No Budget Reviews: 1997 Ford Ka 1.3 "2" (Ka2 Mark I) - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

Google Form Link for ordering Mugs, Stickers and T-Shirts: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...
-One 1997 Ford Ka 1.3 2
-One Mobile Phone
-No Fancy Outfits
-No Obscure In-Jokes
-No DSLRs
-No Shotgun Microphones
-No Fluid Head Tripods
-No Idea about Exposure
-No Budget Whatsoever
It is time for the newest instalment in that beloved cinematic automotive KZbin experience where we film practical cars that can be bought for less than £1,000 in a manner befitting of their inexpensive value! This may go horribly wrong (and frequently does)...
This time, as we test a 1997 Ford Ka 1.3 2, we drive around near the South Coast, talk about glovebox options, mention the dreaded rust, experience a beautifully running Endura-E engine and drone on about very little of any importance at all. Nothing untoward, then...
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As an independent vehicle consultant, I take potential buyers through the whole car buying process from choosing a make and model to a vehicle handover and road tax. In addition to information on this service, I also have a selection of written and video reviews of cars that I have owned, hired, borrowed or have somehow come into my possession. Please use the Contact Me page on my website to get in touch, visit my Facebook page for latest updates and share this video if you like it! Thank you for watching.
Website: www.lloydvehicleconsulting.co.uk
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[@AlexMitchell-sj4sb]

My wife got one for £1500 in 2019 with 9,600 on the clock. Still have it, still running. It's a 2007 model. Been a solid runner, slow of course on motorways or hills but it's took us from Sheffield up to Scotland and back.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I have actually driven a 2007 Ka, and it was pretty. They aren't that fast, but they are quite good fun. Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!

[@AlexMitchell-sj4sb]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting well I learned to drive in it, yes nippy handling and good round corners.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

That's one of the best things about them, I think!

[@seancooke7332]

Fabulous Ford Ka. Simple, stylish, sporty and capable of longer distances too. Were it not for terrible rust it is so much better looking than the Fiesta Mk4. Ford were doing no wrong in the second half of the 1990s with the Fiesta, the Zetec Escort, Focus, Mondeo, Puma, Smiley Transit, Even the Scorpio was a fine car, if misunderstood. The Cinquecento had amazing packaging, the Arosa was good quality and value, the Lupo was very cute but the Ford Ka drove like a larger car. Genius.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

There is a very interesting video on the Big Car channel where it shows a graph of European market share of car manufacturers from the 1990s until the present day. At around the time that this Ka was made, Ford and General Motors were vying for the top spot. These days, they are nowhere close at all. Despite terrible rust on the Puma, Fiesta and Ka of this era, it didn't seem to stop the latter two in particular selling in absolutely massive numbers.

[@MattysCars]

Thanks for going the extra mile for rear seat practicality!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Sir, we go the extra mile for you frequently...

[@willswheels283]

Thankyou Joseph, another nice example of an early KA, I really like these cars, my first few driving lessons back in 2001 were in an R registered 1997 KA, and I was impressed with how well it drove and pretty comfortable, I’ve owned one since then and yes they do like to rot, although mine was a late model on an 08 plate it still had plenty of rot which was suprising by that era, I would have thought Ford would have resolved those issues by then, mine went for scrap as well sadly due to the rot in all the usual places. That one has done well to last this long, there are one or two early KA’s still on the road. Thanks again for the review sir.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the later ones actually have worse rust problems than the earlier ones, it seems, as they probably cheapened out a bit with them. There is a 57 plate one near where we live which isn't looking great in that respect. They do indeed drive quite nicely, surprisingly so. Ford doesn't seem to have sorted out those issues by 2008, I am afraid...

[@Mouse2113]

Learned to drive in one 20 years ago. Excellent to drive and the newer engine did improve it refinement wise. Along with my mums 2001 Fiesta it had some of the best steering feel in any car I've driven

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, extremely good steering and handling like all cars on this platform. It's very easy to see why these were so popular and continued in production for so long, in spite of numerous issues.

[@Mouse2113]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting definitely a shame about the lack of rust proofing. Finding a mint one now means looking after it and I'm sure it will be a future classic. It's a great design

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@Mouse2113 , yes, the rust free Ford Ka Mark Is that remain (and that number is dwindling all the time) will certainly become classics one day.

[@teamJJontour]

Good Morning Sir, great review! Wonderful example of a Ka2 which even at the time weren’t that common. I always thought it missed an automatic.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

We have one of its main rivals coming up soon which was available as an automatic, sir....

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Great little review Sir, my best friend had one a 2004 Ka Collection in Blaze Orange I think,from new it done him well for a first car aside from people vandalising it, him bumping it and a wall falling down on it, one of these cars I wish I had when I was younger.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Sir, it is definitely a little something to sample at least once, it is sort of greater than the sum of its parts, really. Mind you, the rust issue does somewhat overshadow that greatness.

[@richardhowlett7398]

I was surprised just how good these were to drive. I had a go in a mates twenty odd years ago.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

They are surprisingly nice, although the old Endura-E is quite noisy. Thank you for watching, sir!

[@jasejj]

I recall you used to be able to buy these brand new online for five grand, drive them for a year and sell them on for the same five grand... Quentin Wilson waxed lyrical about them. How times have changed - you'd be lucky to get change from five grand for a six year old one now.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, if you wanted a 2016 Ka+, I don't think that you could get one for much under £5,000 now. You can't buy any new car for under around £12-13,000 now either. Thank you for watching, sir!

