I'm a recent convert to Toyota, but have owned a half-dozen used Datsun/Nissans and was happy with all of them. I would feel equally confident about owning a Honda or Suburu as well.

American cars are no longer as inferior to the Japanese as they once were, and many brands are now "world cars" anyway, with subsystems manufacturerd in different spots around the globe. However, I still feel that the leading Japanese nameplates can still be trusted to identify the most risk-free used cars.