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Smart Choice Automotive Group, Inc. Planning to Open Six Additional Used Car Centers

30 May 1997

Smart Choice Automotive Group, Inc. Planning to Open Six Additional Used Car Centers

    TITUSVILLE, Fla., May 29 -- Smart Choice Automotive Group,
Inc. announced today plans to open six additional used car
centers in Florida.  They will be located in West Palm Beach, Melbourne,
Titusville, Lake Worth, Largo and Brooksville.  Smart Choice now has a total
of seventeen used car centers and has contracted to buy two new car
dealerships.
    Gary R. Smith, president and CEO stated, "These six locations, the recent
signing of the Manheim lease to use the Imperial Auto Auction property as our
reconditioning facility and the new Team location in Pinellas Park, keeps the
company on track with its plan to operate a total of 30 locations by the end
of 1997."
    Smart Choice Automotive Group, Inc. (formerly Eckler Industries, Inc.)
consolidates new and used car dealerships and finance companies.  Smart
Choice, one of the largest used car dealers in the state of Florida, operates
in the following Florida markets:  West Palm Beach, Orlando and Tampa/St.
Petersburg.  In addition, the Company has acquired three automobile finance
companies which service approximately 5,000 customers and have approximately
$22 million in net finance receivables.
    Smart Choice Automotive Group, Inc. also operates insurance and dealers
consulting divisions as well as Eckler Industries, one of the nation's leaders
in Corvette parts and accessories with more than 95,000 customers.

SOURCE  Smart Choice Automotive Group, Inc.