these turning into the supermarket car park yesterday. The cheeky young lad had put a Ferrari badge on the front.
Brilliant things to drive. I’ve always thought of these as the spiritual successor to the classic Mini. Small, light, basic, peanuts to run, low tech pushrod lump up front, brilliant chassis underneath, rust absolutely everywhere. Love them.
I love these cars. I've had 5 and I want one again especially the 1.6 Sport Ka
For some years I was living in South America, I remember that this car became extremely popular ( obvious, It was very cheap) but after a short time it gained a terrible fame. Having an accident at more than 80 km/h in a Ford Ka was almost always synonymous with tragedy. I don't know if the version here in Europe is different in terms of security, but I remember that there they joked that it was a coffin on wheels. A friend had one that she bought in 2006, I visited her in 2014 and when I asked her about the car she told me, showing terrible relief, that she was able to buy another car (strange thing, because there the average people usually have the same car for more than 10 years) She told me: If you look, before there were many Ford Ka on the street and now it is rare to see any, they are all destroyed. That phrase stuck with me, especially because I did realize that you were still seeing a lot of Toyotas, Mitsubishis, VWs, Fiats, Ranaults from that time (90's-00's) and even from the 80's and 70's, but no Ka.
No car, especially this small and old could give you any protection in a crash at 80 km/h.
@@Inflator82 Modern cars (90's onwards) are generally very safe, even in crashes at relatively high speeds (obviously not all equally, hence the EuroNCAP ratings) and small ones are much safer than an SUV or Pickup . After seeing this video I looked for the Ford Ka for the Latin American market (different engines, no abs, airbags only for the driver, and probably lower quality materials than those here in Europe to save costs) and in the safety tests for that market (LatinNCAP) I saw that the Ford Ka scored 0 POINTS. I think only the Tatas (India), some Chinese cars and the Ford Ka have scored 0 points in the LatinNCAP tests since they were held.
i wasn't so keen on a couple alfa romeo reviews you did but everyone has their own taste. Ive got one of the rare kasport 1600 models and its one of the most beautiful designs and i luv driving it . I also have a 2000 puma 1.7 that is not falling apart with rust and its another stunning design of the ka era , 2 of fords most desirable cars for me
Mine reminded me of a Mini. It was a hoot to drive. Everything you need - nothing superfluous.
11:56 i like the sounds of what you're saying, as a Mk1 focus owner
Superb cars. Love them so much.
Excellent and lengthy review. I have only seen one Ford Ka here in the States. It was black just like the one here and was instantly head-turning. ✌🏻🇺🇸
Loved our KA. Proper fun budget motoring and a giggle at legal speeds.
Bought one for our daughter, she's pretty chuffed with it. Super luxe model, with aircon and all the goodies. 70k (km, not miles) on the clock.
Son rather wanted a Puma though (and now he has one with the 1.7 and full leather recaro interior). Lowered springs, the lot...
Yeah you gotta watch the rust on them both, but they are pretty easy to service and run.
My parents are both in their 80s and still have their Ka that they’ve owned from new - a 1998 S-reg in red with the unpainted bumpers.
Should have been called the Ford Go Kart.
That’s a compliment btw !
The SportKa was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
They still are if you can find one.
@@Steve-gc5nt I had one. It broke... Badly...
Great honest stream 👍
I got one and I really like it!
My first car was a £300 Basic Ford Ka. Cost £3k to insure for my first year at 17. Spent £40 in petrol a week and £10 in oil. Was rusted through and got scrapped.
I fucking loved it. Drove it to death.
At 46 years old I was fed up with spending my money on the relentless maintenance costs of diesel BMW's so after selling my 330d for spares money I took a punt on a SportKa for some cheap commuting fun... £460 got me a couple of years of what turned out to be a return to the 19 year old me, having lot's of fun nipping around and laughing at the brilliant handling on the twisty lanes in my part of the countryside 😁👍 so much fun for such a simple car. Yes it suffered from the annoying failed A/C and due to the poor design it blew engine heat into the cabin regardless of fan being off.. And the rust finally put it out of cost effective reach of its 3rd mot in my ownership. Got £100 scrap so not a bad deal.
Had two Sportkas - loved them. I've seen a few in excellent condition for around a grand over the past 12 months.. Can't think of a cheaper bang for your buck to put a stupidly big smile on your face. 😊
@@bmxer4ever yes indeed.. I see a fair few StreetKa models in my county, not many SportKa models though.. I think Ford missed a trick by not producing a proper replacement for the Ka. The Ka/Fiat 500 was a backwards step.