Plenty of other stuff is reliable. Plenty of Toyota and Honda stuff in this price range is actually not reliable. All depends and what’s for sale where you are. Ford fusions are very underrated. Newer Chevy Malibu and impala. Mazda sedans. There’s Can you drive a manual? Also even though Nissan CVTs have been bad, the maximas have been pretty solid. Might be an option. Also any older GM stuff with the 3800 motor and ford crown Vic/Lincoln town car/grand marquis if gas isn’t a big issue. More on reddit.com

I’m okay with Toyota or Honda, but I think their badge tax is not worth it. It entirely depends on how long you need to keep this vehicle before spending another $12,000 to replace it. If you’re racking on highway miles and need this vehicle to see 400,000 miles, I wouldn’t look at anything other than a Toyota. If you think that 200,000 miles is the end-of-life, and you’re happy spending another $12,000 to replace your dead Mitsubishi after a few years, then get the Mitsubishi. I have 310,000 miles on my 4Runner, and it’s still perfect. For $12,000: Get a Toyota Hybrid, any of them. The sedans get amazing fuel economy. You’ll eventually need to replace your Hybrid battery, but it only costs $2500 to get a Greenbean battery with a lifetime warranty. ——————————————————————— Are Lexus, Acura, and Cadillac a good option? Lexus is the luxury brand from Toyota. It’s excellent. Acura is the same for Honda; it’s good. Cadillac is the same for General Motors, while Chevrolet is their economy brand. It’s… hit or miss. Are there any EVs in my budget that I should look at given the market situation? No. I was also looking into Mazda, Subaru, and Mitsubishi. Are there good models to look into in this price range? Mazda and Subaru have some good options at $12,000, and reliability/longevity is similar to Honda (Good, not Great). Mitsubishi is probably the worst car brand we can readily buy in the USA. Their cars are notoriously unreliable and horrible. I’ve come to realize that Audis and BMWs are not good finds because they will eat a lot up in maintenance at this range. Volkswagen? No. For the same price as a VW, get a Toyota/Lexus. Should I increase my budget and plan something better for the long term? As a PhD candidate? Fuck no. Get a $12,000 Camry Hybrid today with 110k miles, and wait until you get a stable job to sell it (for the same price you paid), then buy the CPO Lexus Hybrid. Or keep the Camry Hybrid forever. It won’t die, and you have a lifetime battery warranty from Greenbean. More on reddit.com

They hold their value pretty well because they're typically pretty reliable and there's demand at that price. That said, I wouldn't pay that much for a 100k mile Accord. More on reddit.com

There’s low mileage corollas in that price range. If you want something a little more spiffy, Mazda 3 or Mazda 6 are good. The real reliability comes from doing your research on the common problems for the specific year of the car, and if the previous owners took care of it or not More on reddit.com