Local consumers continued to drive Mahoning Valley vehicle sales in September and for the year, the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association reported in its monthly survey.

Buyers in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties again made Boardman Subaru the leader in new and used car sales, with 150 and 108 respectively. When including buyers from outside the Valley, Boardman Subaru ended the month with 278 new and used vehicle sales overall, the association reported.

Following the South Avenue dealership, Valley residents made Ken Ganley Kia of Boardman (212), Fairway Ford (191), Toyota of Boardman (189) and Greenwood Chevrolet (188) their second through fifth choices for new and used vehicles. When including out-of-area buyers, the Top 5 new and vehicle sales leaders were Boardman Subaru, Fairway Ford (249), Ken Ganley Kia of Boardman (221), Toyota of Boardman (214) and Greenwood Chevrolet (204).

Canfield-based Fairway Ford witnessed the biggest change in new car sales with 67 when comparing September 2024 to September 2025 numbers.

In the used car category covering the same period, Cochran Buick GMC reported an improvement of 35 sales. Cochran Buick GMC operated under the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC banner until its sale to the Cochran family in December 2023

“Consistent with the rest of the Northern Ohio market, franchised dealers in the Valley continue to grow despite the challenges facing the industry, namely higher vehicle costs and financing headwinds,” Louis A. Vitantonio, the Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers’ Association’s president, said Tuesday.

“Dealers located in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties maintain sales to buyers throughout the state of Ohio — with registration numbers in line with competitors in the current market,” Vitantonio said.

He noted that with the expiration of the federal tax credit on Sept. 30, “sales growth was boosted by brands that had more (electric-vehicle) availability.”

The association said 19,391 new motor vehicles were sold last month in Northern Ohio, an increase of 3.51% over September of last year. According to figures, area franchised dealers recorded sales that topped the previous year, selling 6.68% more vehicles to date in 2025.

“Used vehicle sales were again flat in September, and slightly down year to date,” Vitantonio said. “We remain optimistic that 2025 will end seeing single digit growth over 2024, with potential interest rate relief and strong consumer demand.”

Used vehicle sales totaled 17,081 for the month versus 17,007 last September, and 157,098 so far in 2025, a difference of 3.06% compared to last year.

Chevrolet continues to outpace the competition in Northern Ohio, selling 2,950 new vehicles in September. Ford remains the second best-selling brand in the region, with 2,199 registrations. Toyota leaped from fifth to third place with 1,769 vehicles sold, ahead of Honda’s 1,727 and Kia’s 1,669 sales.

Vehicle sales data includes all dealers in 21 counties: Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Columbiana, Coshocton, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Trumbull, Tuscarawas and Wayne.

The association represents more than 280 franchised motor vehicle dealers, which include new-car, truck, motorcycle and RV dealers in 32 Ohio counties.

More information can be found at www.gcada.org.