Choices, choices. As the saying goes you wait ages for a Ford SportKa to come along and, just like buses, suddenly there are two of them.
Buses are relevant here. As may have been mentioned before, Mrs Shed is not a small person. She went out wearing a black leather coat the other day and someone hailed her. She's so big in fact that Shed has to catch a bus in order to get on her good side.
So, given all that, a titchy SportKa (and it is a SportKa by the way, not a Ka Sport) might not seem like the best choice of car for Shed to give his dearly beloved as a wedding anniversary present. But maybe that's a false perspective. For a start, the SportKa has a wider track and stiffer suspension than the standard Ka, so straightaway it is more suitable for the enormous girth and monocoque-bending bulk of Mrs Shed.
Jauntily festooned with its model-specific 16-inch alloys, bodykit and funny little poop-chute reversing light, the SportKa was advertised as "the Ka's evil twin". That was perhaps overstating it a bit.
Although it did have a bigger engine than the straight Ka's 1.3 Endura (AKA Anglia-derived Kent) the 1.6 Duratec eight-valver in question was still a bit of a snotter built for comfort rather than speed, again exactly like Mrs Shed. The 0-60 time will just about dip under the 10-second mark and you can eventually wheeze your way up to 110mph.
One good thing about the Mk1 Ka is that it looked (and drove) a lot better than the turgid Polish-built clog that followed it in 2009. The enbutched SportKa version still looks quite fresh 20 years after the original car's launch. That's testament to a good design, which in this case was penned in Cologne by the Sunderland-born and educated Chris Svensson. Ford rated his efforts because he went on to a new position at Ford HQ in Michigan where he's been working on the new GT. A decent reverse provenance, you might say.
Anyway, getting back to the point, Shed has uncovered not one but two SportKas that he's finding impossible to split, so in best referendum style he's letting you make the decision as to which one is best. MRV is privately owned, a fact reflected in its price, and the other one's from a dealer, another fact reflected in its slightly higher price. Neither of them carries the burden of a high mileage. The private vendor hasn't mentioned anything about a service history but it has had some work done. The dealer car comes all spick and span and with a full service history.
Anyone who's ever had any Ka experience will know that replacing a blown headlamp bulb involves a ludicrous mixed martial arts fight with the wheel arch liner, and that rust will be a constant threat in the areas of the petrol cap, rear arches and rear wiper, plus the more annoyingly structural areas of the sills and windscreen pillars.
Steering racks have a poor rep and, not uncommonly in Fords, the air-con will probably 'need a recharge' at some point, which in plain English means it's leaking and not really expected to work again. Water can get into places it shouldn't, like the electrics.
Despite it being a little car, the fuel bills might not be as little as you'd like because this car comes from a time before all those odd rumours about global warming and such. You might get 40mpg but you might also get 25mpg.
That beeping noise tells Shed that his wife is in the process of backing into the upstairs toilet, so he has to go now in case his services with the Vaseline and gorilla bar are required. Here are the ads. First, MRV is from Lankyshire, then FLE is from Staffordshire.
2004 sport KA with factory fitted kit (bigger arches, sport bumpers and rear spoiler). Just had a brand new clutch kit and hydraulic slave cylinder fitted and new front brakes and a suspension arm at the same time. New heater matrix valve. Also had a new injector, set of spark plugs, leads and coil pack. The car drives excellent with no knocks or bangs etc. Engine is a duratec (new generation style). Cd player. Remote central locking. Electric windows. Power steering. Leather interior. Air conditioning. Mot until june 2017. Its only done 700 miles between its mot's! The car wasn't getting much use so I've started using it to go to work and back as being stood doesn't appear to do cars any good. The Mot advisories - drivers front and passenger rear tyres worn close to limit and a suspension arm bush, these have all been replaced. Has the odd age related marks but nothing to worry about. Any questions get in touch 07540444689
Solid Grey, FORD KA 1.6 SPORT SE 3 DOOR, FULL LEATHER, POWER STEERING, ELECTRIC WINDOWS, REMOTE KEY, 3 owners, Next MOT due 15/08/2017, Last serviced on 15/08/2015 at 58,193 miles, Service history, Average bodywork, Black Full leather interior - Excellent Condition, Tyre condition Good, Air-Conditioning, Alarm, Alloy Wheels (16in), Electric Windows (Front), In Car Entertainment (Radio/CD), Radio/CD 6000 ilo 5000, Upholstery Leather. 4 seats, WARRANTED MILEAGE, SERVICE HISTORY IS AS FOLLOWS, PRE DELIVERY, FIRST SERVICE 26/4/05 AT 1,408 MILES, 16/5/07 AT 6,078 MILES, 10/10/08 AT 14,189 MILES, 20/4/11 AT 35,964 MILES, 27/1/14 AT 42,698 MILES, 27/09/14 AT 50,817 MILES, 15/8/15 AT 58,193 MILES, 12 MONTHS MOT WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY OURSELVES AUGUST 2016, THE VEHICLE DRIVES VERY SMOOTH AND RESPONSIVE, ENGINE, GEARBOX AND RUNNING GEAR ALL IN GOOD WORKING ORDER, THE BODYWORK IS VERY CLEAN AND THE VEHICLE INTERIOR IS ABSOLUTELY SPOTLESS AS WE HAVE JUST HAD THE VEHICLE PROFESSIONALLY VALETED BY OUR LOCAL PROFESSIONAL VALETING TEAM WHO ARE THERE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY VEHICLE WE HAVE IN STOCK IS PERFECTLY CLEAN AND READY TO LEAVE OUR FORECOURT WITH THE NEW KEEPER, A VEHICLE NOT TO BE MISSED, , FOR ANY FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT A MEMBER OF OUR SALES TEAM WHO WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ASSIST YOU., WE EXCEPT ALL MAJOR CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS, BANK TRANSFER AND PART EXCHANGES,ARE MOST WELCOME ,TEST DRIVES ARE WELCOME , NIL DEPOSIT , NOTHING TO PAY FOR 2 MONTHS , SUBJECT TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS, Selling Quality cars for over 25 years, We are Car Finance Specialists, £995 p/x to clear
1.6 Sport SE 3dr