What about a european car? BMWs and Volkswagens/Audis have great reliability records at higher mileages, so you could go with an older one with less worry. They also tend to pack on the safety features, which will drop your insurance. Most aren't coupes, which also lowers insurance. You wouldn't have fart can complaints or that sort of thing, engine parts aren't really as expensive as everyone says, and it's fairly easy to find a manual if you're into that.

I only suggest this because it's a third option you didn't detail at all in your post - you just covered japanese imports or domestics.