CarMax Says Online Searches for Smaller Cars on the Rise

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 13, 2005 -- At a time when gas prices continue to increase, CarMax, Inc. , the nation's largest retailer of used cars, says online searches for smaller cars are on the rise. Examples include the Toyota Corolla, Volkswagen Jetta, and Toyota Prius, all of which are climbing in popularity based on searches on the carmax.com website in September when compared with searches in June. The Toyota Prius rose to 16th in September from a 123rd ranking in June.

"One of the ways we know that people are looking more for mid-size and compact cars is by monitoring the search activity on our website," said Austin Ligon, president and chief executive officer for CarMax. "However, even as smaller cars are gaining in popularity, the continuing decline in SUV prices means SUVs will remain attractive to many buyers."

The following is a listing of popular searches for small vehicles on carmax.com in September:

   Make/Model               Rank for September              Rank for June
   Honda Accord             1                               1
   Honda Civic              2                               2
   Toyota Camry             3                               3
   Toyota Corolla           4                               12
   Volkswagen Jetta         8                               13
   Volkswagen Beetle        14                              26
   Toyota Prius             16                              123
   Volkswagen Passat        17                              40
   MINI Cooper              18                              30

More than 20 percent of CarMax retail sales are initiated through carmax.com. Online shoppers can browse CarMax's nationwide inventory of approximately 20,000 vehicles and see a car's photo, price and specifications, all from the comfort of home. Vehicles can be transferred at customer request to their local CarMax superstore.

About CarMax

CarMax, a FORTUNE 500 company, and one of the FORTUNE 2005 "100 Best Companies to Work For," is the nation's largest retailer of used cars. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., CarMax currently operates 65 used car superstores in 29 markets. CarMax also operates seven new car franchises, all of which are integrated or co-located with its used car superstores. During the twelve month period ended August 31, 2005, the company sold 278,178 used cars, which is 93 percent of the total 299,138 vehicles the company retailed during that period. For more information, access the CarMax website at http://www.carmax.com/.