In years past it may have been difficult for prospective drivers to get behind the wheel of a used car if they had a checkered credit history, but recent statistics prove that is no longer the case. According to data from Experian Automotive, lenders are growing increasingly likely to provide loans to credit-challenged customers. In fact, 21.87 percent of all loans were nonprime, subprime and deep subprime.

There are a number of reasons for the findings, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that consumers are doing a better job at repaying loans. This is especially evident in deep subprime loans (the highest risk category), experienced the highest jump with a 17.3 percent increase. Experian also found that the average credit score for car buyers dropped from 769 in the third quarter of 2010 to 763 in 2011.

"The automotive finance industry is continuing a steady climb to good solid footing," said Melinda Zabritski, director of automotive credit for Experian. "Consumers continue to do a better job of repaying loans, while at the same time, many of the most risky loans from 2007 and 2008 are now off the books. These factors combine to lower the total volume of dollars at risk and give lenders more confidence in loosening their overall lending standards."

For those who have a less-than-ideal credit score, paying back an auto loan on time can be one of the best ways to rebuilt it, and New Jersey State Auto Auction is the place to go. The dealer automatically approves everyone regardless of whether they have good, bad or no credit, which can make buying a used car especially easy.