[@bumbleo8993]

Amazing condition can’t be many left as nice. Rust was almost unstoppable in these.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's unbelievable! There is a bit of rust in the area I showed, but all the commons areas seem to be free of it. Drives very nicely too. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!

[@mattw8332]

I saw one of these several years ago that looked as if one of the A pillars had almost rusted through. I doubt that one passed it's next MOT. A friend of mine had one as a courtesy car and gave me a lift in it. I rather quite liked it.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Oh sir... As you know, one of my viewers (who had his Ka on James Martin's channel a few years ago) had to scrap it recently due to chronic rust. They do drive very nicely for such a small, cheap car.

[@stanleyleopard6799]

The best Ka review on KZbin! I've had my 1.3 Duratec 69hp Ka for almost 11 of its 20 years and love it. As you said, the gear change is superb, the smoothest in any car I've driven. The Duratec is really nippy and surprisingly good for motorway driving. Rust - fuel filler flap, rear wiper base , inner and outer sills. Especially nasty can be at the base of both A pillars where they emerge from the wing, as this can creep up the A pillar really fast and may need the windscreen removed to allow safe welding. A Ka that looks immaculate can still be a rot box beneath the huge plastic bumpers! Leaks into front footwells from bulkhead rot is also common. ULEZ - the Endura model is not compliant, but happily my Duratec is OK :)

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Sir, we aim to please! The Endura-E model is definitely not Ultra Low Emission Zone compliant, one of the reasons why they had to retire that engine in 2002, as it wouldn't meet Euro IV standards. The steering, handling and gearbox in these are very, very good, as they are in the Mark IV/V Fiesta (which I really want to get on the channel as well). The rust, sir, the rust!!!

[@zahidbutt8059]

How many kilometres does in one litre???

[@mickles1975]

My Grandad was given one of these as a rental car when my grandparents went to Jersey on holiday. He called it a hateful little thing. Or words to that effect only slightly ruder.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Sir, we shall not repeat his words in that case... I imagine he wasn't very keen on the amount of exposed metal and the lovely Endura-E or Zetec Rocam engine.

[@74aamer]

Had to subscribe

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting!

[@stuartsaunders4518]

These looked so weird and very daring in design at launch, along with the Focus MK1 not long after Ford were first class in terms of design and driving capability My, how the mighty has now fallen in terms of their direction now

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, they were quite something back in the day, an affordable car which was at the perceived cutting edge of design, which you can see in the brochure which we investigated in the video. The Fiesta chassis was no bad thing, and the engine was proven, relatively economical, and cheap to install.

[@stuartsaunders4518]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting sadly their future strategy seems to be one of panic that they've not kept apace with the looming EV deadline in the UK and Europe, hence their sudden retraction of UK engineering and development. I think Ford here in the future will just be a small handful of Europeanised but U.S developed electric SUVs

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@stuartsaunders4518 , I think the electric cars may well be based on the same Volkswagen platforms which underpin the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5, as Ford have a technology sharing agreement with VW for the MEB electric platform, but there may also be some developed in America too. There is a fascinating video on the Big Car channel which shows the decline in Opel/Vauxhall and Ford sales in Europe since the 1990s.

[@stuartsaunders4518]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I agree, the U.S companies don't seem to be at all successful within the European and UK markets in recent years. Interestingly Stellantis soon made Opel Vauxhall profitable within 3 years of their takeover, something GM failed to do in the preceding decade

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, they did. It hasn't stopped quite a steep decline in Vauxhall and Opel sales in the past ten years or so, sadly....

[@CortinasAndClassics]

I did consider a sportka a few years ago but I heard the insurance was too high and the rust dissuaded me.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, the rust can be absolutely awful, even on the later ones. I would still like to have a go in a Sportka, though!

[@stanleyleopard6799]

I remember seeing a 2008 Sportka a few years ago, which was actually holed from rot below the fuel filler flap. At the time, it was less than 10 years old. Owned a Sportka for a while and didn't find it as good to drive as I'd expected. Notchy gear change, noisy and harsher ride than the 1.3. Nicely equipped though and definitely in the running for classic 'Fast Ford' status with only a few hundred left now.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@stanleyleopard6799 , the rust, sir, the rust!!!

[@stanleyleopard6799]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting In Sep 2019, Pistonheads featured a 2007 Sportka for sale at £3,495 through a "classic car dealer". One owner, 25,000 miles, full Ford dealer service history, and 100% MOT record with no advisories ever. Described by Pistonheads as "absolute gem" and "surely none better around". First MOT after sale, it failed on 4 counts (two for excessive corrosion) with 11 advisories. The next year (presumably after welding) it had advisories for corrosion on front subframe and both inner sills. "They all do that Sir" has never been truer.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@stanleyleopard6799 , the rust, sir, the rust!

[@74aamer]

A ford ka collection

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The Ka Collection was a bit later, I think.

[@74aamer]

Can you find one like this for us please

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Please send me an e-mail (my address appears on screen earlier in the video), and we can discuss it further.

[@ianinkster2261]

I lost this to rust at just 50, 000.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Oh, my goodness me, that's crazy?

[@zahidbutt8059]

How many kilometres does in one litre

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Not sure, I am afraid!

[@zahidbutt8059]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting thanks anyway

[@roygardiner2229]

In Liverpool "Ka" would be pronounced very like you do. It's somehow disturbing....🙂.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Let's not go there then, sir....

[@nickyboy.]

8th

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Did you enjoy the video, sir?