The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Onyx Acceptance Reports Increase in Earnings

22 October 1999

Onyx Acceptance Reports Increase in Earnings, Revenues and Loan Originations In Third Quarter
    FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., Oct. 22 -- Onyx Acceptance
Corporation announced today financial and operational results
for the quarter and nine-month periods ended September 30, 1999:

    For The Third Quarter:

     -- Net income rose by 48%, from $1.8 million earned in third quarter
        1998, to $2.6 million.

     -- Earnings per diluted share climbed 44% to $0.39.  This compares with
        $0.27 per diluted share for the third quarter 1998.

     -- Total revenues increased by 43%, to $23.6 million.  This compares to
        $16.5 million in the same quarter 1998.

     -- Contracts purchased increased by 39%, from $286.5 million originated
        in third quarter 1998, to $398.8 million.

     -- Operating expenses as a percent of average servicing portfolio
        declined to 4.16%.  This compares with 4.75% in the same quarter 1998.

     -- Contracts securitized during the quarter increased by 60%, from
        $250 million in 1998, to $400 million.

     -- Off balance sheet reserves as a percent of securitized assets
        increased to 4.45% at September 30, 1999, up from 4.31% at
        December 31, 1998.

    For The Nine-Month Period:

     -- Net income increased 100% to $7.2 million, compared with $3.6 million
        earned for the same period last year.

     -- Earnings per diluted share for the period climbed 96% to $1.10,
        compared with $0.56 for the same period in 1998.

     -- Total revenues for the nine-month period increased 57% to
        $65.9 million, compared to $42 million for the same period in 1998.

     -- Contract purchases increased by 54% to $1.1 billion, compared to
        $734.3 million in 1998.

     -- Operating expenses as a percent of average servicing portfolio
        declined to 4.31%.  This compares with 4.88% for the nine months ended
        September 30, 1998.

     -- Servicing portfolio increased by 64% to $1.9 billion at quarter-end
        from $1.2 billion at September 30, 1998.


                   ONYX ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
                  CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

                                                        (UNAUDITED)

                                               September 30,     December 31,
                                                   1999               1998
    ASSETS
      CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS                   $4,787,831         $1,928,991
      CONTRACTS HELD FOR SALE
       - Net of Allowance (a)                  195,535,962        152,760,781
      CREDIT ENHANCEMENT ASSETS                130,900,443        112,953,193
      OTHER ASSETS                              11,070,086          7,778,759

            TOTAL ASSETS                      $342,294,322       $275,421,724


    LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
      LIABILITIES
        DEBT                                  $255,071,383       $209,600,061
        OTHER LIABILITIES                       36,514,796         21,997,942

            TOTAL LIABILITIES                  291,586,179        231,598,003

            TOTAL EQUITY                        50,708,143         43,823,721

            TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY      $342,294,322       $275,421,724

        (a) Net of Unearned Discounts


                   ONYX ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
                        CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
                                   (UNAUDITED)

                              Three Months Ended         Nine Months Ended
                                 September 30,              September 30,
                               1999         1998         1999          1998

    REVENUES:

      Net Interest Income   1,665,793     2,787,072    5,588,923    6,051,445
      Gain on Sale
       of Contracts        13,723,258     9,676,893   40,520,626   25,911,096
      Service Fee Income    8,237,101     4,007,969   19,757,636   10,015,975

    Total Revenues         23,626,152    16,471,934   65,867,185   41,978,516

    EXPENSES:

      Provision for
       Credit Losses          203,579       597,957      952,560    1,229,764
      Operating Expenses   18,994,516    12,878,210   52,672,183   34,612,101

    Total Expenses         19,198,095    13,476,167   53,624,743   35,841,865

    NET INCOME BEFORE
     INCOME TAXES           4,428,057     2,995,767   12,242,442    6,136,651
    INCOME TAXES            1,837,644     1,243,243    5,080,613    2,546,709
    NET INCOME             $2,590,413    $1,752,524   $7,161,829   $3,589,942

    NET INCOME PER SHARE
     - BASIC                    $0.42         $0.28        $1.16        $0.59
    NET INCOME PER SHARE
     - DILUTED                  $0.39         $0.27        $1.10        $0.56
    BASIC SHARES
     OUTSTANDING            6,175,817     6,162,374    6,172,628    6,093,198
    DILUTED SHARES
     OUTSTANDING            6,656,463     6,381,882    6,527,643    6,445,412


                   ONYX ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION and SUBSIDIARIES
                            DELINQUENCY AND LOSS RATES
                                   (UNAUDITED)
                                  (In Thousands)

