It really depends on how much maintenance you are willing/able to do. Used Toyotas and Hondas carry a hefty premium on price because people associate them with with 'cheap, affordable, and reliable' regardless of how much they deserve the name. Based on an informal poll I do for myself, the most commonly broken down car on the side of highways I've seen is the Honda Civic. Probably because the owner thought "I have a Honda and it is reliable" and failed to do any maintenance. Every car is reliable if well cared for, no car is reliable (very long) if not.
Older cars of those brands are generally better on fuel, but higher purchase price eats up a lot of the gain you'd get from better mileage.
I'd recommend, assuming you have some maintenance capability to provide some TLC to a used car, a less popular brand of 'cheap, affordable, and reliable' and you'll probably end up ahead.
Disclaimer: Every car is different, your mileage may vary.