Ah, the perks of owning a BMW. Driving your BMW 325, with its excellent performance, style, safety features and its quality - you just know that you made the right decision when you drove out the showroom with this engineering masterpiece for the first time.
So you made an excellent decision. How about if you want to buy another car? With the myriad of choices available today, all hailing their products as the best in the market, how do you know which one is the real deal?
Well maybe Which? Car can help you.
Which? Car has recently named the ten Don't Buy cars you'd be better off leaving on dealers' forecourts and 20 Best Buys you can drive with confidence.
You don't see a lot of car magazines telling people which cars not to buy, but Which? Car has identified three new cars with such poor safety ratings it may be best to avoid them like a plague.
There are also seven used cars in the list.
Don't Buys
The ten cars to avoid are:
Chevrolet Matiz (new)
Chrysler Voyager (new)
Dodge Caliber (new)
Citroen Saxo (1996-2003)
Fiat Punto (1999-2006)
Peugeot 106 (1996-2003)
Rover 200/25 (1995-2005)
Citroen Xsara (1997-2004)
Renault Megane (1996-2003)
Land Rover Freelander (1997-2006)
According to Which? Car Editor Richard Headland, "Arthur Daley may have gone out of business, but there are still some pretty dodgy motors out there. We think motorists should steer well clear of these ten cars which are either unsafe, unreliable, or both."
Of course when there are worst choices for cars, there should be the best buys, right?
Which? Car 2007 Best Buys (new)
Superminis: Honda Jazz, Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris
Medium cars: BMW 1 Series, Mazda 3, VW Golf
Large cars: BMW 3 Series, Honda Accord, Lexus IS, Toyota Prius
Luxury cars: Audi A6, Jaguar XJ, Lexus GS
Mini MPVs: Nissan Note, Renault Modus
MPVs (people carriers): Ford S-Max, Honda FR-V, Toyota Verso
Sports cars: Mazda MX-5, VW Eos
Which? Car 2007 Best Buys (used)
Superminis: Toyota Yaris (1999-2005), Vauxhall Corsa (2000-2006)
Medium cars: Toyota Yaris Verso (2000-2005)
Large cars: Ford Focus (1998-2004), Honda Civic (2000-2005), Toyota Corolla (2002-2006)
Luxury cars: BMW 3 Series (1998-2005), Honda Accord (1998-2003), Lexus IS (1999-2005)
Mini MPVs: Toyota Previa (2000-2005)
MPVs (people carriers): Mazda MX-5 (1998-2005)
Sports/coupes: Honda CR-V (2001-2006)
For complete information regarding Which? Car's Don't Buys and Best Buys check out their website at
About Which? Car
Which? Car is largest consumer body in the UK, with over 650,000 members. Now on its 50th anniversary this year, the organization continues to tackle the issues that matter to all consumers, from testing household products like washing machines and digital cameras to confronting important consumer issueslike mis-selling to hospital food. Which? Car is committed to providing unbiased advice to consumers, and has spearheaded some great new initiatives including their Best Buy Icon and the inaugural Which? Awards.