Carfax.com Goes On the Record With Hot Properties; Carfax Adds Theft Data to Constantly Expanding Vehicle History Database

    FAIRFAX, Va.--March 28, 2001--Carfax.com, the nation's leading provider of vehicle history reports, announced today that they will be adding stolen vehicle data to their database of more than 1.31 billion unique vehicle records.
    This latest addition of data bolsters the Carfax commitment of being the one-stop source of vehicle history information for buyers and sellers of used cars.
    "According to the Insurance Information Institute, a vehicle is stolen every 25 seconds," explains Scott Fredericks, Vice President of Marketing for Carfax. "Statistics from both the Federal Bureau of Investigations Crime Index and the Insurance Information Institute reveal that higher-end vehicles are being stolen so the cost of vehicle theft continues to rise."
    That cost was estimated at more than $7.5 billion last year.
    "Putting this information out there and giving car buyers a means for running a background check on a vehicle, empowers them with knowledge and makes it difficult for thieves to move stolen vehicles," concludes Fredericks. "Consumers and dealers running Carfax vehicle history reports can avoid purchasing a 'hot property'."
    Recently a Carfax customer from Elma, New York, looking at a pre-owned Ranger 4x4 SuperCab loaded with options and around 20,000 miles on it passed on just such a 'hot' deal. "The dealer was pushing me hard to buy...even suggested taking the truck home for the evening to evaluate it," explained the customer. "As soon as I got home, I ran it through Carfax; turns out the truck had been originally titled in Buffalo but was stolen!" The customer informed the dealer, who was surprised by the findings, and agreed with the consumer that this was a case of "no sale--no way." The truck had been recovered in Atlanta, somehow making its way back to New York for resale at an auction.

    About Carfax, Inc.

    Founded in 1984, Carfax pioneered the concept of the vehicle history report - the instant background check on any used car. Carfax Vehicle History Reports can confirm a clean title history or identify serious problems with any used car, including salvage history, odometer fraud, flood damage and more. Carfax helps millions of consumers and thousands of car dealers avoid buying used cars with costly hidden problems. Using the 17-character Vehicle ID Number (VIN), used car buyers can access over 1.3 billion unique vehicle history records from hundreds of different sources in the Carfax nationwide database at www.carfax.com. Every Carfax Report that confirms a clean title history is backed by the $5,000 Clean Title History Guarantee. Carfax, Inc., based in Fairfax, Virginia, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the R.L. Polk & Co.

    www.carfax.com