The Kia Soul is a genuinely good car. Very durable and reliable, easy to work on, great on gas, ugly as hell on the outside but real nice inside, and amazingly roomy. I'd actually recommend it, just don't get one with a turbo or a stick, those seem to have more issues.
What to avoid?
EVERYTHING European. They all need special tools, even for damned oil changes.
Nissans with CVT transmissions (they STILL haven't figured them out).
FWD/AWD Fords with the 3.5/3.7 V6 (the water pump will fail without warning and dump the coolant into the oil pan, it usually happens on the highway and takes out the main bearings before you realize what's happened).
GM full-size FWD/AWD SUVs (Acadia, Traverse, Enclave, Outlook, SRX) the engines in these are junk, and anything below the valvecovers requires dropping the powertrain out to access. The front suspensions are horrendous, and they're prone to evap and electrical issues.
3.5L Honda/Acura products (if the outrageously expensive catalytic converters don't fail, the transmission will).
Everything Jeep not called Wrangler or Grand Cherokee, and even there, avoid the 3.7, 4.7, and early (pre 2014) 3.6 engines (unless the owner can provide proof of the upgraded driver's side cylinder head).
Everything Dodge except the Charger, Magnum, Ram, Durango and Grand Caravan (again, avoid the 3.7 and 4.7, as well as the 2.7 and early (pre 2014) 3.6 engines (unless the owner can provide proof of the upgraded driver's side cylinder head).
Everything Chrysler except the 300 (avoid the 2.7and early (pre 2014) 3.6 engines (unless the owner can provide proof of the upgraded driver's side cylinder head) and the Town and Country. (I didn't mention Caravan or T&C transmission issues since you're well aware, but even with said issues, they're one of the best bargains in people-hauling, often being enough cheaper than their better Asian counterparts to buy the transmission rebuild too and still come out ahead financially).
Small GM SUVs (I almost didn't put this one. They're a very mixed bag. Some people like
@IIGood get a quarter million miles out of an Equinox or it's siblings, others have problems from day one.)
Ford EcoSport (Made in India, and India is the new China in manufacturing... I've worked on two, and they were only maintenance, but I'd wait to see what they're like long-term).
Dodge Journey (all of the transmission issues of a Grand Caravan/Town & Country with none of the upside or resale value).
If you want to pick my brain on any specific model, hit me up. 4+ years in the used car recon game and 15 overall working on cars means I've put a wrench on just about everything at one time or another (even a Bentley).