I like Canon the best, with Nikon being a close second, for the price. I have had bad experiences with Kodak and Samsung cameras and so I tend to avoid them. I prefer cameras that use SD cards and so I tend to avoid Sony, Olympus and Fuji even though they make quality cameras.
Canon uses up AA batteries very quickly. Some of them also appear to have an issue of draining AA batteries even if the cameras are not in use. Solution: rechargeable batteries and carry spare batteries.
I prefer buying new cameras to used or refurbished. Before buy.com became rakuten.com, I bought quite a few cameras through them.
I still carry at least one camera with spare batteries in my car, and I will keep at least one of my old Android phones in the car, too, charged. I don't anticipate buying another camera soon since I prefer using my Android phone to take pictures.
Final note: Don't buy SVP brand cameras from rakuten.com or elsewhere. Waste of money.