Online Retailer CarsDirect Acquires Autos.Com Domain Name for $2.2 Million

Sherman Oaks-based CarsDirect.com Inc. said it has purchased the autos.com domain name for $2.2 million in cash. The company, which sells vehicles over the Internet, acquired the domain name from Britt Corp., an Atlanta-based company that has the automotive information site onlineauto.com. Fort Lauderdale-based HitDomains.com brokered the sale. Britt had owned the autos.com domain for more than three years before deciding to sell it, according to a spokesman for HitDomains.com. The sale comes on the heels of the $7.5-million purchase of business.com by Santa Monica-based ECompanies this month. Last year, Compaq Computer paid $3.3 million for the AltaVista.com domain name.