I buy typically German cars, BMW or Merc pre-owned. They come with a full 5 year warranty including maintenance, I would never own one of these outside of their warranties.
The last one I leased new, now different states have various laws around this and you may want to check. Currently in IL you only pay tax on the amount of your lease vs. the full value of the car, it used to be the full value. Cars that retain their value better are going to lease better. Depending on the vehicle you want it may not lease well at all and you should buy it. Compare what you're paying with the lease and what you would pay to own it.
As mentioned if you want a new car every 3-4 years and don't drive a ton, leasing may be the way to go. You will get more car for your money in the end. If you want no car payments and something reliable after warranty I would stick with Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia... Some American models as well as I'm not as versed on them. Some people love to drive their car in to the ground. I had a Nissan Xterra at one point and never did anything to it and it just kept going. So abused...lol.
Things have changed with technology where it used to be easy to work on your own car, not as much anymore.