Well, he's on his own if he goes with a TOYota. I've never cared for Japanese cars even though we have two that we've put plenty of miles on. Also, the last time I helped pick out a car, a Ford Contour, the transmission went out two days after we bought it
. I told him (different brother) to wait and find a manual because I know Ford's nasty reputation with front drive automatics, but he didn't. But that car has been slowly redeeming itself. Actually, what I'm thinking I'll recommend to him is a 90's T-bird with a V-8. The last of the real detroit coupes; the 5.0 and 4.6 are great engines, and there aren't any big issues with the car if you avoid the V-6.
I think maybe I should make it clear from now on that I can offer free advice, but don't complain to me if you don't buy the model and powertrain I recommend.