Used Cars: Trade up, chevy malibus, bud bud

Question
Jay
I have owned an 02 Ford Escape that I bought used for five years and it has been one problem after another. Today when the brakes failed-again-with my family in the vehicle- I decided its time to trade it in.
I cant afford new but am looking not older than 05.
I also dont have time to do a private sale.
I would prefer paying a little extra to trade mine in at a big dealer( I have all of them where I live) not at small corner used car lot where I bought the Escape for cash with no trade in..
I'm a big car guy but of course fuel economy is a concern.
Can you give me a list of the most reliable mid sized autos of all the brands, other than the really pricey ones like BMW, Audi, etc.
With all the makes and models today (I am an older guy and it was only the big thhree back in the day) it would be a huge help!
Thanks so much.
-bud

Answer
Bud,
I dont think I would be a person to make a list of what is the most reliable cars, simply because I deal with a small equation, of all the makes and models that are out there, so I will just give you as much food for thought as I think will help you best.
The most important thing to figure out when buying a used vehicle is how well was it taken care of, it does not matter what make and model, if it was not taken care of, buyer beware.
I would recommend a carfax report report, or equivalent, and if you find one that actually has all of the maintenance records, that would score BIG, BIG  points with me.
Just for what I have experienced, and this is simply my opinion, stay away from dodge/chrysler cars (except the chrysler 300's, for some reason these have been pretty good cars).  The neons, stratus', intrepids, concordes are just not very good.  Chevy Malibus have issues.  I would first try for a Honda, Toyota or Nissan.  If they are out of your budget, Fords are for the most part pretty decent, Kias and Hyundais have been pretty good cars as well, though they are not the most sound of materials if you will.  They have good drivetrains, it is just the drivetrains are wrapped in inferior material, for the most part.  The Chevy Impalas have been pretty good.  But even as I start listing what I think are good, I still go back to the importance of how was they maintained.  I can not stress that enough. Buy your next vehicle from a place that has been there a while, and has a good reputation.  Edmunds.com and KBB.com are two excellent websites to research and compare vehicles from every perspective.  Good Luck.