CARFAX Joins Chrysler in the Five Star Certified Program

    FAIRFAX, Va.--May 20, 2002--CARFAX, Inc., the leading provider of vehicle history reports, has joined the Chrysler Group in their Five Star Certified pre-owned program.
    The agreement between the Chrysler Group and CARFAX integrates CARFAX vehicle history information into the Chrysler Dial System, a dealer management tool. This addition to the Five Star Certified pre-owned program offers consumers many of the same advantages of a new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep(R) vehicle at significant savings.
    The CARFAX service will act like a background check for Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles being considered for the certification program and will be presented to the consumer as part of the sales process.
    Using the car's 17-digit Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), the report is generated to confirm a clean title history and accurate mileage, or set aside vehicles with undisclosed problems such as odometer discrepancies, salvage or flood damage. These types of problems make them ineligible for the Chrysler Group certification.
    "CARFAX is constantly looking for ways of increasing the value of our information and usability of our reports," says Dick Raines, President of CARFAX, Inc. "We are pleased to be part of a program aimed at helping consumers purchase a certified pre-owned Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep with confidence."
    To become a Five Star Certified pre-owned vehicle, in addition to a clean title history verified by CARFAX, each car must pass a rigorous 125-point mechanical, safety, and appearance inspection. Each is factory backed with an 8-year/80,000-mile limited powertrain warranty and must be in excellent mechanical condition while meeting high visual standards.
    Each Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep is reconditioned and detailed to ensure that it meets the standards set to carry a Five Star Certified label.
    "Used vehicle customers want the security and peace of mind that the vehicle they're purchasing is a quality pre-owned product," said Jim Schroer, Executive Vice President - Global Sales and Marketing for the Chrysler Group. "The fact that we provide a CARFAX title history with all certified pre-owned vehicles enhances the bond of trust that we have with our customers."
    Some of the Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep dealers already use CARFAX. "We've been using CARFAX reports as a sales tool for the past 6 years," says Tom Archer, Used Car Manager at Fair Oaks Dodge, Fairfax, VA. "The reports increase our closing ratio, strengthen customer confidence in our dealership and our customers ask for them by name. We wouldn't try to sell a car without showing a CARFAX report."

    About CARFAX

    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 nearly 2 billion 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