Ford officially outsells GM

Many analysts predicted it in the middle of March, but the final sales totals for the month are in and Ford has officially outsold its crosstown rival, General Motors.

This marks only the second time since 1998 that Ford has been able to accomplish this feat. The previous time was in February of 2010, when Ford was momentarily the top brand in the country after Toyota's sales fell due to a recall and GM stumbled after the economic collapse. Even then, Ford only eked out a win by 470 units.

This time the difference was much larger, with Ford beating GM by 5,675 cars sold. Ford improved over the same period in 2010 by more than 16 percent. The key factors for the jump included record sales for the Fusion and Escape, a 56 percent increase in Fiesta sales compared to February, and a 21 percent jump in truck sales – which surprised analysts, given the high gas prices.

Still, General Motors has little to complain about. Sales increased by 17 percent year-on-year for the automaker, and the company absolutely cleaned up in January and February due to major incentives offered on its vehicles. In fact, many attribute the stumble in March due to the fact that GM retracted these offers on vehicles, rather than any type of quality flaw.

Whether you're interested in a Ford or a Chevrolet, New Jersey State Auto Auction has a wide range of cars for sale at affordable prices.