WARREN — Automobile dealers in the Mahoning Valley overcame lackluster sales in February to stay out in front of numbers they set in early 2019, albeit by a slim margin.

In the first two months of the year, dealers in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties sold 9,045 vehicles — 0.48 percent ahead for the same period last year that had 9,001 vehicles sold, according to the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association.

New car sales fell 6.7 percent, from 5,081 delivered last year to 4,470 this year, while used car sales jumped 10 percent, from 3,738 in January and February 2019 to 4,099 for the same period this year.

For February, overall sales in Mahoning County decreased 4.2 percent, led by a 10 percent drop in new car sales, which accounted for 1,970 deliveries compared to 2,189 in February 2019.

New and used sales totaled 3,940 for the month, down from 4,113. Used car sales for the month were up 3 percent, from 1,850 to 1,904.

Dealerships in the county with the most sales were Sweeney Chevrolet, the top-selling dealer with 217; Greenwood Chevrolet, 208; and Sweeney Buick GMC, 177.

The top new vehicle sellers in Mahoning County were Sweeney Chevrolet, 139; Boardman Subaru, 122; and Sweeney Buick GMC, 107.

The top used vehicle sellers in the county last month were Greenwood Chevrolet, 101; Sweeney Chevrolet, 78; and Fred Martin Ford, 74.

In the dealers’ association 21-county region, new vehicle sales grew in February by a nearly 3 percent compared to February 2019. Sales of new cars were off by 0.5 percent in comparison to a year ago, but sales of trucks and SUVs jumped nearly 5 percent, according to the dealers’ association.

A day of additional selling — Feb. 29 for leap year — and the opening of the Cleveland Auto Show provided the momentum for the increase, said Lou Vitantonio, president of the dealers’ association.

“The car segment has flattened out, and SUVs and trucks are contributing to the increases,” Vitantonio said.

Sales report

Top selling vehicle brands in the Greater Cleveland area

• Chevrolet — 2,309

• Ford — 1,929

• Toyota — 1,214

• Honda — 1,197

• Jeep — 1,180

SOURCE: Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association