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Actually, most modern cars are pretty well built and will, if cared for, last 200k miles.
What is true though is that a "smaller, cheaper" car is not always the best choice depending on it's useage.
People who are going to keep a vehicle until the warranty runs out, and then trade them in on a new one are going to balance the initial cost of the vehicle with it's short term depreciation.
People who "drive them into the ground" are likely to be less worried about initial cost and more about the reputation for longevity and inexpensive repairs,
Most smaller "cheaper" cars do not fall well into the latter category. Partially because of reputation (think of the rep of Yugos or early Hundais) that they must contend with, and partially because the cost percentage of a repair is somewhat greater. People will tend to put a $1000 repair into a car worth $8000 well before they will put it into a car worth $3000.
I am not saying that "economy" cars are a bad choice or unreliable. These are just observations from when I was turning wrenches.
Jim
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