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Carfaxonline.com Enhances Services for Used Car Dealers

1 February 2000

Carfaxonline.com Enhances Services for Used Car Dealers

               Partnership With Cobalt's MotorPlace.com Expands
                       Access to Comprehensive Database

    FAIRFAX, Va., Feb. 1 -- Carfax, Inc. (http://www.Carfaxonline.com),
the nation's leading provider of vehicle history information, today announced
expanded access to its one billion record database. Starting today, used car
dealers who visit http://www.MotorPlace.com will have access to detailed background
information on virtually every used car and truck in the United States.
    "We were using another company to check the history of trade-ins," said
Roger Schlegal, president at Heritage Chevrolet Oldsmobile in Tomahawk, WI.
"But Carfax really understands how my dealership works. We use the service to
avoid getting ripped off, and to help our customers feel good about the car
they're buying."
    The Carfax database takes the 17-digit VIN number (found on dashboards and
title documents) and provides a detailed report that confirms the vital
statistics on a car. It also reveals any hidden problems in a vehicle's past
including undisclosed manufacturer buybacks, salvage history, major accidents,
junk or flood damage titles and can detect odometer fraud.
    MotorPlace.com(TM) is operated by The Cobalt Group , a
leading provider of Internet-based products and services for the automotive
industry. MotorPlace.com is the most comprehensive business-to-business site
for automotive dealers and auto industry professionals. The site's focus is on
aggregating vehicle and parts data from Cobalt's more than 12,000 auto dealer
clients to create a dealer-to-dealer e-commerce marketplace.
    Founded in 1984, Carfax pioneered the concept of a used car history
report. Dealers running Carfax reports today have access to nearly one billion
vehicle records. Nationwide, consumers and businesses -- car dealers, auto
auctions and financial institutions -- use Carfax Vehicle History Reports to
make sure they know as much as possible about the history of a used car before
they buy, sell or finance.