Accounts Receivable and Contract Assets

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2018

Accounts Receivable, Net [Abstract]

Accounts Receivable and Contract Assets

Accounts Receivable and Contract Assets

Accounts receivable consisted of the following (in thousands):

	March 31, 2018			December 31, 2017
Contracts in transit	$	260,287		$	286,578
Trade receivables	50,705			45,895
Vehicle receivables	47,781			60,022
Manufacturer receivables	91,826			96,141
Auto loan receivables	72,270			75,052
Other receivables	4,195			14,634
	527,064			578,322
Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts	(6,260		)	(7,386		)
Less: Long-term portion of accounts receivable, net	(41,166		)	(48,998		)
Total accounts receivable, net	$	479,638		$	521,938

Accounts receivable classifications include the following:

• Contracts in transit are receivables from various lenders for the financing of vehicles that we have arranged on behalf of the customer and are typically received approximately ten days after selling a vehicle.

• Trade receivables are comprised of amounts due from customers for open charge accounts, lenders for the commissions earned on financing and others for commissions earned on service contracts and insurance products.

• Vehicle receivables represent receivables for the portion of the vehicle sales price paid directly by the customer.

• Manufacturer receivables represent amounts due from manufacturers, including holdbacks, rebates, incentives and warranty claims.

• Auto loan receivables include amounts due from customers related to retail sales of vehicles and certain finance and insurance products.

Interest income on auto loan receivables is recognized based on the contractual terms of each loan and is accrued until repayment, charge-off, or repossession. Direct costs associated with loan originations are capitalized and expensed as an offset to interest income when recognized on the loans. All other receivables are recorded at invoice and do not bear interest until they are 60 days past due.

The allowance for doubtful accounts is estimated based on our historical write-off experience and is reviewed monthly. Consideration is given to recent delinquency trends and recovery rates. Account balances are charged against the allowance after all appropriate means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. The annual activity for charges and subsequent recoveries is immaterial.

The long-term portion of accounts receivable was included as a component of other non-current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.