I would try to find a good condition example with service records. Ive lived in Canada all my life, just moved to Pakistan last year.
Try to find one that has little to no rust. Also, with service records. If it's certified, that's excellent. If not, get a pre purchase inspection by a good mechanic there.
Now, for cars:
If you can't find a honda civic or corolla as they are overpriced and have high miles, try to find another Japanese brand.
Go for a crv or rav 4 If budget allows and AWD for the winters as that will be beneficial. 2.4 Honda's can having issues with timing chain tensioners (you'll know when you start it, it will sound like a can of marbles for s few seconds). RAV4 2.4 engines can burn oil, also head gaskets were an issue on some models. If you can, maybe find one with a 2.5 or V6. 3.5 2gr is a great engine for the RAV4. We had one, was a little rocketship.
If not, a well maintained Mazda 3 will do you good. The Pontiac vibe is also an excellent car as it's engine, drivetrain is from a Toyota matrix. So it's basically a Toyota but badged a Pontiac.
Mitsubishi's may also be good because you can find them cheap and they are usually reliable.
Avoid Hyundai's and kias as they usually have catastrophic engine issues. However, an exception is the Hyundai accent you mentioned. My aunt had one with over 300k and it was amazingly reliable. I have also heard they are very good little cars. Remember to change the timing belt every 100k though.
American cars are generally crap. Avoid them if I was you. If you can afford the fuel mileage, anything with a 3.8L engine is most likely reliable. Pontiac grand Prix, Buick's etc. But again, you need to find a mint condition well maintained example. Transmissions are weak. So be careful there.
I like Nissan's, but they can be finniky so I'd avoid them. If you're not mechanically inclined, I'd avoid them.
German cars like the golf and jetta etc can be OK, but usually need regular repairs and are expensive to repair.
