Yes Kitty, it is hard to beat a Toyota for reliability. OTOH - I use to think the same thing about Honda too until the tranny on my father's Civic Hybrid crapped the bed at 140k.

Anyway, I digress. If you want basic, reliable transportation from Point A to Point B it is hard to beat a Toyota. Any Toyota. Avalon's are supposed to run forever. Camry's are pretty good too. Problem is Toyota's are as bland to drive as any car on the road. No road feel, no sportiness, no fun and no personality. Boring!

Every Suby I've ever driven is boring too. Avoid the 2003 to about 2010 models if you plan to keep the car for more than 100k. All of the Subaru's of that era will need head gaskets at around 100k.

Mazda and some of the Nissans are fun to drive. Most Mazda's I've driven are fun. I remember renting an Altima on vacation about 10-12 years ago and it was fun but not solid like a Volvo or a German car.

People might identify Volvo, MB, Audi and BMW with safety but VW is pretty good too. Passat's in particular are safe. Check the IIHS accident statistics. For 2002 models Passats have a lower injury rate than Volvo S40/V40 and S60. Couldn't find info on other Volvo models of that year.

Think I've evolved into a more modern car guy - but not too modern! The really new cars are already controlled by computers. I hate features like lane departure warning and adaptable cruise control (both over-reactive). And the government can track you by tapping into your car's GPS. The list goes on...

I use to love working on my old Volvo's but I don't anymore. Tired of working on old, rusty PITA cars. Other than tinkering or minor jobs. Okay rant over! Maybe I'm getting old too...:)