10-Q

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

[X] QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended January 31, 2013

Or

[  ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ________ to ________

Commission file number:  0-14939

AMERICA’S CAR-MART, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Texas	63-0851141
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

802 Southeast Plaza Ave., Suite 200, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712

(Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)

(479) 464-9944

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes [x] No [  ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes [x] No [  ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer [  ]	Accelerated filer [x]
Non-accelerated filer [  ]	Smaller reporting company [  ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes [  ] No [x]

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

Title of Each Class	Outstanding at March 1, 2013
Common stock, par value $.01 per share	9,017,274

Part I.  FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.  Financial Statements America’s Car-Mart, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands except share and per share amounts)

	January 31, 2013			April 30, 2012
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	865		$	276
Accrued interest on finance receivables		1,934			1,428
Finance receivables, net		288,352			251,103
Inventory		35,868			27,242
Prepaid expenses and other assets		2,032			1,545
Income taxes receivable, net		2,006			1,444
Goodwill		355			355
Property and equipment, net		28,652			27,547
Total Assets	$	360,064		$	310,940
Liabilities, mezzanine equity and equity:
Liabilities:
Accounts payable	$	10,082		$	7,352
Deferred payment protection plan revenue		12,359			10,745
Accrued liabilities		16,442			13,349
Deferred tax liabilities, net		18,505			16,721
Revolving credit facilities		109,274			77,900
Total liabilities		166,662			126,067
Commitments and contingencies
Mezzanine equity:
Mandatorily redeemable preferred stock		400			400
Equity:
Preferred stock, par value $.01 per share, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding		-			-
Common stock, par value $.01 per share, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 12,403,909 and 12,371,167 issued at January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2012, respectively, of which 9,013,774 and 9,378,346 were outstanding at January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2012, respectively		124			124
Additional paid-in capital		52,788			50,357
Retained earnings		234,480			211,134
Less:  Treasury stock, at cost, 3,390,135 and 2,992,821 shares at January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2012, respectively		(94,490	)		(77,242	)
Total stockholders' equity		192,902			184,373
Non-controlling interest		100			100
Total equity		193,002			184,473
Total Liabilities, Mezzanine Equity and Equity	$	360,064		$	310,940

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

2

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations America’s Car-Mart, Inc.

(Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands except share and per share amounts)

	Three Months Ended  January 31,						Nine Months Ended  January 31,
	2013			2012			2013			2012
Revenues:
Sales	$	106,215		$	93,957		$	302,706		$	284,409
Interest income		12,707			11,408			36,435			32,287
Total revenue		118,922			105,365			339,141			316,696
Costs and expenses:
Cost of sales, excluding depreciation shown below		60,941			54,298			173,330			163,667
Selling, general and administrative		18,775			17,175			53,982			50,094
Provision for credit losses		25,189			20,899			70,499			62,056
Interest expense		795			659			2,156			1,676
Depreciation and amortization		712			594			2,070			1,697
Total costs and expenses		106,412			93,625			302,037			279,190
Income before taxes		12,510			11,740			37,104			37,506
Provision for income taxes		4,530			4,436			13,728			14,160
Net income	$	7,980		$	7,304		$	23,376		$	23,346
Less:  Dividends on mandatorily redeemable preferred stock		(10	)		(10	)		(30	)		(30	)
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$	7,970		$	7,294		$	23,346		$	23,316
Earnings per share:
Basic	$	0.88		$	0.76		$	2.55		$	2.36
Diluted	$	0.84		$	0.73		$	2.43		$	2.28
Weighted average number of shares outstanding:
Basic		9,017,613			9,610,125			9,142,296			9,886,100
Diluted		9,451,473			9,998,290			9,593,854			10,219,796

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

3

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows America’s Car-Mart, Inc.

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
Operating Activities:	2013			2012
Net income	$	23,376		$	23,346
Adjustments to reconcile net income from operations to net cash used in operating activities:
Provision for credit losses		70,499			62,056
Losses on claims for payment protection plan		5,249			4,353
Depreciation and amortization		2,070			1,697
Amortization of debt issuance costs		155			133
Loss on sale of property and equipment		64			15
Stock based compensation		1,525			1,681
Deferred income taxes		1,784			3,061
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
Finance receivable originations		(284,931	)		(263,539	)
Finance receivable collections		144,025			140,084
Accrued interest on finance receivables		(506	)		(444	)
Inventory		19,283			19,470
Prepaid expenses and other assets		(642	)		630
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		2,806			(547	)
Deferred payment protection plan revenue		1,614			1,169
Income taxes, net		(463	)		1,052
Excess tax benefit from share based compensation		(99	)		(197	)
Net cash used in operating activities		(14,191	)		(5,980	)
Investing Activities:
Purchase of property and equipment		(3,438	)		(3,228	)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment		199			-
Net cash used in investing activities		(3,239	)		(3,228	)
Financing Activities:
Exercise of stock options and warrants		665			1,355
Excess tax benefit from share based compensation		98			197
Issuance of common stock		143			118
Purchase of common stock		(17,248	)		(29,950	)
Dividend payments		(30	)		(30	)
Debt issuance costs		(56	)		-
Change in cash overdrafts		3,017			1,370
Proceeds from revolving credit facilities		238,336			236,980
Payments on revolving credit facilities		(206,906	)		(200,646	)
Net cash provided by financing activities		18,019			9,394
Increase in cash and cash equivalents		589			186
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period		276			223
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	$	865		$	409

