Edmunds says that there are roughly 100,000 shoppers in the planning and research stages of purchasing a used car in New Jersey and other states, according to recent research.

As dealers continue to offer increasing incentives to spur sales, prospective buyers may find that they have waited too long.

“There has been a recent surge of purchase intent that has not translated into sales,” Dr David Tompkins, Edmunds.com senior analyst. “Given that these 100,000 shoppers represent about 10 percent of monthly sales, automakers and dealers should find a way to capitalize on the opportunity and entice these folks to actually buy.”

An L.A. Times report also sheds light on reasons to consider making a purchase of a used car in New Jersey sooner rather than later, explaining that as people hold onto their cars longer, there is a smaller supply of used cars available from trade-ins and former rentals.

Edmunds.com analysts say that the average trade-in car is driven an extra 8,000 miles before buyers consider bringing it in, the equivalent of 8 months more for the average driver.