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StoneAge.com Assists Consumers with Online Auto Financing

5 January 2001

StoneAge.com Assists Consumers with Online Auto Financing

           Focusing on Pre-owned vehicles for the Credit Challenged

    TROY, Mich., Jan. 5 StoneAge.com has launched a program
that provides online auto financing for consumers who have less than perfect
credit.  The announcement was made today by Mark Campbell, StoneAge.com's
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  "We're shifting some of our focus
towards the indirect lending model with the AutoAgent program, but will
continue to support the very profitable lead referral model.
    According to Campbell, sixty nine percent of online auto shoppers want a
pre-owned vehicle and 90% of them need financing.  "Getting approved for a car
loan is extremely important to the majority of our population," explains
Campbell.  "The AutoAgent program gets consumers approved online and then
directs them to a dealership that has the exact vehicle they want.  Our
customers are very satisfied and our dealer partners sell their pre-owned
inventory."
    The AutoAgent program has been operating for five months and has over 350
participating dealers.  StoneAge.com is also a licensed sales finance company
in 38 states.  "The AutoAgent program significantly strengthens our dealer
relationships and demonstrates our long-term commitment," explains Bud
LaCombe, Chief Operating Officer for StoneAge.com.  "By uploading their
inventory into our database, dealers enrolled in the AutoAgent program earn
over 80% of the revenue when one of their vehicles is sold.  And unlike
direct lenders (PeopleFirst, E-LOAN, giggo.com) who preclude the dealer from
earning the back-ended profits, our indirect lending model actually allows the
dealer to earn the backend.  This is a key benefit for our dealer partners and
one of the reasons the program is so successful."

    About StoneAge.com
    StoneAge.com is nationally ranked as one of the Top 10 Online Auto Sites.
Since 1996, StoneAge.com has been recognized for its innovative features and
entrepreneurial leadership in the automotive e-commerce industry.
StoneAge.com is a third party consumer advocate that empowers consumers to
make informed buying decisions by providing a broad range of auto related
services:  research, financing, price quotes, vehicle reviews and classified
ads for new and used vehicles.  StoneAge.com maintains an extensive network of
top-rated dealer partners in the U.S. and Canada, and received an overall
rating of EXCELLENT from PC Magazine.  StoneAge.com is a privately owned
company based in Troy, MI.