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Choosing from the Japanese big three is a pretty safe bet.
If you're going used, I also suggest a Audi/VW Jetta/Bora type A4 (the A4 platform spans from model year 1999 through the current iteration) - particularly the 1.8 T and the diesel. These are work horses, rather attractive and, if you can find a VR6, high performance. A word of caution: 2005 and '06 can get relatively expensive (35 grand is not unusual as an asking price for a fully kitted Jetta at this point).
Another solid option is Hyundai (my wife and brother in law, who owns a S. Korean concern closely tied to the automaker, would clobber me if I failed to mention this). Although some Americans still associate Hyundai with the entry-level vehicles of the 1980s such as the speeding wreck Rodney King used to flee the LAPD -- boxy, cheap and unreliable -- more recent output (say, 2002 and above) has been high quality, sleekly sheet metaled and low maintenance.
Consumer reports and Edmunds are invaluable tools for sorting through this kind of info: I strongly encourage their use as you choose.
.d.