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CARFAX Timeline - Our Milestones

1984
  • CARFAX begins as brain child of Ewin Barnett III
1986
  • With just 10,000 vehicle records and a vision, Barnett markets the vehicle history report
  • 14 auto dealers become customers - reports distributed to dealers via fax
1987
  • 6 auctions and 28 additional dealers become customers
1992
  • More than 300 subscribers, including dealers, auctions, and financial institutions, regularly use CARFAX
1993
  • Now obtaining title data from nearly all 50 states
  • 60 Minutes reports on how CARFAX benefits consumers
  • Blackburn Marketing Services purchases CARFAX
  • Dick Raines announced as president and Virginia headquarters established
1994
  • Reaches 100 million vehicle history records
1996
  • CARFAX launches CARFAX.com offering consumers the same access to vehicle histories already available to used car dealers (via fax)
1998
  • carfaxonline.com is introduced so dealer subscribers can also easily run reports via the web
  • "CARFAX Free Lemon Check" is rolled out to internet partners
  • More than 400,000 consumers a month visit the site
  • Signs AOL as an Internet partner
1999
  • Becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of the R.L. Polk & Co.
2000
  • Launches a $20-million campaign educating consumers on how to avoid the pitfalls, scams and risks involved in purchasing a used car.
  • Introduces CARFAX Certified Cars service
2001
  • CARFAX reaches 13,500 dealer subscribers
  • CARFAX.com averaging more than 1.25 million consumer visits/month
  • Introduces Consumer affiliate program
  • CARFAX increases Clean Title Guarantee to $5,000
  • CARFAX launches Problem Car Alert
  • CARFAX endorses American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA)
2002
  • CARFAX data records near two-billion mark
  • CARFAX and NAAA announce partnership
  • Batch submission system introduced for auction customers
  • CARFAX announces record-breaking website traffic for CARFAX.com
  • CARFAX launches Safe Teen Drivers Program
2003
  • CARFAX surpasses two-billion unique data records benchmark
  • CARFAX opens new Data Center in Columbia, MO
  • CARFAX launches "Truth About Used Cars" Ad Campaign
2004
  • CARFAX launches Buyback Guarantee

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