TORONTO, Feb. 6, 2003 — MSN®
Autos Canada, part of the world’s largest network of automotive research, buying and ownership services, today announced a business relationship with CarProof.com to offer CarProof’s comprehensive vehicle search service on the MSN Autos Canada Web site ( http://autos.msn.ca/ ). Consumers visiting MSN Autos Canada now can obtain current vehicle history reports through the CarProof service.
“As the premier online destination for automotive research and buying services in Canada, we are committed to providing consumers with everything they need to make an informed vehicle purchase decision,”
said Ruth D’Souza, general manager of MSN Autos Canada.
“With CarProof’s powerful vehicle history search service, users of MSN Autos can make an informed and safe used-car purchase decision.”
For $24.95 (CDN), consumers will receive a detailed report of a car’s registered history in Canada, from the time it was first registered in the country up to the time and date of the report. By entering the vehicle’s VIN (vehicle identification number) at CarProof.com, users can obtain a detailed history of liens against the vehicle anywhere in Canada, any jurisdictional registration data, stolen status, and whether the vehicle was registered as salvage or rebuilt anywhere in Canada. A thorough search of the current databases of the Ministry of Transportation in each Canadian province reveals whether a vehicle has ever been reported stolen, or been salvaged, declared nonreparable or unfit to drive, or rebuilt, abandoned or moved.
“CarProof.com takes the mystery out of buying used vehicles,”
said Ron Giblin, CEO of CarProof.com and former vice president of the Insurance Crime Prevention Bureau of Canada.
“Unfortunately, it is all too common for an unsuspecting buyer to purchase a used vehicle that has outstanding liens, multiple accident repair claims, or has even been stolen or registered simultaneously in two or more provinces. Our service provides valuable, current, vital Canadawide data, giving users valuable peace of mind. This is a first in Canada.”
As part of the agreement, an information page will be featured on the MSN Autos Canada Web site explaining how the CarProof service works and the information that is available to the more than 800,000 unique monthly visitors to MSN Autos Canada. The page will include a link to a dedicated MSN Autos Canada/CarProof microsite, where users can purchase a car and perform the vehicle history search. In conjunction with the Used Car Marketplace powered by AutoTrader on MSN Autos Canada, the site offers car buyers the most comprehensive information available for their used-car-buying needs.
The CarProof vehicle history service is guaranteed.
“In the highly unlikely event that we incorrectly report the vehicle’s status, the customer will be reimbursed for up to $5,000 of his direct loss,”
Giblin said.
About MSN Autos Canada
Launched in September 2000, Toronto-based MSN Autos Canada is the most visited online automotive site in Canada, with more than 800,000 unique monthly visitors. The fully bilingual site is an independent, all-makes, all-models resource that provides consumers with the broadest range of services to find a car they love at a price they can afford. With information from product reviews and surround videos to new- and used-car-buying services, visitors can research, compare cars, select or configure the car they want to purchase, and receive detailed information from the MSN Autos network of Canadian dealers across the nation.
About MSN.CA
MSN.CA is a leading Canadian Web portal with 9.6 million* unique monthly visitors. Its suite of online services delivers news, information, entertainment and a variety of communication tools including the MSN network of Internet services, the Hotmail®
Web-based e-mail service and MSN Search. MSN.CA also provides such high-quality interactive services as MSN Messenger, MSN Extra Storage, MSN Shopping and MSN Web Communities. More information is available at http://www.msn.ca/.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
* comScore Media Metrix Canada, Home/Work combined, November 2002; Unique Visitors: The estimated number of different individuals within a designated demographic that access the content of a specific site from among the total number of projected individuals (only counted once, even if they visit the same site more than once)
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