Some auto dealerships here are experiencing record sales so far this year, due partly to manufacturers incentives such as 0 percent financing and large rebates, while other dealers are seeing little change over last years numbers, a spot check shows.


Through August, Downtown Toyota had racked up a 10 percent increase in new-car sales over the year-earlier period, selling a record 1,100 new vehicles this yearwith 117 of those in Augustor about 100 cars more than in the first eight months last year, says Anthony Delger, new-car sales manager.


Were on track for a record year, Delger says. Septembers sales figures werent available yet. He says that 2001 was a record year for the dealership.


At Dishman Dodge, August was a banner month, with buyers driving 122 new vehicles off the lot, asserts Tom Maine, Dishmans new-car sales manager. In August 2001, the dealership sold 80 new cars and trucks, which compares with 75 in an average month, he says.


At Wendle Motors Inc.s Ford dealership, sales are up, although they havent been as strong as they were in the fourth quarter last year, when some automakers, including Ford, offered 0 percent financing to stimulate sales after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, says Andy Keys, general sales manager.


Were better than a year ago, but not as good as it was in, like, October and November last year, Keys says.


Nationally, the fourth quarter last year was good for Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp., says longtime industry analyst R.L. Polk & Co., of Southfield, Mich. According to R.L. Polk, Fords share of the U.S. car market during that quarter increased to 20.3 percent, for a gain of nearly 1 percentage point from the year-earlier quarter, while GMs market share rose to 25.3 percent, for a gain of nearly 2 percentage points.


The Wall Street Journal reported recently that incentives offered by carmakers are driving up sales at many auto dealerships nationwide, but the costly promotions are hurting manufacturers.


Some local dealerships, though, dont seem to be benefiting hugely from the incentives.


At Foothills Lincoln Mercury Mazda, sales of only one makeMazdahave grown significantly, says Scot Lenhart, a new car sales manager there.


Weve had a terrific year so far with new car sales with Mazda, he says. Lenhart claims that sales of new Mazdas are up 22 percent over last year at this time. In all of 2001, Foothills moved out 524 new Mazdas, while this years sales are expected to approach 600, he says.


Lenhart describes sales of Lincoln and Mercury vehicles, however, as so-so.


At Honda/Acura of Spokane, some Honda modelssuch as the Odyssey, CR-V, and new Pilot sport-utility vehicleare selling well, but overall sales are similar to last years, says Joe Kronenberg, the Honda sales manager there.


Sales at Barton Jeep are matching 2001s levels, says Mike Price, Bartons general sales manager.


According to the Washington state Department of Licensing, new-vehicle registrations in Spokane County through June this year were down slightly from the year-earlier period, to about 8,350 this year from nearly 8,580 last year. New-truck registrations gained, while new-car registrations slid.


Such numbers arent necessarily indicative of local retail-market conditions. Registration numbers reflect how many new vehicles county residents have registered in a given period, but dont reflect where they bought those vehicles. Also, dealerships here sell vehicles to many buyers from outside of Spokane County.


Dishmans Maine says low interest rates are making new trucks affordable to people who might not be able to buy them otherwise, and hes seen a lot of customers choose new trucks over used ones for that reason.


With incentives making new vehicles more affordable, some dealerships, including Dishman and Foothills, say their used-car sales have stayed fairly flat.


Wendle Motors and Downtown Toyota, however, claim theyre selling more used cars because of certified-used programs, in which newer used vehicles are reconditioned, and manufacturers offer lower interest rates and longer warranties than typically are available for used vehicles.


Keys says that through September the dealership had sold 230 more used vehicles this year than it did in the year-earlier period.