Though sales of new cars were up in 2011, consumers were not only looking to get behind the wheels of vehicles fresh off the lot. Used car sales were also up considerably compared to 2010, with about 39 million pre-owned vehicles going home with new owners, TheDetroitBureau.com reports.

Consumers bought three times as many used cars as in 2010 with the bulk of the sales coming in November and December, just as prices began to slip from a summer high. The reason for the increase likely stems from the fact that drivers’ cars, which they held on to for longer than normal, began to wear down, according to analysts.

“We saw a lot of people whose existing cars were just tired so, after two years of pent-up demand, that finally led to a surge of used car sales last year, and especially in November and December,” CNW Marketing chief Art Spinella told the website.

The figures are indicative of a trend that has been ongoing since 2008, when the recession first hit. Although the economy has begun to stabilize it has not changed consumers’ penchant for previously-owned vehicles over new cars.

Another big trend that some industry insider have noticed is that dealers, like New Jersey State Auto Auction, are more likely to use the internet to provide comprehensive lists of the cars they have for sale. According to the website, 73.1 percent of used cars are listed online.

New Jersey Auto has more to offer than just an easy database of available cars. It also has a wide variety of makes and models at affordable prices and with guaranteed credit approval, getting a used car is easy.