Andy Wolfe,
Ben Forta
and Mark
Campbell:
Reinventing
the wheels.
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rom polyester-checked blazers to loincloths, cyber surfer. The computer-less may call a back, he started a company called Easy Car
toll-free number to tap into the Stoneage in- Search, which collected data on used cars
buying a used car has come full circle.
from buyers and sellers. The problem was
Andy Wolfe, Ben Forta and Mark Camp- ventory.
that people could only access the database
"You
can
call
and
say
need
a
white
mini-
bell, all comfortable citizens of the electronic
age, have co-opted the image of Neanderthal van,' and in 15 seconds, we can bring up a by phone.
"We still offer that over the phone, but it's
list of white minivans," Mr. Wolfe says.
man to sell used cars. "
The Web site contains the vehicle's stats nice that 40 million people have access to
"Everyone on the Internet, everyone's
come up with `cyber this' or `cyber that.' We and a photo. The car seller pays a onetime the Internet," he says.
"We expanded on that
wanted to do something opposite. It's an fee of $19.95 to Stoneage to put
crude idea," Mr. Wolfe adds.
easy company to market. The way car deal- his or her inventory online. So far,
"Mark didn't have access to
erships run their used car departments, 35 dealers and 250 private sell-
the
database or to car deal-
ers
have
signed
with
the
compa-
they're kind of stuck in the Stone Age. But
erships
like I had."
there's nothing primitive about what we do," ny.
Mr.
Forta
rounded out
When
the
dealer
sells
the
car,
says Mr. Campbell, one of the three part-
their
know-how
with his
he will go to the Web site and re-
ners in Stoneage Corporation.
computer
savvy.
move
the
vehicle
from
the
elec-
Stoneage, based in Southfield and De-
The three partners start-
troit, sells advertising space on the World tronic inventory.
ed
the company in January.
"Our
ultimate
goal
is
to
let
STAFF
WRITER
JULIE
EDGAR
Wide Web to dealers and individuals who
Response
to the Stoneage
want to say more about their cars than the every Tom, Dick and Harry know
Web
site
has
been huge and
about
this
service,"
says
Mr.
average classified newspaper ad permits.
wide-ranging:
A
Russian
cyber-surfer
in-
Wolfe,
32,
who
started
his
career
by
calling
Clients also get personalized window stick-
ers for their cars and brochures with the on car dealers for his father's advertising quired about buying a container of Chevro-
Stoneage logo, a digitized photograph of the agency, the Harvey Wolfe Company in lets. In one week alone, 1,500 Internet users
stopped at the site, Mr. Campbell says.
Walled Lake.
car and their phone number.
"The fundamental idea is buy and sell
Mr.
Forta,
29,
worked
for
Mr.
Campbell's
"Our 800 number is on the sticker. The
point we're trying to get across is, when you father's company, Campbell Services, as its used cars. Nobody likes dealing with a used-
car salesman and dealing with the papers
see these stickers you can pick up your cell lead Internet programmer.
Mr. Campbell, 34, worked on Wall Street is a pain in the rear end," he says.
phone and call the number rather than try
to catch up with this guy or stop at 7-Eleven raising capital for corporations. His second
To find out whether Stoneage knows
and pick up a Tradin' Times," Mr. Wolfe company is Pro Components, a computer
where to find the used car of your dreams,
components manufacturer in Southfield.
says.
call (800) STONE-AGE. The company also
Stoneage grew out of one of Mr. Camp-
Stoneage already has about 3,000 cars in
can be found at www.stoneage,corn.
its data base, which can be accessed by any bell's earlier business ventures. A few years
Trio to kes used
cars out of
th e lot.
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