Used cars give buyers options

Detroit

Bargain prices on 2- and 3-year-old vehicles fueled record sales of used cars, trucks and SUVs last year, a trend that is expected to continue because people can save thousands of dollars over buying new.

Used vehicle sales hit 39.2 million vehicles in 2017, more than double the number of new automobiles sold, according to the Edmunds.com auto website. To be sure, Americans for years have bought more used cars than new, but a recent glut of well-equipped vehicles coming off leases is sending more people to the used market.

That cut into new vehicle sales last year, helping to push them down 2 percent. And the trend is likely to continue because leasing remains around a near-record 30 percent of all U.S. new vehicle sales.