Coast Distribution Repurchases 49,896 Shares of Common Stock From Thomas R. McGuire, Coast's Chief Executive Officer, Pursuant to Company's Stock Repurchase Program

MORGAN HILL, Calif., May 18, 2005 -- The Coast Distribution System, Inc. (AMEX:CRV) today reported that, pursuant to its previously announced stock repurchase program, Coast has purchased a total of 49,896 shares of common stock from Thomas R. McGuire, its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, for a purchase price of $4.81 per share, which is the average of the closing prices of the Company's shares over the five trading days that began on May 11, 2005 and ended on May 17, 2005.

Mr. McGuire who, even after this sale, will continue to own more than 495,000 of Coast's outstanding shares and is Coast's largest stockholder, stated "I have decided to sell these shares at this time to diversify my investment portfolio and, at the same time, to assist the Company in completing its previously announced stock repurchase program in a manner that minimizes the costs of that program to the Company. I remain confident about Coast and its future prospects."

About The Coast Distribution System

The Coast Distribution System, Inc. (http://www.coastdistribution.com/ ) is a leading supplier of parts, accessories and supplies for recreational vehicles (RVs) and pleasure boats in the U.S. and Canada. Coast supplies its products to its 15,000 customers through 17 distribution centers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Coast is publicly traded on the American Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CRV.

Forward-Looking Information

Statements in this news release regarding our expectations and beliefs about our future financial performance and trends in our markets are "forward- looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigations Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often include the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "project," or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," or "may." The forward-looking statements in this news release regarding Coast Distribution's future financial performance are based on current information and, because its business is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, actual operating results in the future may differ significantly from the future financial performance expected at the current time. Those risks and uncertainties may include, among others: Loss of confidence among consumers regarding economic conditions, which could adversely affect their willingness to purchase and use their RVs and boats and which, in turn, would affect their purchases of the products we sell; increases in interest rates which affect the availability and affordability of financing for RVs and boats; increases in the costs and shortages in the supply of gasoline which increase the costs of using, and the willingness and ability of consumers to use, RVs and boats; and unusually severe or extended winter weather conditions, which can reduce the usage of RVs and boats for periods extending beyond the ordinary winter months or to regions that ordinarily encounter milder winter weather conditions; possible increases in price competition within our markets that could reduce our margins and, therefore, our earnings; our practice of obtaining a number of our products from single manufacturing sources, which could lead to shortages in the supply of products to us in the event any single source supplier were to encounter production or other problems; and possible changes in supply relationships in our markets, which could lead to increased competition or to reductions in the number of products we are able to offer our customers. Certain of these risks and uncertainties, in addition to other risks, are more fully described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, as amended by Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A, and readers of this news release are urged to review the discussion of those risks and uncertainties that are contained in that Report. Due to these and other possible uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this news release, which speak only as of today's date. We also disclaim any obligations to update forward- looking statements contained in this news release or in the above referenced 2004 Annual Report, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.