Fair Value Measurements

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received in the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date; requires disclosure of the extent to which fair value is used to measure financial and non-financial assets and liabilities, the inputs utilized in calculating valuation measurements, and the effect of the measurement of significant unobservable inputs on earnings, or changes in net assets, as of the measurement date; establishes a three-level valuation hierarchy based upon the transparency of inputs utilized in the measurement and valuation of financial assets or liabilities as of the measurement date:

•Level 1 — unadjusted, quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets;

•Level 2 — quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, and inputs other than quoted market prices that are observable or that can be corroborated by observable market data by correlation; and

•Level 3 — unobservable inputs based upon the reporting entity’s internally developed assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

The Company’s financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, contracts-in-transit and vehicle receivables, accounts and notes receivable, investments in debt and equity securities, accounts payable, credit facilities, long-term debt and interest rate swaps. The fair values of cash and cash equivalents, contracts-in-transit and vehicle receivables, accounts and notes receivable, accounts payable, and credit facilities approximate their carrying values due to the short-term nature of these instruments or the existence of variable interest rates.

The Company periodically invests in unsecured, corporate demand obligations with manufacturer-affiliated finance companies, which bear interest at a variable rate and are redeemable on demand by the Company. Therefore, the Company has classified these demand obligations as cash and cash equivalents in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company determined that the valuation measurement inputs of these instruments include inputs other than quoted market prices, that are observable or that can be corroborated by observable data by correlation. Accordingly, the Company has classified these instruments within Level 2 of the hierarchy framework.

The Company's derivative financial instruments are recorded at fair market value. See Note 3, "Derivative Instruments and Risk Management Activities" for further details regarding the Company's derivative financial instruments.

The Company evaluated its assets and liabilities for those that met the criteria of the disclosure requirements and fair value framework of ASC 820 and identified investments in marketable securities, debt instruments, and interest rate derivative financial instruments as having met such criteria. The respective fair values measured on a recurring basis as of June 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively, were as follows:

	As of June 30, 2013
	Level 1		Level 2		Total
	(In thousands)
Assets:
Interest rate derivative financial instruments	$	—	$	2,785	$	2,785
Debt securities:
Demand obligations	$	—	$	60	$	60
Total	$	—	$	2,845	$	2,845
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivative financial instruments	$	—	$	28,116	$	28,116
Total	$	—	$	28,116	$	28,116

	As of December 31, 2012
	Level 1		Level 2		Total
	(In thousands)
Assets:
Debt securities:
Demand obligations	$	—	$	616	$	616
Total	$	—	$	616	$	616
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivative financial instruments	$	—	$	43,089	$	43,089
Total	$	—	$	43,089	$	43,089