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements

4

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) America’s Car-Mart, Inc.

A – Organization and Business

America’s Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “Company”), is the largest publicly held automotive retailer in the United States focused exclusively on the “Integrated Auto Sales and Finance” segment of the used car market.  References to the Company typically include the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries.  The Company’s operations are principally conducted through its two operating subsidiaries, America’s Car Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation (“Car-Mart of Arkansas”), and Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an Arkansas corporation (“Colonial”).  Collectively, Car-Mart of Arkansas and Colonial are referred to herein as “Car-Mart.”  The Company primarily sells older model used vehicles and provides financing for substantially all of its customers. Many of the Company’s customers have limited financial resources and would not qualify for conventional financing as a result of limited credit histories or past credit problems.  As of January 31, 2013, the Company operated 120 dealerships located primarily in small cities throughout the South-Central United States.

B – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

General

The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of April 30, 2012, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and the unaudited interim condensed financial statements as of January 31, 2013 and 2012, have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q in Article 10 of Regulation S-X.  Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete financial statements.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending April 30, 2013.  For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2012.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Segment Information

Each dealership is an operating segment with its results regularly reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker in an effort to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and to assess its performance. Individual dealerships meet the aggregation criteria under the current accounting guidance.  The Company operates in the Integrated Auto Sales and Finance segment of the used car market.  In this industry, the nature of the sale and the financing of the transaction, financing processes, the type of customer and the methods used to distribute the Company’s products and services, including the actual servicing of the contracts as well as the regulatory environment in which the Company operates, all have similar characteristics.  Each of our individual dealerships is similar in nature and only engages in the selling and financing of used vehicles.  All individual dealerships have similar operating characteristics.  As such, individual dealerships have been aggregated into one reportable segment.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Concentration of Risk

The Company provides financing in connection with the sale of substantially all of its vehicles.  These sales are made primarily to customers residing in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, with approximately 39% of revenues resulting from sales to Arkansas customers.  Periodically, the Company maintains cash in financial institutions in excess of the amounts insured by the federal government.

5

Restrictions on Distributions/Dividends

The Company’s revolving credit facilities generally limit distributions by the Company to its shareholders in order to repurchase the Company’s common stock.  The distribution limitations under the Agreement allow the Company to repurchase the Company’s stock so long as: either (a) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed $40 million and the sum of borrowing bases combined minus the principal balances of all revolver loans after giving effect to such repurchases is equal to or greater than 25% of the sum of the borrowing bases, or (b) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed 75% of the consolidated net income of the Company measured on a trailing twelve month basis; provided that immediately before and after giving effect to the stock repurchases, at least 12.5% of the aggregate funds committed under the credit facilities remain available. Thus, the Company is limited in the amount of dividends or other distributions it can make to its shareholders without the consent of the Company’s lenders.

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Finance Receivables, Repossessions and Charge-offs and Allowance for Credit Losses

The Company originates installment sale contracts from the sale of used vehicles at its dealerships.  These installment sale contracts carry interest rates ranging from 11% to 19% using the simple effective interest method including any deferred fees.  Contract origination costs are not significant.  The installment sale contracts are not pre-computed contracts whereby buyers are obligated to pay back principal plus the full amount of interest that will accrue over the entire term of the contract.  Finance receivables are collateralized by vehicles sold and consist of contractually scheduled payments from installment contracts net of unearned finance charges and an allowance for credit losses.  Unearned finance charges represent the balance of interest receivable to be earned over the entire term of the related installment contract, less the earned amount ($1.9 million at January 31, 2013 and $1.4 million at April 30, 2012), and as such, has been reflected as a reduction to the gross contract amount in arriving at the principal balance in finance receivables. An account is considered delinquent when a contractually scheduled payment has not been received by the scheduled payment date.  While the Company does not formally place contracts on nonaccrual status, the immaterial amount of interest that may accrue after an account becomes delinquent up until the point of resolution via repossession or write-off, is reserved for against the accrued interest on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Delinquent contracts are addressed and either made current by the customer, which is the case in most situations, or the vehicle is repossessed or written off, if the collateral cannot be recovered quickly. Customer payments are set to match their pay-day with over 80% of payments due on either a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The frequency of the payment due dates combined with the declining value of collateral lead to prompt resolutions on problem accounts.  Accounts are delinquent when the customer is one day or more behind on their contractual payments.  At January 31, 2013, 6.0% of the Company’s finance receivable balances were 30 days or more past due compared to 4.7% at January 31, 2012.

