Carfax Partners With Saab Cars USA in Pre-owned Certification Program.

Business Editors

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2001

Carfax, Inc., the Internet's leading provider of vehicle history reports, will join Saab Cars USA, Inc., in their Saab Certified Pre-Owned program.

This partnership between Saab and Carfax means that Carfax Vehicle History Reports will become a mandatory item on the Saab checklist of requirements for a pre-owned vehicle to become Saab Certified. Saab cars are known for durability, so a Saab Certified Pre-Owned vehicle offers many of the same advantages of a new Saab at significant savings.

The Carfax Vehicle History Report will act like a background check for Saab vehicles being considered for the certification program and will be presented to the consumer as part of the sales process. Using the car's 17-digital Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), a Carfax report is generated to confirm a clean title history and accurate mileage, or weed out vehicles with undisclosed problems such as odometer discrepancies, major accident history or flood damage. These types of problems make them ineligible for Saab certification.

"Carfax is constantly looking for ways of increasing the value of our information and usability of our reports," says Dick Raines, President of Carfax, Inc. "We are pleased to be part of a program aimed at helping consumers purchase a certified pre-owned Saab with confidence."

To become a Saab certified pre-owned vehicle, in addition to a clean title history verified by a Carfax vehicle history report, vehicles must be a 1997 model year or newer, cannot have more than 49,000 miles on the odometer, must be in excellent mechanical condition while meeting high visual standards. Saab technicians examine and update the vehicle through a rigorous and extensive inspection and refurbishing process. Each Saab is reconditioned and detailed to ensure that it meets the standards set to carry a Saab-Certified label.

"At Saab, our top priority is customer satisfaction--you can count on superior service from the moment you first approach a Saab retailer throughout your entire ownership experience," says Dan Chasins, President of Saab Cars USA, Inc.

About Carfax, Inc.

Founded in 1984, Carfax 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 over 1.2 billion vehicle history records from more than 170 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 Company.