Press Releases

DriverSide Saves Consumers Money at Every Stage of Automobile Ownership

Offering the 196 Million U.S. Automobile Owners An Easy, Personalized Way to Service, Accessorize, and Maintain their Vehicles

SAN FRANCISCO June 03, 2008 – DriverSide launches today the first full service Web site with the mission of saving consumers time and money through resources that make owning or leasing an automobile hassle-free. Unlike other automotive Web sites, DriverSide has brought together every available car and truck-related resource in one place and made it accessible and free. Focusing on saving consumers money, DriverSide eliminates fees, including used car listings, helps consumers maintain the value of their vehicles, and ensures users know what to pay for typical repair jobs, parts and accessories. Built on a Web 2.0 platform, DriverSide is building a community of mainstream consumers who can participate in forums, meet other car owners, and post reviews on mechanics and dealers. The more consumers leverage the site for all their automobile needs the more money they will save in owning or leasing their vehicle.

Protecting Automotive Investments
Americans are afraid they’re being taken for a ride – almost half (46%) are not very or not at all confident that their mechanic is charging them a fair price, according to a survey by Kelton Research last week.

DriverSide solves that problem by giving consumers a place to get advice, store service records, find out the real value of their car, receive recall notices, get service reminders, communicate with car experts, seek guidance on how much to pay for servicing, buy parts and accessories, read reviews of mechanics from other drivers, and so much more.

First-time visitors simply identify their specific car or truck. Once their vehicle is claimed, information is tailored to the automobile’s make, model and year, forming a personalized vehicle profile in their publically available “My Garage.” DriverSide automatically notifies them of all important information on their vehicle, such as recalls and detailed lists of parts and accessories specific to their automobile. Consumers not knowing which price to pay for services and/or which mechanic to go to can leverage DriverSide’s Pre-Service Report, a printable resource with details on service costs and mechanic ratings specific to a consumer’s local area.

“Whether you lease or own, servicing and maintaining your automobile is not as easy as it could be,” said Trevor Traina, chairman and founder of DriverSide. “Most drivers don’t know how much to pay for common repairs, what accessories fit their vehicle, or what important recalls have been issued. They also have problems finding a good mechanic who they can trust.”

“We’ve brought together every possible resource to solve these problems and make vehicle ownership easy,” added Jad Dunning, chief executive officer of DriverSide. “The automobile is a depreciating financial asset. We make people aware of important issues so that they maintain their automobiles appropriately and not lose money.”

Many consumers turn in their automobile and are shocked to learn it is undervalue or in some cases that they still owe money. As the premier online resource for protecting automotive investments, DriverSide helps consumers stay vigilant with predictive depreciation graphs and email alerts when vehicles drop below a pre-set value. In addition, DriverSide’s in-house editorial staff, led by Jon Alain Guzik (former editor at Yahoo! Autos), offers useful advice on how to own, maintain and operate an automobile as well as reviews on new and used cars.

DriverSide will be leveraging customer satisfaction content from marketing information firm J.D. Power and Associates. "The J.D. Power quality and reliability ratings, which are based on feedback from verified vehicle owners, will align well with the useful and meaningful content currently presented on DriverSide," said Peter Marlow, vice president of corporate communications and consumer development at J.D. Power and Associates.

Founders
DriverSide is founded by Internet Entrepreneurs Trevor Traina, Jad Dunning and Adam Jackson. Previously, the founders worked together on StepUp Commerce, an online shopping service for brick and mortar retailers, which they sold to Intuit in September of 2006. Prior to StepUp, Trevor and Jad founded CompareNet which was acquired by Microsoft in 1999.

About DriverSide
Founded in fall 2007 by Internet Entrepreneurs Trevor Traina, Adam Jackson, and Jad Dunning, DriverSide is the first Web site specifically designed for automobile owners. Funded by Catamount Ventures, DriverSide allows consumers to save money on servicing and maintenance costs as well as buy and sell automobiles. With an in-house editorial staff, DriverSide offers useful advice on how to own and operate a vehicle as well as reviews on new and used automobiles. DriverSide’s community allow consumers to participate in forums, meet other owners of a particular vehicle, share knowledge, and post reviews on mechanics and dealers.

Whether for buying, selling, servicing, maintaining or accessorizing, DriverSide has brought together all the information and resources needed to make automobile ownership an easy and personalized experience. (www.driverside.com)