Over the last 40 years I have worked in the automotive service and repair busness. I started, just out of school, at a multi line import dealer, where we would service any import that came in the door. Everything from late 50's Voxhalls to Ferraris came through, plus the FIATs, Triumphs, Alfa Romeos and Subarus that we sold new. This was in the early to mid 70's.
This was quite a shock to a kid who had grown up in a GM town where people expected cars to start and get to their destonation without the aid of a tow truck.
I soon learned about FIATs, as the young new kid I got to climb up on the transports to get the brand new "cars" (term used very loosly) running long enough to be unloaded, or to push them off to the more experanced mechanics. Those Yugos everyone badmouths? They are a FIAT design (FIAT 128) built under license!
Triumphs normaly went 18 to 24 months before returning home on a wrecker. Then they seemed to remain forever.
Alfas required constant "fideling" to keep them happy, A trate I found all Itialian cars to have, the more expencive (read Ferraris) the worse they were.
Subarus were good cars, even in the early days of imports to the USA.
As for the "off brands" that we didn't sell new but serviced, German cars from VW to Benz were great cars, only Audi ownership needed to be avoided.
NO ONE should ever own ANYTHING French, and I don't believe that the French should even be allowed to make cars.
The British were somewhat better, but were stuck with the Lucas electrics and severe oil leakage. I remember a TR 4 that came in with a timing chain so loose that it had sawed a slot in the timing cover. It was still running fine!
Having said that, the worse car I personaly owned was a TR 7, Yes, I should have followed my own advice. A Hyundai Elantra is a distant second. A Plymouth minivan third.