• October 28, 2010

The percentage of used-vehicle buyers who use the Internet in their shopping process has increased to 68% this year, constituting a five percentage point increase from 2009, according to the new J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Used Vehicle Market Report.

The firm says the use of classified ads on the Internet as a method for finding the used vehicle the consumers end up buying is outpacing driving to dealer lots. More than one-third (36%) of used-vehicle buyers in 2010 indicate using Internet classified ads, while only one-fourth (26%) say they found the vehicle they bought by driving to dealer lots.  

Also, use of online classified ads as a method to shop for used vehicles has grown from 29% in 2003 to 41% in 2006 and 51% in 2010.

The second most popular means of buying used cars is driving by dealer lots. But the popularity between the two methods has widened substantially from 2009.