                                 September 30,              December 31,
                                     1999                       1998

    Delinquency Experience

                             Number of                  Number of
                             Contracts       $          Contracts      $

    Servicing Portfolio       189,062    $1,924,881       131,862 $1,345,961

    Serviced Delinquency

        31 to 59 days           3,067       $29,324         2,766    $26,410
        60 to 89 days           1,141        11,219           691      6,876
        90 days or more         1,068        10,992           455      4,790

        Total                   5,276       $51,535         3,912    $38,076

    Delinquency as a
     percent of number
     and amount of contracts    2.79%         2.68%         2.97%      2.83%


                              Three Months Ended         Nine Months Ended
                                 September 30,              September 30,

    Loss Experience
                              1999          1998         1999          1998

    Average Contracts
     Serviced during
     the period            $1,824,799    $1,083,919    $1,629,779   $945,077

    Gross Charge-offs          $9,426        $5,453       $24,528    $14,827

    Recoveries                 $1,228          $794        $3,155     $2,251

    Net Charge-offs            $8,198        $4,659       $21,373    $12,576

    Net Charge-offs as a
     percent of contracts
     outstanding during
     the period                 1.80%         1.72%         1.75%      1.77%


                           Onyx Acceptance Corporation
            Static Pool Information for securitized pools outstanding
    for the period from the date of securitization through September 30, 1999

    Trust: 96-1     96-2     96-3    96-4     97-1     97-2    97-3    97-4

    Month
      1    0.00%    0.01%   0.00%    0.00%    0.00%    0.00%   0.00%   0.00%
      2    0.03%    0.07%   0.02%    0.02%    0.00%    0.00%   0.00%   0.00%
      3    0.05%    0.20%   0.07%    0.05%    0.03%    0.02%   0.02%   0.01%
      4    0.11%    0.33%   0.16%    0.14%    0.06%    0.07%   0.09%   0.04%
      5    0.23%    0.46%   0.43%    0.24%    0.13%    0.22%   0.13%   0.11%
      6    0.40%    0.78%   0.54%    0.38%    0.26%    0.32%   0.24%   0.20%
      7    0.69%    0.98%   0.74%    0.53%    0.37%    0.59%   0.36%   0.28%
      8    0.82%    1.15%   0.97%    0.81%    0.52%    0.80%   0.47%   0.43%
      9    0.93%    1.39%   1.13%    0.98%    0.60%    0.91%   0.62%   0.55%
      10   1.15%    1.52%   1.32%    1.18%    0.76%    1.07%   0.73%   0.72%
      11   1.25%    1.69%   1.47%    1.43%    0.92%    1.26%   0.81%   0.87%
      12   1.47%    1.94%   1.60%    1.63%    1.02%    1.42%   0.94%   0.95%
      13   1.65%    2.08%   1.77%    1.73%    1.13%    1.58%   1.10%   1.08%
      14   1.79%    2.34%   1.94%    1.87%    1.23%    1.68%   1.23%   1.19%
      15   2.02%    2.52%   2.09%    2.07%    1.40%    1.80%   1.38%   1.36%
      16   2.25%    2.76%   2.27%    2.23%    1.56%    1.97%   1.58%   1.42%
      17   2.43%    2.89%   2.42%    2.33%    1.68%    2.10%   1.68%   1.52%
      18   2.59%    3.10%   2.57%    2.49%    1.75%    2.23%   1.77%   1.64%
      19   2.77%    3.14%   2.70%    2.62%    1.85%    2.35%   1.91%   1.75%
      20   2.93%    3.30%   2.83%    2.73%    1.92%    2.48%   2.04%   1.85%
      21   3.06%    3.47%   2.94%    2.84%    1.98%    2.59%   2.11%   1.97%
      22   3.15%    3.60%   3.00%    2.93%    2.09%    2.72%   2.20%   2.08%
      23   3.21%    3.70%   3.08%    3.02%    2.17%    2.81%   2.31%
      24   3.28%    3.81%   3.17%    3.10%    2.22%    2.85%   2.41%
      25   3.40%    3.93%   3.28%    3.22%    2.31%    2.93%   2.51%
      26   3.43%    4.06%   3.38%    3.29%    2.38%    2.96%
      27   3.55%    4.13%   3.43%    3.39%    2.44%    3.09%
      28   3.60%    4.22%   3.54%    3.46%    2.50%    3.17%
      29   3.73%    4.23%   3.59%    3.58%    2.55%
      30   3.75%    4.29%   3.69%    3.61%    2.63%
      31   3.79%    4.31%   3.77%    3.64%    2.67%
      32   3.85%    4.33%   3.75%    3.72%
      33   3.88%    4.37%   3.77%    3.74%
      34   3.90%    4.39%   3.79%    3.77%
      35   3.94%    4.39%   3.81%
      36   3.94%    4.42%   3.83%
      37   3.94%    4.42%   3.84%
      38   3.97%    4.43%
      39   3.99%    4.45%
      40   3.96%    4.46%
      41   3.96%    4.45%
      42   3.95%
      43   3.96%
      44   3.94%
      45   3.97%


