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E Car Shopping... Big In Texas

15 March 1999

Texas Serious About Internet Car Shopping; Texans Active Searchers on Auto Trader(R) Online

    NORFOLK, Va., March 15 -- Auto Trader(R) Online
(wwww.traderonline.com), home of the Internet's largest used car database, has
identified Texas as one of its highest states in terms of user activity.  The
website, with over 600,000 used cars and trucks for sale today, has tracked
the number of area code searches performed by Texas users.
    In the 18 area codes comprising Texas, there were over 188,000 used car
and truck searches between January 15 and February 28.  "We currently have
around 43,000 used cars and trucks for sale in the state, and it appears the
residents of Texas have recognized and are enjoying our vast selection," said
Lynwood Brooks, product manager for Auto Trader Online.
    The top six Texas metro areas are as follows:

    Market Area           Area Codes     Number of Searches

    Houston                281, 713           49,128
    Dallas                 972, 214           39,717
    Ft. Worth                 817             37,964
    Austin                    512             17,472
    Galveston                 409             15,398
    San Antonio               210             15,377

    Auto Trader Online offers users the opportunity to search for cars and
trucks through simple parameters they select, as well as place their own
vehicle for sale on the site, completely free of charge.  Placing an ad takes
only a few minutes, and can be done online from any computer with Internet
access.
    Auto Trader Online (http://www.traderonline.com) boasts the largest collection of
used cars and trucks for sale on the Internet today, and is also the largest
single source of private-party used vehicle classifieds.  Ninety-nine percent
of the Auto Trader Online inventory is less than three weeks old, making it
the largest and freshest database of its kind.  Auto Trader Online presents a
seller's contact information within his vehicle listings, taking the earliest
opportunity to promote the seller to the Internet car buyer.  The site, begun
in February 1996, has grown exponentially in concert with its print parent,
Trader Publishing Company.  The publisher produces 335 magazines, promoting
the Trader Online Website to over 4 million weekly readers.