Faults:

Steering rack has gone very shaky and the steering wheel creaks.

Tracking has needed to be altered often.

Uneven tyre wear.

Got through half a dozen brake/indicator bulbs???

General Comments:

An attractive modern looking small runabout that is okay on the motorway and very cheap to insure (looks a lot better with colour coded bumpers).

Our Ford Ka has no power steering, this is a very, very bad idea (the 1.3 engine makes the car quite heavy. It is a huge task to steer around any corner, it physically hurts to drive it and it's hard to keep in a straight line. This is down to the lack of power steering, these cars should be avoided.

Certain parts show poor design and quality, the spare wheel is impossible to get out, the bolt is close to the edge of the boot and the tools are useless.

The visibility is poor especially the front pillar which seems to blank out the road when taking a bend.

The clutch is not much good, it overheats very quickly.

Cheap radio/cassette player and speakers.

The engine isn't too bad (it's basically the same one Ford has been using for about 40 years), it's got torque low down - no need to rev it above 2500 so it's quite economical. But can sound like a bag of spanners if you try and push it too hard.

The gearbox gives a nice change, a good point for a new driver.

Not too cramped in the back although the boot is small.

I personally think it's not a patch on our previous car - Rover Metro 1.1.

Faults:

Nought so far (other than a puncture).

General Comments:

Previous cars were a Vauxhall Corsa followed by an Astra. The Corsa had a few minor problems which were easily and cheaply fixed. The Astra was over 7 years old when I bought it, and other than a bit of cash spent on initial repairs, never cost me a bean in the rest of the time I had it (1 year). Was over 8 years old when I sold it, and only sold it because I felt it was getting to the age when problems might start arising.

Bought a Ka because I like British cars, and needed something reliable and SLOW (clocked up a few penalty points in the Astra). Had driven hire Ka's before, and was impressed at how something that looked so crap was actually such fun.

Performance is not earth shattering, but what do you expect from a 1.3. The car is a pleasure to drive - performance is OK, handles nicely, and the driving position is excellent for someone like me (6'3") who cannot get comfortable in most small cars. It feels like you are driving something bigger than it is.

Only gripe is that the power steering is too light, so I am contemplating disconnecting it (have driven both power and non-powered cars before) if I can't get used to it.

Nothing has gone wrong with it so far. Being a Ford, I expect the odd minor niggle will arise from time to time, but it should be easy and cheap to fix.

Why waste money on Ka 2's or 3's? At this end of the market, do you really need 'leccy windows and central locking?

It'll take a good car to match the cheapness and reliability of my Astra, but so far, I've got no complaints. The car's cheap to buy, cheap to run, comfortable, and does everything I need.

Watch what you buy though, as there are a few ex-rentals, or ex-learners masquerading on the dealer's forecourts as tidy one-owners. Mine is an ex-rental, but was in the right condition with no accident damage (other than a scratched bonnet that was sorted when I bought it).

Buy one!