Substantially all of the Company’s automobile contracts involve contracts made to individuals with impaired or limited credit histories, or higher debt-to-income ratios than permitted by traditional lenders.  Contracts made with buyers who are restricted in their ability to obtain financing from traditional lenders generally entail a higher risk of delinquency, default and repossession, and higher losses than contracts made with buyers with better credit.

The Company works very hard to keep its delinquency percentages low, and not to repossess vehicles.  Accounts one day late are sent a notice in the mail.  Accounts three days late are contacted by telephone.  Notes from each telephone contact are electronically maintained in the Company’s computer system.  If a customer becomes severely delinquent in his or her payments, and management determines that timely collection of future payments is not probable, the Company will take steps to repossess the vehicle.  The Company attempts to resolve payment delinquencies amicably prior to repossessing a vehicle.  Periodically, the Company enters into contract modifications with its customers to extend the payment terms.  The Company only enters into a contract modification or extension if it believes such action will increase the amount of monies the Company will ultimately realize on the customer’s account. At the time of modification, the Company expects to collect amounts due including accrued interest at the contractual interest rate for the period of delay. Other than the extension of additional time, concessions are not granted to customers at the time of modifications. Modifications are minor and are made for pay-day changes, minor vehicle repairs and other reasons.  For those vehicles that are repossessed, the majority are returned or surrendered by the customer on a voluntary basis.  Other repossessions are performed by Company personnel or third party repossession agents.  Depending on the condition of a repossessed vehicle, it is either resold on a retail basis through a Company dealership, or sold for cash on a wholesale basis primarily through physical and/or on-line auctions.

6

The Company takes steps to repossess a vehicle when the customer becomes delinquent in his or her payments, and management determines that timely collection of future payments is not probable.  Accounts are charged-off after the expiration of a statutory notice period for repossessed accounts, or when management determines that the timely collection of future payments is not probable for accounts where the Company has been unable to repossess the vehicle.  For accounts with respect to which the vehicle was repossessed, the fair value of the repossessed vehicle is charged as a reduction of the gross finance receivable balance charged-off.  On average, accounts are approximately 63 days past due at the time of charge-off.  For previously charged-off accounts that are subsequently recovered, the amount of such recovery is credited to the allowance for credit losses.

The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses on an aggregate basis, as opposed to a contract-by-contract basis, at an amount it considers sufficient to cover estimated losses in the collection of its finance receivables.  The Company accrues an estimated loss as it is probable that the entire amount will not be collected and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated in the aggregate.  The allowance for credit losses is based primarily upon historical credit loss experience, with consideration given to recent credit loss trends and changes in contract characteristics (i.e., average amount financed and term), delinquency levels, collateral values, economic conditions and underwriting and collection practices.  The allowance for credit losses is periodically reviewed by management with any changes reflected in current operations.  Although it is at least reasonably possible that events or circumstances could occur in the future that are not presently foreseen which could cause actual credit losses to be materially different from the recorded allowance for credit losses, the Company believes that it has given appropriate consideration to all relevant factors and has made reasonable assumptions in determining the allowance for credit losses.

The calculation of the allowance for credit losses uses the following primary factors:

·   The number of units repossessed or charged-off as a percentage of total units financed over specific historical periods of time.

·   The average net repossession and charge-off loss per unit during the last eighteen months, segregated by the number of months since the contract origination date, and adjusted for the expected future average net charge-off loss per unit.  About 50% of the charge-offs that will ultimately occur in the portfolio are expected to occur within 10-11 months following the loan origination date.  The average age of an account at charge-off date is 10.6 months.

·   The timing of repossession and charge-off losses relative to the date of sale (i.e., how long it takes for a repossession or charge-off to occur) for repossessions and charge-offs occurring during the last eighteen months.

