CNW Market Research continues to be the number one source of used car information for the About.com Used Car website. Its May 2013 report on statistics from the used car universe paint a picture of falling prices amidst higher sales.

According to CNW Market Research, which is based in Bradenton, Ore., transaction prices among franchised dealers (which are new car dealers that sell used cars on their lots); independent dealers, which includes places like CarMax down to the local Buy-Here, Pay-Here dealerships; and, private sales, which is between individuals (but sometimes includes the dreaded curbstoners).

CNW reports, "Transaction prices across all three channels were down 5.2 percent to $8,924 from $9,412. (Excludes aftermarket products, taxes, fees, etc.)." That's not as surprising a figure as one might expect. As reported previously, more and more older used cars are being sold at auction. That could be a driving factor in used car transaction prices dropping.

Also, along those same lines, CNW says, "Total Value of Used Cars sold slipped 3.4 percent to $39.2 billion compared to last year's $40.56 billion because of lower transaction prices." Overall, used car dealers and private party sales in May climbed 1.9 percent vs. year ago to 4,391,248 units. vs 4,309,684."

What's also interesting to note is the growth in younger used car sales as well, too. The biggest jump came in used cars two-four years old. As CNW reported, "With inventories of one to five year old cars improving due to off-lease and corporate returns, May sales of those vehicles rose compared to last year."

Here is how the numbers break down:

• 1 year old: Up 3.5 percent
• 2 year old: Up 9.6 percent
• 3 year old: Up 7.9 percent
• 4 year old: Up 7.0 percent
• 5 year old: Up 2.5 percent

Apparently people looking to buy used cars in May declined, but not the rate of serious shoppers. There's a distinction between the two. Shoppers are those who tell the dealer, "Just looking" while it's a lot clearer who buyers are. CNW saw a 1.52 percent decline in the number of used-vehicle shoppers in May '13 vs. May '12, but closing ratios were up 4.8 percent offsetting fewer "lookers." Overall, there were 2.87 shoppers to actual buyers this year vs. 2.97 a year ago.

Of course, they have stats on how that breaks down:

• Franchised Dealerships' Shoppers: Up 0.5 percent
• Independent Dealerships' Shoppers: Down 18.3 percent
• Private Party Shoppers: Up 17.2 percent

The numbers in the latter categories explain why transaction prices dropped in May. People are bargain hunting, which can be further explained by a stat explained below. Sub-prime loans are increasing. People with bad credit don't buy expensive used cars.

In May, used car buyers were a little quicker to pull the trigger when it came to buying used cars but by less than two days. That's a tough statistic to derive any true meaning from. CNW said, "The typical used-car buyer searched for a vehicle for 4.0 weeks before acquisition, down 3.8 percent from last year 4.2 weeks."

Here's a somewhat interesting statistic, especially in light of the increase in sub-prime buyers: "There was a 6.4 percent increase in the number of used vehicles that were financed compared to last year: 2.94 million vs. 2.77 million." It's not so much that financing increased but that only two-thirds of used car purchases are being financed. That means the other third are being paid for out-of-pocket (or possibly by other non-traditional means such as home equity loans or even credit cards).

Of those used cars financed, there was an 11 percent decline in the number of buyers who had a pre-approved auto loan when making the acquisition. The number of sub-prime buyers jumped by 23.3 percent to 1.10 million from last year's 0.89 million. In the Deep-Subprime market (FICO under 550), CNW identified a 29.1 percent increase compared to last year.

Here's one more puzzling piece of information. CNW says, "Shoppers are leaving their neighborhood in a continuing trend to make a used vehicle purchase outside their local dealerships' marketing area. CNW saw a 32.6 percent rise in the number of used-vehicles acquired outside of the buyer's DMA (marketing area). Price and availability of a particular make and model were the two primary reasons."

That means, more than ever, the Internet is the best place to buy a used car. Read these tips on buying a used car online to help make the process a little easier.