What do women want from cars?

My wife's dear friend was in trouble. Her marriage had broken down. Her husband needed the family car so she urgently had to buy one of her own. She asked my advice – stressing that she was hard up and that it was vital that the car she chose must be reliable and cheap to run.

I suggested she should check out the websites of Honest John, What Car? and Warranty Direct, and draw up a shortlist of the three models that most closely matched her needs. Then we could talk again and try to find her the best deal.

She brightly said: "I rather fancy a Model X [a chic little French-made hatchback]. It might cheer me up."

I struck my forehead. "You need a Model X like a hole in the head," I said. "Those websites will tell you that the Model X has just about the worst record of all cars in existence for reliability and build quality. You can't afford to make that mistake."

She listened sombrely to my warnings and went away, apparently committed to do her research. Some time later, I asked my wife how her friend was progressing with her search for a car. "Oh, she bought a Model X," she answered.