A point estimate is produced by this analysis which is then supplemented by any positive or negative subjective factors to arrive at an overall reserve amount that management considers to be a reasonable estimate of incurred losses that will be realized via actual charge-offs in the future.  Periods of economic downturn do not necessarily lead to increased credit losses because the Company provides basic affordable transportation to customers that, for the most part, do not have access to public transportation.  The effectiveness of the execution of internal policies and procedures within the collections area has historically had a more significant effect on collection results than macro-economic issues.

The Company offers retail customers in most states the option of purchasing a payment protection plan product as an add-on to the installment sale contract.  This product contractually obligates the Company to cancel the remaining principal outstanding for any contract where the retail customer has totaled the vehicle, as defined, or the vehicle has been stolen.  The Company periodically evaluates anticipated losses to ensure that if anticipated losses exceed deferred payment protection plan revenues, an additional liability is recorded for such difference.  No such liability was required at January 31, 2013 or April 30, 2012.

Inventory

Inventory consists of used vehicles and is valued at the lower of cost or market on a specific identification basis.  Vehicle reconditioning costs are capitalized as a component of inventory.  Repossessed vehicles are recorded at fair value, which approximates wholesale value.  The cost of used vehicles sold is determined using the specific identification method.

7

Goodwill

Goodwill reflects the excess of purchase price over the fair value of specifically identified net assets purchased.  Goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives are not amortized but are subject to annual impairment tests at the Company’s year-end. The Company assesses qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.  If the qualitative factors indicate impairment then additional tests are based on the comparison of the fair value of the reporting unit to the carrying value of such unit. If the fair value of the reporting unit falls below its carrying value, the Company performs the second step of the two-step goodwill impairment process to determine the amount, if any, that the goodwill is impaired.  The second step involves determining the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities and the implied goodwill.  The implied goodwill is compared to the carrying value of the goodwill to determine the impairment, if any.  There was no impairment of goodwill during fiscal 2012, and to date, there has been none in fiscal 2013.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost.  Expenditures for additions, renewals and improvements are capitalized.  Costs of repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.  Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated life of the improvement or the lease term.  The lease term includes the primary lease term plus any extensions that are reasonably assured. Depreciation is computed principally using the straight-line method generally over the following estimated useful lives:

Furniture, fixtures and equipment	3 to 7 years
Leasehold improvements	5 to 15 years
Buildings and improvements	18 to 39 years

Property and equipment are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.  Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying values of the impaired assets exceed the fair value of such assets.  Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell.

Cash Overdraft

As checks are presented for payment from the Company’s primary disbursement bank account, monies are automatically drawn against cash collections for the day and, if necessary, are drawn against one of its revolving credit facilities.  Any cash overdraft balance principally represents outstanding checks, net of any deposits in transit that as of the balance sheet date had not yet been presented for payment.

Deferred Sales Tax

Deferred sales tax represents a sales tax liability of the Company for vehicles sold on an installment basis in the states of Alabama and Texas.  Under Alabama and Texas law, for vehicles sold on an installment basis, the related sales tax is due as the payments are collected from the customer, rather than at the time of sale.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the liability method.  Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply in the years in which these temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The quarterly provision for income taxes is determined using an estimated annual effective tax rate, which is based on expected annual taxable income, statutory tax rates and the Company’s best estimate of nontaxable and nondeductible items of income and expense.

Occasionally, the Company is audited by taxing authorities.  These audits could result in proposed assessments of additional taxes. The Company believes that its tax positions comply in all material respects with applicable tax law.  However, tax law is subject to interpretation, and interpretations by taxing authorities could be different from those of the Company, which could result in the imposition of additional taxes.

8

The Company recognizes the financial statement benefit of a tax position only after determining that the relevant tax authority would more likely than not sustain the position following an audit.  For tax positions meeting the more-likely-than-not threshold, the amount recognized in the financial statements is the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the relevant tax authority.  The Company applies this methodology to all tax positions for which the statute of limitations remains open.

The Company is subject to income taxes in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions.  Tax regulations within each jurisdiction are subject to the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations and require significant judgment to apply.  With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local income tax examinations by tax authorities for the years before fiscal 2009.

In fiscal 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) completed the examinations of the Company’s income tax returns for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.  As a result of the examinations, the IRS had questioned whether deferred payment protection plan (“PPP”) revenue associated with the sale of certain receivables are subject to the acceleration of advance payments provision of the Internal Revenue Code and whether the Company may deduct losses on the sale of the PPP receivables in excess of the income recognized on the underlying contracts.  The issue was timing in nature and did not affect the overall tax provision, but affected the timing of required tax payments.

