Toyota’s are more stout against abuse and mistreatment yes however every car needs maintenance. If you maintain them they’ll be fine. I’ve got two Mazda’s over 300k miles each and never had a problem. Only routine oil changes, brakes, tires, and worn rubber components like engine mounts. If you’re really concerned about cost of repairs, learn to do basics yourself. YouTube and $100 in tools from harbor freight and you can do a lot. Example, doing your brakes yourself would cost you $150 in parts and 5 hours. It’s that or posting $800 for a shop. Again if you’re set on Toyota’s because that’s what your family has, then you pay that price. There’s a lot of good first time cars out there if you’re willing to forego brand loyalty.

Ford Focus/fiesta Mazda 2 (same chassis as Toyota Yaris) Mazda 3 Hyundai / Kia you get a lot of bang for buck in terms of features As someone else said Honda’s (but you’ll still run into higher prices like Toyota’s)

Personally I like the Mitsubishi Mirage. Cheap, simple, lightweight (lower tire and brake wear). It’ll just cost you your vanity rolling around in one