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HAMILTON — A year ago, Mark Dinelaker sold a variety of trucks, sport utility vehicles and cars as sales manager at Rose Chevrolet.

Today, he said the dealership at 110 N. Erie Ave. mostly sells "anything that gets 30 miles per gallon."

With rising fuel costs, sales of compact cars at Hamilton-Fairfield Dodge Jeep have increased by 40 percent to 50 percent, while sales of larger vehicles have decreased by that amount, said Rick Woosley, general sales manager at the dealership at 790 S. Erie Ave.

"We're trying to keep it a level playing game, but it's a trend no matter what you do," he said. "You have to sell the bigger stuff, too."

Rose Chevrolet plans to offer incentives — such as no-interest financing and rebates of as much as $7,000 — on bigger trucks and SUVs, Dinkelaker said.

"It's not so much that we're selling less, but we're selling different stuff and just trying to adjust to the changes we've seen in the past month or so," he said.

Dinkelaker said he expects even fewer people to buy large vehicles as fuel prices rise.

The best-selling models at Rose Chevrolet are the Impala, Malibu and Cobalt, he said. All three receive more than 20 mpg. The best selling vehicle at the Jeep-Dodge dealership, the Patriot, is a small SUV that gets up to 27 mpg.

Motorists who aren't buying new cars are taking special care to ensure their vehicles get the best mileage possible, said Joe McFarland, manager of Jeff Pohlman Tire and Auto, 303 S. Second St.

The business has seen increases in oil changes, repairs and air filter replacement, as well as more requests to inflate tires, McFarland said.

"A bad air filter or tires can take up to 10 percent off every gallon's worth of gas," he said. "It's worth keeping these things changed so you get the most out of your gas."