The end of the year is often punctuated by "best of" lists and the auto world is no different. Consumer Reports recently unveiled its picks for the 10 most popular used cars of 2011 and one brand stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Honda represented four of the top five used cars this year, with the Civic coming in at the top spot. The popular Accord and CR-V finished second and third, respectively, and the Honda Pilot rounded out the top five. Even the one car that was not a Honda is owned by the company – the Acura MDX was number four.

Foreign-built cars dominated the second half of the list as well. The Toyota Camry, Highlander and RAV 4 each made an appearance as did the Suburu Forrestor. The lone American-made car, the Ford Escape, landed at number 10.

If you are planning on purchasing a used car, there are a number of things to take into consideration other than just its popularity. According to Carfax, there are a few items to look into to make sure you've found the perfect used car.

The most obvious thing to determine is what your car will be used for. In particular, if you are planning on driving with a lot of passengers, an SUV or minivan will be the best pick. However, if fuel-efficiency is more of a concern,  a smaller vehicle should come out on top.

Once that's settled, Carfax urges consumers to do as much research as possible on the models that meet their criteria so they exactly what to expect.

Going to a reliable dealer is also of the utmost importance, and you'll certainly find that with New Jersey State Auto Auction. Additionally, thanks to guaranteed credit approval, making the purchase is easy.