In January 2013, the Company received approval for a negotiated settlement with the IRS related to the examinations for income tax returns for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.  The negotiated settlement resulted in additional taxable income and a resulting tax payment for the exam period.  The question related to the timing of income recognition and therefore the additional income recognized in 2008 and 2009 will result in a corresponding tax deduction and resulting refund in the following fiscal year.  Under the settlement the Company paid an immaterial amount of interest to the IRS related to the additional tax payment.

The IRS is currently auditing the Company’s federal income tax returns for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

The Company’s policy is to recognize accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in operating expenses. The Company had no accrued penalties or interest as of January 31, 2013 or April 30, 2012.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues are generated principally from the sale of used vehicles, which in most cases includes a service contract and a payment protection plan product, interest income and late fees earned on finance receivables.  Revenues are net of taxes collected from customers and remitted to government agencies.  Cost of vehicle sales include costs incurred by the Company to prepare the vehicle for sale including license and title costs, gasoline, transport services and repairs.

Revenues from the sale of used vehicles are recognized when the sales contract is signed, the customer has taken possession of the vehicle and, if applicable, financing has been approved.  Revenues from the sale of service contracts are recognized ratably over the five-month service contract period.  Service contract revenues are included in sales and the related expenses are included in cost of sales.  Payment protection plan revenues are initially deferred and then recognized to income using the “Rule of 78’s” interest method over the life of the contract so that revenues are recognized in proportion to the amount of cancellation protection provided.  Payment protection plan revenues are included in sales and related losses are included in cost of sales.  Interest income is recognized on all active finance receivable accounts using the simple effective interest method.  Active accounts include all accounts except those that have been paid-off or charged-off.

9

Sales consist of the following:

	Three Months Ended January 31,				Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013		2012		2013		2012
Sales – used autos	$	94,966	$	82,589	$	268,539	$	250,865
Wholesales – third party		4,300		5,008		13,953		15,239
Service contract sales		3,661		3,500		10,730		10,039
Payment protection plan revenue		3,288		2,860		9,484		8,266
Total	$	106,215	$	93,957	$	302,706	$	284,409

Revenues from late fees were approximately $1.4 million and $1.2 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Late fees are recognized when collected and are reflected in interest income.  Finance receivables more than 90 days past due were approximately $2.4 million and $978,000 at January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share are computed by dividing net income by the average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted earnings per share are computed by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the average number of common shares outstanding during the period plus common stock equivalents.  The calculation of diluted earnings per share takes into consideration the potentially dilutive effect of common stock equivalents, such as outstanding stock options and restricted stock, which if exercised or converted into common stock would then share in the earnings of the Company.  In computing diluted earnings per share, the Company utilizes the treasury stock method and anti-dilutive securities are excluded.

Stock-based compensation

The Company recognizes the cost of employee services received in exchange for awards of equity instruments, such as stock options and restricted stock, based on the fair value of those awards at the date of grant over the requisite service period.  The Company uses the Black Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of stock option awards.  The Company may issue either new shares or treasury shares upon exercise of these awards.  Stock-based compensation plans, related expenses and assumptions used in the Black Scholes option pricing model are more fully described in Note I.

Treasury Stock

The Company purchased 397,314 shares of its common stock during the first nine months of fiscal 2013 for a total cost of $17.2 million and 1,002,363 shares for a total cost of $29.9 million during the first nine months of fiscal 2012.  Treasury stock may be used for issuances under the Company’s stock-based compensation plans or for other general corporate purposes.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Occasionally, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies which the Company adopts as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes the impact of recently issued standards which are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

Goodwill.  In September 2011, the FASB adopted an update regarding testing goodwill and other intangibles for impairment.  The update permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.  This update was effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011.  The Company implemented this update for its fiscal year beginning May 1, 2012.  This update did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

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C – Finance Receivables

The Company originates installment sale contracts from the sale of used vehicles at its dealerships.  These installment sale contracts typically include interest rates ranging from 11% to 19% per annum, are collateralized by the vehicle sold and typically provide for payments over periods ranging from 18 to 36 months.  The Company’s finance receivables are aggregated as one class of loans, which is sub-prime consumer automobile contracts.  The level of risks inherent in the Company’s financing receivables is managed as one homogeneous pool.  The components of finance receivables are as follows:

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013			April 30, 2012
Gross contract amount	$	411,577		$	359,364
Less unearned finance charges		(47,659	)		(42,430	)
Principal balance		363,918			316,934
Less allowance for credit losses		(75,566	)		(65,831	)
Finance receivables, net	$	288,352		$	251,103

