Holdens, Skodas, and Peugeots are not generally available in the US. Let's see if I can rattle off the main badges sold here...

Honda/Acura
Toyota/Lexus/Scion
Nissan/Infiniti
Mazda
Suzuki (maybe only motorcycles now)
Subaru
Mitsubishi
Isuzu (maybe not anymore)
Kia/Hyundai
Jaguar/Land Rover
BMW/Mini
Mercedes
VW/Audi
Porsche
Volvo
Saab
Ford/Lincoln/Mercury
Chevrolet/Buick/Cadillac/GMC
Chrylser/Dodge/Jeep
Tesla

Plus most of the fancy stuff like Lambos, Bentleys, etc.

I'm a Honda guy, so I would be biased towards the nicer Accords and Acura sedans, but Sarmatian and Lemur have an excellent point about used BMWs. Look for one fresh off a 3 year lease, you can probably find a really high-end one for your price range.