Find a good local mechanic - not a dealer mechanic! At least in our area, if the car is not sold from the dealer lot, the dealer mechanics claim that more is wrong with the car than what is. If the car is sold from their lot, they’ll claim everything is fine when it isn’t.
Also be aware that certain cars need to be repaired/serviced at a dealer. For example, the nearest Volvo dealer to me is 80+ miles, which would make a Volvo very impractical to own.