CarsDirect.com Named a Top 100 Classic Website By PC Magazine

    LOS ANGELES--March 24, 2003--Founded less than four years ago, CarsDirect.com, the leading online car-buying service, has already proven to be a "classic" among Internet businesses. For the second year in a row, PC Magazine, a premier technology publication, has named CarsDirect.com one of the Top 100 Classic Websites -- the only automotive website to receive the honor in either year. This is the third year that PC Magazine has designated CarsDirect.com a Top 100 website, since the company was also included in PC Magazine's 2001 ranking of Top 100 Websites.
    CarsDirect.com joins other market leaders on the magazine's 2003 Top 100 Classics list, including Amazon.com , Dell , Yahoo , and eBay . The complete list can be found in the March 25, 2003, issue of PC Magazine and online at www.pcmag.com/top100websites.
    "As online car buying continues to forge its path into the mainstream of the consumer mindset, CarsDirect.com is well positioned to maintain its leadership position," said Bob Brisco, CEO, CarsDirect.com. "Car shoppers increasingly are becoming more willing to let the Internet work for them -- to make car buying a positive and consumer-friendly experience."
    According to J.D. Power and Associates, in 2002, 60 percent of all new vehicle buyers used the Internet to help them research and/or purchase their vehicle, and 47 percent of all late-model used-vehicle buyers used the Internet as part of the vehicle-shopping process -- a 10 percent increase over 2001 and an 80 percent increase since 1999.
    By offering new- and used-car buyers a variety of purchase options from direct and referral to used classified listings online, CarsDirect.com has become an industry standard for customer service and satisfaction. The website's comprehensive Research Center helps consumers make the right purchase decisions based on budget, lifestyle and need.
    "More than 98 percent of our customers say they will buy their next car through CarsDirect.com," said Brisco. "Our award-winning service, coupled with our great pricing, makes CarsDirect.com an easy choice for the well-informed car buyer."

    About CarsDirect.com

    Los Angeles-based CarsDirect.com (www.carsdirect.com) is the leading multi-brand online car-buying service, providing new and used automobiles and related products and services, such as loan and lease financing and in-demand aftermarket products, including extended warranties. CarsDirect.com is the first online car provider to offer visitors three distinctive car buying options: buying a new car online through the company's award-winning direct channel; being matched with a top-quality new car dealer of their choice via the CarsDirect Connect channel; or locating and purchasing a previously owned vehicle through the CarsDirect Used channel.

    About PC Magazine

    PC Magazine, the independent guide to technology, delivers comprehensive, labs-based reviews and the most trusted recommendations for buyers of technology products and services. Reaching more than 5.9 million highly engaged technology readers, PC Magazine provides product reviews, first looks at emerging technologies and products, and opinionated columns from renowned technology pundits. To meet its readers' needs for buying information that is as current as it is comprehensive, PC Magazine publishes 22 times a year in print and continually on the Web.