Statistics show that more people are shunning new cars and making purchases of used cars in this tough economy. But according to Consumer Reports, some used cars are better than others.

Looking at cars between 1999 and 2008, the magazine identified the most and least reliable vehicles among the 1.4 million that were compiled by its Annual Auto Survey.

The company says that Honda and Toyota dominated the list with the Honda Civic and Toyota Echo topping the small car list and the Honda Accord and Toyota Prius leading the pack of best used family cars.

It also found some cars that can be purchased at relatively low prices, including the 1999 Acura CL and 2003 Buick Century which can often be found for under $6,000.

The state of the economy has made it a good time to make a used car purchase. According to the National Automotive Dealers Association, used car prices fell in every category in the last year and Dow Jones recently reported that prices for used cars fell 8 percent in 2008.

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