Toyotas are bleh...my brother had two corollas..one,the trans died and the other had some axl problem.The celicas are economy cars wrapped in a sporty package.Honda accords/civics have nice life spans,but are grossly overpriced(especially by private sellers).
The nissan maxima does seem to be a reliable mainstay(I think 70% of all teachers drive one).
Try once,fail twice...