Since the fourth quarter of 2011, industry experts have been predicting sales improvements for 2012, and the latest J.D. Power and Associates monthly report indicates the predictions are right so far. The update projects that new-vehicle sales are expected to reach about 857,400 units by the end of February, which is a 5 percent improvement over the same month last year.

"Retail light-vehicle sales in February are strong, which makes us modestly optimistic about the growth of sales going forward," said John Humphrey, senior vice president of global automotive operations for J.D Power. "We're increasingly confident that the fundamentals are in place to continue to support an upbeat sector outlook for the coming year."

Improvements from last year were even stronger for used cars, which may be as much as 16.5 percent higher than February 2011, according to recent TrueCar.com predictions. In fact Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for the automotive website, said he expects automotive sales to reach 14 million units by the end of the year. Until now, experts have projected the totals to reach between 13.6 and 13.8 million units.

Toprak also expects to see a 20 percent surge in sales of fuel-efficient compact cars and hybrid models, such as the Ford Focus and Honda Civic Hybrid, throughout the year. In February at least, used vehicles sales are predicted to outweigh those of new cars two-to-one. Those looking to get behind the wheel of a used vehicle this year can head to New Jersey State Auto Auction. Whether you want a fuel-efficient gas-powered car like the Focus, or you'd prefer to drive a hybrid, NJ Auto has plenty of affordable options.