Changes in the finance receivables, net for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013			2012
Balance at beginning of period	$	251,103		$	222,305
Finance receivable originations		284,931			263,539
Finance receivable collections		(144,025	)		(140,084	)
Provision for credit losses		(70,499	)		(62,056	)
Losses on claims for payment protection plan		(5,249	)		(4,353	)
Inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims		(27,909	)		(25,706	)
Balance at end of period	$	288,352		$	253,645

Changes in the finance receivables allowance for credit losses for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013			2012
Balance at beginning of period	$	65,831		$	60,173
Provision for credit losses		70,499			62,056
Charge-offs, net of recovered collateral		(60,764	)		(53,521	)
Balance at end of period	$	75,566		$	68,708

The factors which influenced management’s judgment in determining the amount of the additions to the allowance charged to provision for credit losses are described below:

The level of actual charge-offs, net of recovered collateral, is the most important factor in determining the charges to the provision for credit losses. This is due to the fact that once a contract becomes delinquent the account is either made current by the customer, the vehicle is repossessed or the account is written off if the collateral cannot be recovered.  Net charge-offs for the first nine months of fiscal 2013 were higher than the prior year period, partially due to higher sales volumes.  Net charge-offs as a percentage of average finance receivables increased 0.4% to 18.1% for the first nine months ended January 31, 2013 compared to 17.7% for the same period in the prior year.  Higher sales volumes also had the effect of higher additions to the allowance charged to the provision for the first nine months of fiscal 2013, partially offset by a decrease in the allowance percentage from 22% at January 31, 2012 to 21.5% at January 31, 2013.

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Collections and delinquency levels can have a significant effect on additions to the allowance and are reviewed frequently.  Collections as a percentage of average finance receivables were 42.8% for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 compared to 46.3% for the prior year period.  The decrease in collections as a percentage of average finance receivables was primarily due to the increase in the average term and the increased average interest rate for the first nine months of fiscal 2013 as compared to the first nine months of the prior year.  In addition, the timing of income tax refunds for our customers was delayed somewhat this year compared to last year contributing to the decrease in collections as a percentage of average finance receivables and higher delinquencies.  Delinquencies greater than 30 days were 6.0% for January 31, 2013 and 4.7% at January 31, 2012.

Macro-economic factors as well as proper execution of operational policies and procedures have a significant effect on additions to the allowance charged to the provision. Higher unemployment levels, higher gasoline prices and higher prices for staple items can potentially have a significant effect.  While overall macro-economic factors were still somewhat unfavorable during the first nine months of fiscal 2013, the Company is focused on continuing operational improvements within the collections area as well as market share gains which can be a positive factor in the Company’s collection efforts.

Credit quality information for finance receivables is as follows:

(Dollars in thousands)	January 31, 2013					April 30, 2012					January 31, 2012
	Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio			Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio			Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio
Current	$	287,553		79.01	%	$	262,325		82.77	%	$	249,880		77.52	%
3 - 29 days past due		54,358		14.94	%		41,508		13.10	%		57,227		17.75	%
30 - 60 days past due		14,112		3.88	%		8,818		2.78	%		11,096		3.44	%
61 - 90 days past due		5,494		1.51	%		3,627		1.14	%		3,172		0.98	%
> 90 days past due		2,401		0.66	%		656		0.21	%		978		0.30	%
Total	$	363,918		100.00	%	$	316,934		100.00	%	$	322,353		100.00	%

Accounts one and two days past due are considered current for this analysis, due to the varying payment dates and variation in the day of the week at each period end.  Delinquencies may vary from period to period based on the average age of the portfolio, seasonality within the calendar year, the day of the week and overall economic factors.  The above categories are consistent with internal operational measures used by the Company to monitor credit results.

Substantially all of the Company’s automobile contracts involve contracts made to individuals with impaired or limited credit histories, or higher debt-to-income ratios than permitted by traditional lenders.  Contracts made with buyers who are restricted in their ability to obtain financing from traditional lenders generally entail a higher risk of delinquency, default and repossession, and higher losses than contracts made with buyers with better credit.  The Company monitors contract term length, down payment percentages, and collections for credit quality indicators.

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
	2013			2012
Principal collected as a percent of average finance receivables		42.8	%		46.3	%
Average down-payment percentage		5.8	%		6.2	%

	January 31, 2013		January 31, 2012
Average originating contract term (in months)		28.3		26.6
Portfolio weighted average contract term, including modifications (in months)		28.7		27.7

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The decrease in the principal collected as a percent of average finance receivables is primarily attributed to the longer average contract term, together with an increase in contract modifications as well as the higher average interest rate within the portfolio when compared to this time last year.  The increases in contract term are primarily related to increases in the average selling price in recent years and our efforts to keep our payments affordable for our customers.  Recent market conditions and competitive pressures are expected to result in the Company offering somewhat longer overall contract terms as the Company has been extremely aggressive over the last several years in efforts to keep terms short.  The Company has seen average selling price decreases in its most recent quarters but over the last several years pricing trends have resulted in higher average selling prices.

