2003 Ford Ka 1.3 petrol from UK and Ireland
Summary:
Appalling reliability for a 1 year old car
Faults:
New Clutch at 15,000.
Bits of interior trim falling off all over the place.
Engine overheating at on and off intervals.
Constantly in the garage needing something or other fixed.
General Comments:
I don't actually own this car, but have driven about 2000 miles in it and known it quite well.
I drive it as a company car, along with many other employees who drive it as well.
Firstly, the good bits, good handling, good enough brakes when you shove them enough, but not a particularly confidence inspiring bite.
When it was brand new it was quite quick off the line up to about 40 mph.
It is now about a year old, and has had to have the clutch replaced at 15,000 miles!!! This is appalling for such a modern car, the new clutch is beginning to slip and it was only replaced 3000 miles ago.
The accelerator is stiff.
You now have to push the brake pedal in a good 1.5 inches before ANYTHING happens.
Engine is not as responsive as it was.
When I drove this car new I really liked it and wanted one for myself, but now it's a year old, and so many thing have gone wrong with it, and are wrong with it, I feel safer driving my 1986 Volvo 360GLT. This car might be 18 years old and have done 149,000 miles, but it pulls a LOT better than the 1 year old 18,000 mile KA. Great looking car Ford, pitty that its quality is so poor.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 18th October, 2004
15th Nov 2004, 02:09
Company pool cars get wrecked no matter what they are. We used to run an E36 BMW 320i SE as a pool car and it was a total shed by the time it got to 80,000 miles, and had suffered numerous mechanical failures and bits of broken trim. Missed services because nobody took responsibility for it, and was often run with dangerously low oil levels. A car that was caned by everybody, yet cared for by nobody. Much like your Ka I suspect.
18th Oct 2004, 20:14
Perhaps your co-workers are thrashing the crap out of it???