Ding! Here is also my experience.

5 years ago, I had a car accident. I driving a Nissan Sentra was at the right lane, my left was a guy driving a Mustang. Suddenly an incoming truck crossed the yellow line, the Mustang tried to avoid it but failed so it was hit by the truck and turned 90 degree in front of me. So the front of my Sentra hit the right side of the Mustang. My speed was about 25 mph, and I stepped on the brake completely. Guess what! My Sentra was totaled and there were some scratch on the right side door of the Mustang, because Sentra absorbed the energy!

After the accident, I totally lost confidence in Japanese car. 6 months ago, my wife drove a Buick Century (which is much heavier, and the steel of the hood and doors are much thicker, you can easily tell the difference between a Century and any Accord or Camry) and hit an Accord from behind on freeway. My insurance company paid that guy $3000 to repair. We changed the bumper and did some work of the hood of the Century, nothing else. It still drives great. I know Century is ugly, outdated, but it is also spacious and safe. Besides, it has acceptable mileage on freeway (34 mpg, I tested on a 400 mile trip) and pretty reliable (for 5 years, I only had the fuel pressure regulator changed). The Sentra was reliable too. I bought it at $3800 and drove it for 4 years and the insurance company paid me $3800. But still, safety is the most important thing when I choose a car.

So I guess