D – Property and Equipment

A summary of property and equipment is as follows:

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013			April 30, 2012
Land	$	5,896		$	6,079
Buildings and improvements		10,152			10,275
Furniture, fixtures and equipment		9,699			8,904
Leasehold improvements		14,596			12,368
Construction in progress		1,397			1,063
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(13,088	)		(11,142	)
	$	28,652		$	27,547

E – Accrued Liabilities

A summary of accrued liabilities is as follows:

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013		April 30, 2012
Compensation	$	4,517	$	5,063
Cash overdrafts (see Note B)		3,145		128
Deferred service contract revenue (see Note B)		3,347		3,036
Deferred sales tax (see Note B)		2,332		1,785
Interest		260		185
Other		2,841		3,152
	$	16,442	$	13,349

F – Debt Facilities

A summary of revolving credit facilities is as follows:

(In thousands)
					Balance at
	Aggregate Amount		Interest Rate	Maturity	January 31, 2013		April 30, 2012
Revolving credit facilities	$	145,000	LIBOR + 2.5%	March 2015	$	109,274	$	77,900

( 2.71% at January 31, 2013 and 2.74% at April 30, 2012)

On March 9, 2012, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement (“Credit Facilities”) with a group of lenders providing revolving credit facilities totaling $125 million.  On September 20, 2012, the Credit Facilities were amended to increase the total revolving commitment to $145 million.  The Credit Facilities expire in March 2015.  The revolving credit facilities are collateralized primarily by finance receivables and inventory, are cross collateralized and contain a guarantee by the Company.  Interest is payable monthly under the revolving credit facilities. The Credit Facilities provide for three pricing tiers for determining the applicable interest rate, based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio for the preceding fiscal quarter. The current applicable interest rate under the Credit Facilities is generally LIBOR plus 2.5%.  The Credit Facilities contains various reporting and performance covenants including (i) maintenance of certain financial ratios and tests, (ii) limitations on borrowings from other sources, (iii) restrictions on certain operating activities and (iv) limitations on the payment of dividends or distributions. The distribution limitations under the Credit Facilities allow the Company to repurchase the Company’s stock so long as: either (a) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed $40 million and the sum of borrowing bases combined minus the principal balances of all revolver loans after giving effect to such repurchases is equal to or greater than 25% of the sum of the borrowing bases, or (b) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed 75% of the consolidated net income of the Company measured on a trailing twelve month basis; provided that immediately before and after giving effect to the stock repurchases, at least 12.5% of the aggregate funds committed under the credit facilities remain available.   The Company was in compliance with the covenants at January 31, 2013.  The amount available to be drawn under the credit facilities is a function of eligible finance receivables and inventory. Based upon eligible finance receivables and inventory at January 31, 2013, the Company had additional availability of $35.7 million under the revolving credit facilities.

13

In connection with the amendment to the Credit Facilities in September 2012, the Company incurred debt issuance costs of approximately $42,000. The Company recognized $155,000 and $133,000 of amortization for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and January 31, 2012, respectively, related to debt issuance costs.  The amortization is reflected as interest expense in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.

On February 4, 2013, the Company entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Facilities (the “Amendment”).  The Amendment amended the definition of eligible vehicle contracts to include contracts with 36-42 month terms.

The Company has made reclassifications to certain prior year amounts in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows to conform to the fiscal 2013 presentation.  The prior year amounts related to proceeds from revolving credit facilities and payments on revolving credit facilities have been changed to reflect the gross amount of proceeds and payments in order to reflect a more meaningful disclosure of these amounts.

G – Fair Value Measurements

The table below summarizes information about the fair value of financial instruments included in the Company’s financial statements at January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2012:

	January 31, 2013				April 30, 2012
(In thousands)	Carrying Value		Fair Value		Carrying Value		Fair Value
Cash	$	865	$	865	$	276	$	276
Finance receivables, net		288,352		227,449		251,103		198,084
Accounts payable		10,082		10,082		7,352		7,352
Revolving credit facilities		109,274		109,274		77,900		77,900

Because no market exists for certain of the Company’s financial instruments, fair value estimates are based on judgments and estimates regarding yield expectations of investors, credit risk and other risk characteristics, including interest rate and prepayment risk.  These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of judgment and therefore cannot be determined with precision.  Changes in assumptions could significantly affect these estimates.  The methodology and assumptions utilized to estimate the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments are as follows:

