The ability of subprime customers to obtain vehicle financing helped the used-vehicle industry finish the year on the upswing as December capped an overall great year for the pre-owned market and pushed the full-year sales total above 40 million units.

Specifically, used-car sales closed 2013 at just under 42 million units, according to CNW Research.

CNW determined the number of financed units came in at 8 percent versus year ago with those obtaining a pre-approved loan climbing nearly 19 percent because of “easier credit criteria,” according to firm president Art Spinella.

Spinella also mentioned the number subprime buyers in December surged 23 percent higher versus a year earlier and 10.5 percent above November.

Spinella went on to mention that the number of deep subprime purchasers (individuals with FICO scores below 550) swelled nearly 17 percent year-over-year to constitute a bit more than 19 percent of all used sales in December.

CNW also reported that for the whole year, franchised dealers took nearly 37 percent of all used sales, while independents notched a 34.6-percent share. Private party sales made up for the difference at 28.4 percent.

And 2013 closed out with a bang, as 3.284 million used vehicles were sold during December.

This represents a 4.2-percent year-over-year climb and a 6-percent rise from November.

The total value for December, excluding taxes, upfitting and aftermarket products, came to $30.8 billion.

Year-over-year upticks in transaction price contributed to this number, as the average used-car sale transaction price came in at $9,370 in December. This was down about a third of a percent versus November but was 4.2 percent ahead of the same month a year ago, according to CNW.

Which used vehicles were flying off the lots in December?

Just under a quarter (24.54 percent) of the total vehicles sold in December were 1- to 5-year-old models, due in part to increasing inventory in this age range, CNW reported.

This is up slightly from 24 percent in November and 22.86 percent during the same period of 2012.

Due to seasonality, consumers were more interested in crossovers, SUVs and pickups this December.

CNW pointed out that used passenger car sales continued to slide downward, as the larger models rose in popularity

As for who got the largest piece of the used-car sales pie in December, the Big 3 sold 60 percent of total used vehicles last month.

Asian bands notched 34.3 percent of used sales in December. On the other hand, the share European brands fell to a 5.7 percent share in December.