Ford SportKa - Enjoyable runabout?
Ford SportKa - Enjoyable runabout?
Author
Discussion

TheFungle

Original Poster:

4,240 posts

233 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
It's looking like my old lease, new lease delivery won't work out quite as planned so I'll be needing a stop gap car (or long term if I cancel new lease!).

Looking for a car that's cheap, fun and easy to fix, the StreetKa seems to fit a lot of these criteria.

Love to hear opinions on how good or bad they are!


Squadrone Rosso

3,636 posts

174 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
Rust is a major issue.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one without a rotten rear panel around the fuel filler area.

TheFungle

Original Poster:

4,240 posts

233 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
Squadrone Rosso said:
Rust is a major issue.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one without a rotten rear panel around the fuel filler area.
At this stage and from looking at ones I see on the road, it looks as if the rust monster has either bitten or has stayed away.


AmosMoses

4,060 posts

192 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
Rusty, drink fuel and by all accounts abit of a pup. I looked at a few a while back and wasn’t impressed. Get a puma instead.

Pica-Pica

16,361 posts

111 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
Squadrone Rosso said:
Rust is a major issue.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one without a rotten rear panel around the fuel filler area.
Agree, my wife loved her Ka, but the filler surround rust got to it. Otherwise great town car, slow on hills.

Squadrone Rosso

3,636 posts

174 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
AmosMoses said:
Rusty, drink fuel and by all accounts abit of a pup. I looked at a few a while back and wasn’t impressed. Get a puma instead.
Pumas redefine rust!

TheFungle

Original Poster:

4,240 posts

233 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
AmosMoses said:
Rusty, drink fuel and by all accounts abit of a pup. I looked at a few a while back and wasn’t impressed. Get a puma instead.
I've had a 1.7 in the past and adored it, Ka is appealing due to the cheap nature and abundance of them. Searching for a Puma suggests that a decent one is harder to come by.

HumanDoing

540 posts

153 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
What's your budget Fungle?

TheFungle

Original Poster:

4,240 posts

233 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
HumanDoing said:
What's your budget Fungle?
As it's likely to be a short term purchase, looking to stick to £1k.

HumanDoing

540 posts

153 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
Fair enough, probably can't go wrong at that price with that then.

JoPo1

386 posts

184 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
Girlfriend had a streetka and it was terrible on fuel and wasn't that quick or nippy being 1.6 8v.

Turning circle was like a rigid lorry and the door handles snapped in winter. We were glad to get rid of it.

L99JKB

182 posts

157 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
My girlfriend has had a puma then a sportka. Both were fun little cars but rust was a major problem with both. I think their time has gone, there can’t be many rust free examples left. Sportka was fun but I wouldn’t want to have an accident in one. Didn’t feel very safe.

CraigyMc

18,363 posts

263 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
TheFungle said:
Squadrone Rosso said:
Rust is a major issue.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen one without a rotten rear panel around the fuel filler area.
At this stage and from looking at ones I see on the road, it looks as if the rust monster has either bitten or has stayed away.
Open a door and behold the sill.

kieranblenk

865 posts

161 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
I'd probably choose a 1.25 Fiesta over one of these, down on power a bit but a nice revvy engine and costs buttons to put right if needs be; bit more room too.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

217 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
quotequote all
TheFungle said:
It's looking like my old lease, new lease delivery won't work out quite as planned so I'll be needing a stop gap car (or long term if I cancel new lease!).

Looking for a car that's cheap, fun and easy to fix, the StreetKa seems to fit a lot of these criteria.

Love to hear opinions on how good or bad they are!

Love the look of these and in that colour. But yeah I think rust is the problem with them.

Also not exactly speedy or frugal. Even in their day. The appeal has to be about the drive and feel plus looks more than performance.

octane83

88 posts

175 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
YES! What a machine. Criminally underrated and from an era when Ford were focused on creating a reputation for drivers' cars.

Like another poster said though, they were more about feel than outright speed. The first 35-40% of the throttle is where all the fun is.

MrAverage

840 posts

154 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
When I passed my test I borrowed mums Ka until I got my own car. Since then I've always fancied a sport Ka, I bet they are a right laugh.

The price they can be had for I can't see a reason not to get one. Check for rust and wishbones, I would also give a zetec s fiesta a look in I've had many and they can be had for peanuts.

culpz

4,964 posts

139 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
I've always like them but there are better cars to go for. For something similar to this at this price, i'd go for a Suzuki Ignis Sport. You could also look at a Toyota Yaris T-Sport, as an alternative. Both nippy, fun, cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and readily available.

CraigyMc

18,363 posts

263 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
octane83 said:
YES! What a machine. Criminally underrated and from an era when Ford were focused on creating a reputation for drivers' cars.

Like another poster said though, they were more about feel than outright speed. The first 35-40% of the throttle is where all the fun is.
The underpinnings are from the previous generation of fiesta, from before Ford started to get a reputation for handling.

The Ka was always quite chuckable because it was light, and the wheelbase was quite short for the width of the track ("squarer" wheel layout than normal) - so it wanted to change direction.

I quite liked mine. I had a Ka2 with the ancient 1.3 ohv pushrod endura-e engine lightly updated since the 1950s. Good first car.

Rust was I think due to the manufacturing process being previous generation to "modern". The ka was a ford example of what renault now do with dacia - take previous generation tech, tart it up a bit and sell it as a new, cheap car.

BigMon

6,267 posts

156 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
quotequote all
My wife bought a Streetka brand new and ran it for a few years.

I thought it looked and handled great but the engine was, to put it mildly, terrible. Asthmatic, wheezy old lump.

If they'd fitted a Zetec engine it would have been much better.