Old French cars break down a lot and soon become worthless or a complete liability. Old German cars break down less but cost a small fortune to repair when they do. British cars such a Range Rovers and Jaguars can be problematic from day one and will continue to deteriorate thereafter. Old Japanese cars tend to keep going forever.

There are a few outliers such as some older Fords that were over engineered but, generally speaking, observe the 4 points above and you won't go far wrong.