Buying a Quality Used Car for your Teen this Holiday Season: CARFAX Offers Advice on What to Know Before Attaching That Giant Bow.

Business Editors

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2002

If the teen in your life has been extra nice, you may be rewarding him or her with a four-wheeled gift this year. Or perhaps your teen is saving those checks from grandma and grandpa towards a vehicle purchase of his or her own.

Whatever the case, while visions of new hot rods race through their heads, chances are the purchase will be a used car instead. That's why CARFAX(R), together with industry and safety experts, has compiled these tips to help parents select a safe, affordable pre-owned vehicle appropriate for novice teen drivers. Take this list and check it twice when shopping for your teen driver:

-- History: Get a CARFAX Vehicle History Report to be sure there are no hidden problems in the vehicle's past. (Carfax.com)

-- Size: Avoid trucks or SUVs with a high center of gravity--they tend to have a higher rollover rate--for inexperienced drivers who may more easily lose control. (Author Phil Berardelli, SafeYoungDrivers.com)

-- Safety: Choose a vehicle with as many of the newer safety features--like airbags and antilock brakes--as you can afford. Usually a midsize car from the last six or seven years would be a good choice. (Consumer Reports)

-- Condition: Examine the vehicle for wear and tear. Check the tires--they tell a lot about a vehicle. Is there adequate tread left? Are the wheels cracked or aging? If so, use this as a bargaining chip with the seller to cover the cost of the new tires it will need. (Edmunds.com)

-- Insurability: Vehicle type, in addition to the driver's age, is a factor in determining insurance rates. Sports cars can equal higher insurance premiums. A station wagon may be a better choice for your teen financially, if not socially. (Cars.com)

"Once you've selected a safe car, learn what you can do to make your teen a safer driver," reminds CARFAX president Dick Raines, who spearheaded the recently launched CARFAX Safe Car - Safe Teen Driver program. "I have three teenage boys, and I know the biggest risk they face is driving a car, so as a parent I want to do whatever I can to help them become better drivers."

This program aims to reduce teen fatalities from motor vehicle crashes - the number one killer of teens according to the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety - by empowering parents and educating teens in safe driving principles. This free online resource center can be accessed by visiting www.carfax.com and clicking on the Safe Car - Safe Teen Driver link.

ABOUT CARFAX(R)

Founded in 1984, CARFAX(R) pioneered the concept of the vehicle history report - the instant background check on any used car. CARFAX Vehicle History Reports can confirm a clean title history or identify serious problems with any used car, including salvage history, odometer fraud, flood damage and more. CARFAX helps millions of consumers and thousands of car dealers avoid buying used cars with costly hidden problems. Using the 17-character Vehicle ID Number (VIN), used car buyers can access nearly two billion vehicle history records from hundreds of different sources in the CARFAX nationwide database at www.carfax.com. Every CARFAX Report that confirms a clean title history is backed by the $5,000 Clean Title History Guarantee. CARFAX, Inc., based in Fairfax, Virginia, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the R.L. Polk & Co.