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.

As part of the continuing fallout from the Japanese earthquake, both Ford and Nissan have announced changes to production at some of their major plants

Ford has announced that it will be halting production at its Louisville, Kentucky, manufacturing plant, which primarily builds "Super Duty" pickup trucks, as well as the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The automaker said it was partially tied to supply chain issues due to the earthquake in Japan, but it declined to state which parts it was waiting on. A sales analyst for Ford told Reuters that the decision wasn't solely tied to the disaster, however. With rising gas prices, large SUVs and pickup trucks are in less demand and Ford anticipates that it won't need as many as originally thought.

Nissan, meanwhile, is addressing the issue by adjusting its schedule. The automaker assigns "non-production" days to factories every year. Rather than take those days later on in the year, they have been moved into the present. This way, Nissan can make up the production at a later date if need be.

With less new vehicles out on the market, demand could spike in the coming month. Fortunately, the used car market is unaffected by these developments, so those who shop New Jersey State Auto Auction will still be able to find great deals as always.

The month of March is in the books, and most of the major automakers have reported their sales totals. So which cars were the best sellers throughout the month?

Despite all the talk of drivers switching to smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles thanks to the higher gas prices, Americans still love their pickup trucks. The Ford F-Series was easily the best seller for a month that also saw Ford as the best selling brand. In fact, the F-Series outpaced the second-place vehicle, the Honda Accord, by nearly 20,000 units. Sales for the pickup were up 23 percent year-on-year. Although it is a truck, Ford's new powertrains for the vehicle give it a significant boost in fuel economy, which may have helped it outsell the Chevrolet Silverado, the third best-selling car for March.

The Hyundai Sonata was able to get on the list in the tenth spot, selling a whopping 64 percent more than the previous year. Mainstays like the Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry and Honda Civic took up most of the middle slots.

In many cases, these are vehicles that have not seen significant improvements in recent years. That means drivers can essentially be getting the same vehicle for a lot less money by shopping used car dealerships like New Jersey State Auto Auction.