The number or searches related to used cars continues to climb as more Americans gain confidence in the global economy.  Statistics show that Craigslist, AutoTrader and CarMax are three of the top searched phrases related to a car purchase.  Not all car purchases made on these specific websites are used car purchases but many are.  In fact, a large majority of the transactions made through Craigslist are used car transactions.

Orlando, Florida is sometimes called the shopping capital of the south as there are a number of outlet malls, retail areas and car dealerships.  In fact, International Drive is world famous for the shopping opportunities.  The Premium Outlets Mall on International Drive has 180 outlet stores alone.  With millions of shoppers flocking to Orlando, Florida it should come as no surprise that many are looking to make major purchases as well.

One of the biggest purchase decisions made in one’s life happens to be a car purchase.  Even if a vehicle is only $5000 it is still going to cost, at least, 10 to 20 times more than a smartphone.  It will probably cost two to three times more than a brand new HD TV and it will cost more than some entire living room and dining room furniture sets.  With this in mind buyers would benefit from doing plenty of research.

It looks as if these buyers are doing their research from the months of January to August.  After August search trends start to decline as Christmas shopping becomes a priority.  In the summer of 2010 search trends for “used cars” hit multi year highs.  These trends have no been this high since the pre “great recession” year of 2006.  In August and September of 2011 search trends for used cars jumped to levels well above the previous year.  It is important to note that these searches took a nosedive in November and December of 2011 to levels much lower than usual.

When looking at trends for Craigslist Used Cars it is quite astonishing to see the growth over the last several years.  It is likely the case that customers often associate used car research with Craigslist first.  This is something new as customers used to think about going to the local used car lot or to CarMax.  AutoTrader has gained some traction in searches but these types of searches peaked in July of 2009 and have steadily declined since.  By looking at the data one could hypothesize that some of the old AutoTrader searches are heading over to Craigslist.

Interestingly, searches for CarMax related phrases have skyrocketed in the last two years.  In late 2009 searches for these specific terms found a bottom and they have moved to all time highs recently.  It should be quite interesting to see if customers continue to search CarMax more often in the very near future.  It is important to note that even though AutoTrader has seen a steady decline in searches they still see, on average, about six to seven times as many searches as Carmax.

When living in Orlando Florida many will search for phrases like Local Craigslist Used Cars Orlando, Florida CarMax locations for trade in or AutoTrader deals for Orlando buyers.  Remember that an in depth search could help many find a number of options.  Rather than accepting the first option it might be a good idea to check out some of the smaller websites that could be offering better deals.  Even though it is a thing of the past, it might also be a good idea to drive around to the local used car dealerships to see what opportunities arise.  Some of these used car lots are really struggling so they are willing to do almost anything to get a little bit of extra business.

When financing at a local used car dealership it is always smart for Orlando buyers to read the fine print.  Unfortunately, some buyers are so excited about buying a new vehicle that they forget to read the interest rate on the loan.  For individuals who have a very bad credit score it might be the case that interest rates are as high as 20%.  Paying on interest of 20% on several thousand dollars is not something that will be enjoyable.  This is why it is a good idea to bring a financial mind along as they will be able to better analyze the numbers when it comes to interest and principle.  It might also be a good idea to use a handy dandy calculator to figure out what prices will work out best.