60,000 miles and several days relentless rainfall has induced a soggy driver's s side foot well. Now long past warranty and with middling balance sheet, my fingers took a quick wander around the web in search of inspiration and dare I say, a Haynes manual. This is a fault common (but not exclusive) to the breed emanating from a myriad of possible sources. Casual conversation and forum topics implied leaves could be blocking the water drain-off, thus channeling water through the point of least resistance...A good purge here didn't betray anything obvious but engendered a more intimate understanding of the Ka's geography. 
Enlisting the help of my long suffering mother, several buckets of water were poured continuously around the bulkhead while I turned contortionist and looked for moisture... faint traces around the brake and accelerator pedal assembly but nothing conclusive-the idea being to pinpoint the region so the offending area could be treated with mastic or substitute automotive sealant. 
Two hours' diagnosis led me to the conclusion it ranks as an irritant as removed from serious fault- water entering through the dash and contaminating the electrics would be an entirely different(not to mention expensive) proposition. Spraying some of my home brewed corrosion inhibitor around the suspect areas seems to have formed temporary barrier while the search for a cost effective cure continues.
Elsewhere, the inclement conditions and layers of road grime aren't particularly kind to the bargain basement "lick and a promise" finish but regular Waxoyling of the chassis components and nourishing wash and wax formulas have kept the livery lovely and Joe rot firmly in the shadows. The close of January cold snap rendered central locking and boot closure mechanisms temporarily arthritic but liberal squirts of Teflon based water displacer provided easy remedy.
Having run a few cars and discovered the motor trade's darker side on the seamy streets of South London, I found myself looking over a suspiciously low mileage '97 plate Toyota with a friend. 55,000 and full service history eh, part exchange, one owner...first to see will buy (from this dealer doubtless posing as a private seller I thought). The car in question was a Carina GL that had winged its way down south via the auction houses. Tight lipped about his precise location, said trader met us at pub before leading to a remote farm house. After brief pleasantries, he left us the keys and the opportunity to cast a not-too critical eye. 
Red is a notoriously tricky colour and this one clearly "had paint" at some point. The obligatory internal valet certainly looked clean but my suspicions were aroused upon opening the bonnet and inspecting the engine oil which clearly hadn't been changed in some time and contained creamy deposits, indicating possible head gasket woes. 
Running off a few quick shots using my venerable Fuji compact, I was about to engage in more intimate perusal when the vendor emerged from an outbuilding with disconcerting haste. Unsettled by my approach, his patter became decidedly passive- aggressive and this presented the perfect opportunity for a test drive. Meena at the wheel we drove half a mile, discussing concerns and examining documents in greater detail. A distinct lack of servicing in three years coupled with some very obvious bodges elicited a general feeling of unease. We returned, smiled a lot, thanked him for his time before making good our escape, muttering something about viewing two Corolla that afternoon...
