Thanks Brad!
As for my preference in specific cars I can truly say that they have all come a long way since when I began in 1991.
As part of a manager's compensation, we got to drive a demo which was a new car in the brand we worked at. We drove them
until they hit 6,000 miles when we then retired them and got a new one. We usually got a mid-level car that was a good seller so we didn't get our choice.
So, the last new car I bought was in 1988 before I started in the car business. In 1993 when I worked at Nissan, the Altima came out. I got one as a demo and I was so impressed with it that I bought one for my wife. It was a great car.
Since I never worked at a Luxury car dealer, I can't comment on my first hand experience with them but I've worked at many used car lots where I did get my pick of used cars and the luxury lines, specifically Lexus and Acura, were quite impressive for being 5+ years old with 80K plus miles on them. I'd buy one without thinking twice if I needed a nice, used car. As a matter of fact, I presently have a 2006 Toyota Solara convertible with 160k plus miles on it that drives like new. Brakes and tires, oil changes and it is perfect. I bought it 5 years ago with 120k on it and have been very pleased. I will drive it until the wheels fall off or my wheels fall off, whichever comes first. I'm betting it outlasts me!
I worked at Kia for almost 5 years. I was there after Hyundai bought Kia and redesigned their lineup in the early 2000s. Kia used to be a disposable, cheap car and that reputation still sticks with it today even though they make a very nice (as in reliable) car. Someone in the classifieds has a Kia Spectrum for sale for $1200 and if I needed a spare car I would be all over it. They may not be the plushest cars but they just run. In 2011 I bought my wife a used Kia Sportage with 80k miles on it. She drove a lot for work back then and we finally junked it last year with 200k miles on it. It got a timing belt (and water pump) at 100k miles and it did blow an alternator at about 150k miles. Oil, tires and batteries was all it needed in 10+ years of ownership. Great car.
Late in 2006 when the 2007 model year was being released my wife bought a used 2006 Kia Optima with 35k miles on it for peanuts because they changed the body style in a 2006.5 release. She drove it until 2011 (when she got the Sportage) and she then gave it to her daughter who moved to TN and needed a car. It had 150k miles on it at the time. Her daughter sold it 5 years later, still running. Oil, brakes and tires was all it needed in all that time.
In 2018 when I knew I was retiring and losing my company car, we decided to give me the 2006 Toyota convertible as my run around car and I got my wife an 2013 Nissan Rogue AWD with 65k miles on it. It's been a great car up to now with recent brakes and tires along with the usual oil. No issues and a solid car.
In 2008 I ran a BHPH lot for 3 years. Those cars were not up to my needs so I bought a 2002 Dodge Stratus R/T 2 door. This was not the same as the 4 door Stratus which was a rough car. The 2 door R/T (only) was a Mitsubishi Eclipse with a Dodge badge on it. Same drivetrain, interior, etc. I bought it with 90k on it and sold it in 2011 when I got a new, company car for my newest adventure. I did get an ESC with that car because it was a Dodge and it paid off because it blew 2 alternators in 3+ years. Since these were Bosch alternators, they cost about $600 for a new one. The warranty paid for both with the $100 deductible.Well worth it.
M last adventure before retiring was I worked for a bank that did floor plans (secured auto loans for inventory of dealers). I was an auditor so I traveled, by car, for 40k miles a year. They gave me a new Kia Soul (I had no choice). I had it for 3 years, put 120k miles on it and all it needed was oil, brakes and tires. (see a pattern here?). I was not happy when I got it because it looked funky but it got great gas mileage (company paid for gas) and was as reliable as it gets. I grew to love it and would buy one today if I had a kid who needed a car. When they retired the Soul, I got a Toyota Prius. Wow, nice car for what it was. That thing just kept running, getting 50mpg and other than oil, brakes and tires it needed nothing. It rode great, felt heavy and was a joy to drive for 40k miles a year. They retired the car the day I retired and I could have bought it for $10,000 (trade value was $12,500) but I already had my 2006 Toyota convertible and couldn't justify spending $10,000.
SO, in my opinion, I would not hesitate to buy any Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia or Subaru though Subarus can be pricey to fix if the drivetrain goes out with no warranty. Lexus, Acura and Infiniti are also great cars. I've never seen a BMW that didn't need work (used) and are pricey to fix. Usually electrical, which can be a ball buster money wise. I'm sure there are a ton of BMW owners who will tell me different but all I can say is I've dealt with thousands of used cars over the years and a used BMW was a risk. Can't speak for new since I never worked there. If you gave me a Jaguar for free you'd also have to promise to pay for any and all repairs. Same with Land Rover. I don't know how they stay in business with the upper middle class crowd with their issues. Of course, they may have improved the last few years but not from my view of used ones.
I am not a fan of the Dodge/Chrysler lineup for reason of reliability. They always have sharp looking cars but always fall short in the reliability category. Fiat, forget. Buy anything but one of those. Ford and Chevy put out nice cars. I have nothing bad to say about either but can't endorse them either. It depends on the specific model and how long they've been on the market. I know people who own Fords and Chevys who love them and are problem free. I also know some who are nickled and dimed to death after the warranty expires. Back in the 90s they both built disposable cars until they realized they had to catch up to the imports or perish. They got it together and some models thrived and some models put out problems until they stopped making them. An F150 or Silverado are as good as it gets for trucks. Mustangs seem to be all there. Nothing bad to say about either of them but if a relative asked for my opinion, I'd steer them to the imports.
So, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.