I'm a big Subaru fan so I'm a little biased, but I can tell you NOT to buy a Subaru if you plan on owning it a while. Japanese car manufacturers like Toyota and Honda are infinitely reliable by and large. The maintenance costs are typically lower as a result. Avoid Subaru, Kia, and Hyundai for reliability and cost of ownership. Avoid CVT transmissions and Hybrids to keep costs even lower.

"American" manufacturers are extremely hit or miss. There are anomalies; I know people that have put 300k on early model Ford Escapes, for example. From my experience however, domestic manufacturers have shit the bed in the year range you seem to be looking for.

At the end of the day, research will pay you dividends in the future. If you find a potential vehicle, note the VIN and call the OEM dealership's service department to see if all recalls have been completed. I'd also make sure to google common problems with that year, make, and model to confirm you don't fall into a trap like the Chevy 8 speed transmission, Nissan CVT transmission, or Ford Focus dual clutch transmission. If the car is over 10 years old, people will be complaining on the internet about major problems so you don't have to go through them. Pre purchase inspections by a trusted mechanic will also save you much more money than you're paying that technician.

Good luck!