                           Onyx Acceptance Corporation

            Static Pool Information for securitized pools outstanding
    for the period from the date of securitization through September 30, 1999

    Trust:  98-1    98-A     98-B    98-C     99-A     99-B    99-C

    Month
      1    0.00%    0.00%   0.00%    0.00%    0.00%    0.00%   0.00%
      2    0.01%    0.01%   0.00%    0.02%    0.00%    0.00%   0.01%
      3    0.02%    0.03%   0.02%    0.02%    0.02%    0.03%
      4    0.08%    0.07%   0.08%    0.04%    0.05%    0.07%
      5    0.14%    0.14%   0.19%    0.15%    0.11%    0.14%
      6    0.24%    0.23%   0.33%    0.27%    0.21%
      7    0.40%    0.37%   0.45%    0.46%    0.35%
      8    0.53%    0.42%   0.61%    0.57%    0.49%
      9    0.68%    0.51%   0.82%    0.74%
      10   0.85%    0.70%   0.95%    0.94%
      11   1.04%    0.85%   1.10%    1.12%
      12   1.20%    1.01%   1.20%
      13   1.33%    1.17%   1.36%
      14   1.46%    1.37%
      15   1.61%    1.48%
      16   1.71%    1.59%
      17   1.88%
      18   2.01%
      19   2.17%


    Financial Results
    The Company recorded a gain on sale of contracts of $13.7 million for the
quarter ended September 30, 1999, compared to a gain of $9.7 million for the
same period of 1998.  For the nine months ended September 30, 1999, gain on
sales of contracts totaled $40.5 million compared to gain on sales of
$25.9 million for the same period of 1998.  The increase in the gain on sales
is primarily the result of an increase in the amount of contracts sold.
    Service fee income increased to $8.2 million and $19.8 million for the
three- and nine- month periods ending September 30, 1999, compared to
$4.0 million and $10.0 million for the same periods in 1998.  These increases
are due primarily to higher amounts of contractual service fees, late fees and
document fees as a result of the growth in the servicing portfolio.
    The increase in revenue was a result of the continued expansion of the
Company's servicing portfolio and the increased volume of contracts purchased
resulting from the continued development of the dealer base in new and
existing markets.
    Total operating expenses as a percent of average servicing portfolio
declined to 4.16% for the quarter ended September 30, 1999, compared to 4.75%
for the quarter ended September 30, 1998.  The operating expense ratio for the
nine months ended September 30, 1999, was 4.31%, compared to 4.88% for the
nine months ended September 30, 1998.

    Portfolio Performance
    Annualized net charge-offs as a percent of average servicing portfolio
increased to 1.80% at the end of third quarter 1999, from 1.72% at the end of
third quarter 1998.  The annualized net charge-offs as a percent of average
servicing portfolio for the nine months ended September 30, 1999, was 1.75%,
down from 1.77% for the same period in 1998.  The amount of total
delinquencies as a percent of the servicing portfolio was 2.68% at September
30, 1999, a 15 basis point improvement from 2.83% at December 31, 1998.

    Business Development
    Onyx opened its 17th auto finance center, this one in Arlington, Texas.

    Chase Securities, Inc. joined the group of lenders providing financing to
Onyx.  During the quarter, Chase arranged a $150 million warehouse line.  The
transaction increased Onyx's warehousing capacity by 32% to $625 million.


    Onyx Acceptance Corporation is a specialized automobile finance company
based in Foothill Ranch, CA.  Onyx provides financing to franchised and select
independent dealerships throughout the United States.

    This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to
certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected.  The most significant among these risks and
uncertainties are (a) the Company's level of delinquencies, gross charge-offs
and net losses, (b) the Company's ability to achieve adequate interest rate
spreads, (c) the effects of economic factors on consumer debt, and (d) the
continued availability of liquidity sources.  Other important factors are
detailed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K as amended by Form 10-K/A
for the year ended December 31, 1998, and on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended
March 31, 1999, and June 30, 1999.

    For information about Onyx Acceptance Corporation and to view a recent
investor presentation, please visit Onyx's web site at http://www.onyxco.com.