HONOLULU -- Some have blamed high gas prices for the dramatic downturn in new car sales in Hawaii. Now, a weakening economy could threaten to keep customers away.

Gas prices have just started to fall around the islands, but the economic crisis is another whammy to contend with. The squeeze comes just as the new models are arriving on the lot.

It has been a lonely time for car salesmen around town. With fewer customers car dealerships are dealing with harsh realities as sales drop off.

"At one point we had 20 sales people now we have 10. So, you just adjust personnel so that everyone can still make a living," Honolulu Ford Manager Mark Caliri said.

At Honolulu Ford, as sports utility vehicle and truck sales slowed, the sales of hybrid cars and more fuel-efficient models sped up.

The company is now turning its attention on the used car market.

"We are building up our used car inventory service because we see that used cars is maintaining and service is still growing, and that's what is keeping us going," Caliri said.

Caliri added three more workers in his service department as more people are hanging on to older cars longer. He is also banking on this weekend's sale of some 200 repossessed cars to bump his sales figures.

The company has some of the newest models of Mustangs and other Ford favorites available, but with the 2009 vehicles already on their way dealers are trying to make room and clear out this year's models.

Caliri points to deeper manufacturer discounts.

"The rebates are tremendous. We have $8,000 rebates on some of these cars," he said.

Honolulu Ford said the slide began three years ago when sales dropped 15 percent in 2006. Last year, they plummeted 25 percent and Caliari estimates sales this year are down another by another 20 percent.

Car dealers want to deal and said now is the time to buy if you are in the market for a car and have good credit.