I've heard people say they're biased...but I don't know. I used to sell used cars, and Honda, Toyota, and Nissan by far are more reliable than most domestics. As far as European cars, Audi/VW suck (not necessarily engine + tranny, but electrical) as do Land Rover. At one point my dealership refused to put Discoveries on the lot, even though we sold them with ease. BMW and MB I've found are very solid + reliable, especially the 6-cylinders. The V8 BMW's are pretty damn expensive to maintain. Little things like check engine lights, power window motors, ect., go more on German than Japanese cars, but there's usually a lot more technology in these cars to go wrong.

The one thing I think they are biased on though are the little reviews. For example, they'll describe a Lexus LX470 as smooth ride, nice fit + finish, ect., then bash a large American SUV for having poor gas mileage and handling...no sh*t., it's a huge SUV!