Companies Creating OnLine Car Buying/Selling Experience
26 May 1998
Auto Trader(R) Online and Consumers Car Club Affiliate, Creating Incomparable Car Buying/Selling ExperienceNORFOLK, Va., May 26 -- Auto Trader Online (http://www.traderonline.com) and Consumers Car Club (http://www.carclub.com, 800-CARCLUB) announce an affiliate relationship to provide Consumers Car Club users access to the Internet's largest used car database on Auto Trader(R) Online. In turn, the one million monthly visitors to Auto Trader Online will gain access to Consumer Car Club's Used Car Buyers Protection Program, providing vehicle histories, valuations, bumper-to-bumper inspection services and opportunities to purchase extended warranties. Visitors to Auto Trader Online, who perform over 4 million used car searches every month, will now have the option to employ Car Club's array of new car buying services as well. The agreement creates a classified area on the Car Club website where visitors can search for their next car from among the more than 500,000 used cars currently for sale in the Auto Trader Online database. In addition, visitors wishing to sell a vehicle may add their car to the database from the same location. "We are pleased to provide Consumers Car Club direct access to Auto Trader Online, home of the Internet's largest used car database," announces Mike Mastrullo, Product Manager for Auto Trader Online. "In addition to sharing our vehicles with Car Club's visitors, this affiliation brings an entirely new set of buyers to view the used cars within the Auto Trader Online database." With a single listing, used car sellers -- both dealers and consumers -- gain exposure to Auto Trader Online and Consumers Car Club respective visitors with no additional cost or effort. Visitors to either site, choosing to advertise their cars, will benefit from a significantly larger group of buyers. "This agreement allows us to provide consumers with an incomparable, fresh used car inventory," said Michael London, President and CEO of Consumers Car Club. "By teaming-up with Auto Trader Online, we now offer our visitors the largest, most up-to-date selection of used cars anywhere -- making the purchase and sale of a car the kind of experience it should be." At its launch, the Auto Trader Online classified area on Consumers Car Club will feature more than 500,000 vehicles. That number is projected to double over the next year due to a technological breakthrough enabling Consumers Car Club to add vehicles to the Auto Trader Online database by electronically scanning auto dealer inventories direct from dealer lots. Auto Trader Online (http://www.traderonline.com) boasts the world's largest used car database, with over 500,000 used cars for sale today. The newly- redesigned site, begun in February 1996, has won numerous awards from the Internet community. Trader Online (http://www.traderonline.com) has a complete Internet presence with twenty internet sites covering the automotive, aircraft, boat and yacht, big truck, motorcycle, RV, heavy equipment, collector car and general merchandise categories. All can be accessed through http://www.traderonline.com. Trader Online and its parent company, Trader Publishing, are headquartered in Norfolk, VA. With local sales offices in over 90 U.S. cities, Trader's 330 print publications are distributed through approximately 150,000 distribution points in 32 states. Trader Publishing's weekly circulation exceeds 3.5 million. Consumer's Car Club is a nationwide information-based consumer services company founded in 1987. In an effort to provide its customers with the latest products, services and information, the company has aligned itself with major retailers, telecommunication providers, banks, credit unions, and Internet companies. Consumers Car Club is recognized by Yahoo! and Internet Life as a Yahoo! Y-Life Site Test Winner. Car Club provides the consumer both telephone and Internet access to its services via 800-Car-Club and http://www.carclub.com.
