While all of these sites are capable of comparing vehicles on paper, the best way in my opinion is first hand experience. All the features may be the same, but most of these sites do not capture how well the individual vehicle is designed.
For example, GM and Hyundai have advertised against Toyota by comparing a laundry list of options that come standard on their vehicle whereas Toyota makes you pay extra.
What these commercials do not accurately portray is how well built the Toyota is, how good the design is, and how easy it is to repair. These things in my opinion justify the premium.
Mechanical inclination notwithstanding, I like Consumer Guide's used vehicle ratings. They give you a general outline of what the typical repair costs are and some of the common problems people have.
A mandatory used car shopping site is the NHTSA.gov site. It lists all recalls for a particular model. Make absolutely sure that your vehicle is not on the recall list, or at least that the adequate repair has been performed.
Other than recalls, there are also Technical Service Bulletins (TSB). These are available through NHTSA or other industry sites such as AllData, Mitchell's, etc.
TSBs are not safety related like recalls, but TSBs are things that affect the asthetics and/or resale value of the car. Noise, harhsness, vibration, and leaks are the major TSB topics.
Not everybody has access to it, but I like to look up standard repair costs for common items in a mechanic's database. If you don't have access to this, you can call different dealerships and get an estimate for a 30k, 60k, and 90k service for the different models because these are your major services.
You may find that a Toyota that starts out more expensive actually saves you money on maintenance.
In all honesty, nothing beats driving a vehicle and performing (or at least visualizing) some of the common repairs. Something that takes 5 minutes on a Toyota, e.g. oil change, may take 30 for a Nissan.
In the long run these things increase the cost of ownership and affect reliability.
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