This is a long post, but in the end I'm just going to ask for suggestions on reliable cars, so you can go ahead and skip the walls of text if you want.
I drive a 1991 Honda Accord. It's pretty decent and used to be reliable, but now it's not nearly as reliable as my dad believes that all Accords are. It's nearly as old as I am, it sounds like a roller coaster going up the first drop every time I make a tight turn, the trunk leaks, the engine light is no longer a warning but rather a decorative flickering light, the a/c no longer works and can't be recharged because it uses old freon, it's missing knobs, the back window doesn't go back up if rolled down, there's a power steering leak that no mechanic has successfully fixed, and something new seems to break on it every day.
So, having finished college nearly two years ago (whoa), I've become obsessed with replacing my car with something that I don't have to worry about breaking down on me or needing a repair every week. I've always loved to travel and go to concerts, and my girlfriend (yes, I have one of those now. weird.) is from Oklahoma, so it would be nice to be able to drive her there to visit every once in a while. Not to mention every friend I've had has grown up and moved away. Basically, I need to get myself to lots of places safely.
So this new obsession with researching and finding the right car while I save up a little more money has brought me to the conclusion that there's no point in buying a new (used) car. I'm looking in the year range of 2003-2007, and I continue to find problems and complaints with every car I decide seems like the right one. First it was the always reliable, godly Accord that so many people swear by, but I discovered lots of complaints of transmission problems. Then I decided that a Civic would suit me better with its smaller body and better fuel economy, but then there were complaints about transmission and engine block cracks. Tired of Honda anyway, I threw that company out the window and went to the next most reliable, Toyota. The Prius seemed perfect. A seemingly great track record since it was introduced, great gas mileage, around my price range for a used one. I was sure this was definitely what I would start saving for. Until I read about problems with the braking system, which is a huge safety issue and really made me hesitant.
I know that no car model is perfect and also that not every single car has these problems. But now I've become exhausted looking around and researching, and I'm pretty much stuck. Two months of research has driven me nuts.
My question to you guys is: what kind of mid-sized car would you recommend or have good experiences with?