Financial Instrument	Valuation Methodology
Cash	The carrying amount is considered to be a reasonable estimate of fair value due to the short-term nature of the financial instrument.
Finance receivables, net	The Company estimated the fair value of its receivables at what a third party purchaser might be willing to pay. The Company has had discussions with third parties and has bought and sold portfolios, and has had a third party appraisal that indicates a 37.5% discount to face would be a reasonable fair value in a negotiated third party transaction.  The sale of finance receivables from Car-Mart of Arkansas to Colonial is at a 37.5% discount. For financial reporting purposes these sale transactions are eliminated. Since the Company does not intend to offer the receivables for sale to an outside third party, the expectation is that the book value at January 31, 2013, will be ultimately collected. By collecting the accounts internally the Company expects to realize more than a third party purchaser would expect to collect with a servicing requirement and a profit margin included.
Accounts payable	The carrying amount is considered to be a reasonable estimate of fair value due to the short-term nature of the financial instrument.
Revolving credit facilities	The fair value approximates carrying value due to the variable interest rates charged on the borrowings, which reprice frequently.

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H – Weighted Average Shares Outstanding

Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding, which are used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share, are as follows:

	Three Months Ended January 31,				Nine Months Ended January 31,
	2013		2012		2013		2012
Weighted average shares outstanding-basic		9,017,613		9,610,125		9,142,296		9,886,100
Dilutive options and restricted stock		433,860		388,165		451,558		333,696
Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted		9,451,473		9,998,290		9,593,854		10,219,796
Antidilutive securities not included:
Options		45,000		35,000		41,667		28,333

I – Stock Based Compensation

The Company has stock based compensation plans available to grant non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options and restricted stock to employees, directors and certain advisors of the Company.  The stock based compensation plans currently being utilized are the 2007 Stock Option Plan (“2007 Plan”) and the Stock Incentive Plan (“Incentive Plan”).    The Company recorded total stock based compensation expense for all plans of $1.5 million ($960,000 after tax effects) and $1.7 million ($1.0 million after tax effects) for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  Tax benefits were recognized for these costs at the Company’s overall effective tax rate.

Stock Options

The Company has options outstanding under two stock option plans approved by the shareholders, the 1997 Stock Option Plan (“1997 Plan”) and the 2007 Plan. While previously granted options remain outstanding, no additional option grants may be made under the 1997 Plan.  The shareholders of the Company approved an amendment to the Company’s 2007 Plan on October 13, 2010. The amendment increased from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 the number of options to purchase our common stock that may be issued under the 2007 Plan.  The 2007 Plan provides for the grant of options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to employees, directors and certain advisors of the Company at a price not less than the fair market value of the stock on the date of grant and for periods not to exceed ten years. Options granted under the Company’s stock option plans expire in the calendar years 2013 through 2022.

	1997 Plan	2007 Plan
Minimum exercise price as a percentage of fair market value at date of grant	100%	100%
Last expiration date for outstanding options	July 2, 2017	October 9, 2022
Shares available for grant at January 31, 2013	-	392,500

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The fair value of options granted is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the assumptions in the table below.

	January 31, 2013	January 31, 2012
Expected term (years)	5.0	5.0
Risk-free interest rate	0.78%	1.59%
Volatility	50%	50%
Dividend yield	—	—

The expected term of the options is based on evaluations of historical and expected future employee exercise behavior.  The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rates at the date of grant with maturity dates approximately equal to the expected life at the grant date.  Volatility is based on historical volatility of the Company’s common stock.  The Company has not historically issued any dividends and does not expect to do so in the foreseeable future.

There were 40,000 and 58,750 options granted during the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The grant-date fair value of options granted during the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012 was $784,000 and $744,000, respectively. The options were granted at fair market value on date of grant.

Stock option compensation expense on a pre-tax basis was $1.4 million ($887,000 after tax effects) and $1.6 million ($996,000 after tax effects) for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

The aggregate intrinsic value of outstanding options at January 31, 2013 and 2012 was $21.3 million and $19.7 million, respectively.

As of January 31, 2013, the Company had $1.7 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested options.  These unvested outstanding options have a weighted-average remaining vesting period of 0.9 years.

The Company had the following options exercised for the periods indicated.  The impact of these cash receipts is included in financing activities in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(Dollars in thousands)	2013		2012
Options Exercised		28,500		86,897
Cash Received from Option Exercises	$	665	$	1,355
Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised	$	603	$	1,456

Stock Incentive Plan

The shareholders of the Company approved an amendment to the Company’s Stock Incentive Plan on October 14, 2009. The amendment increased from 150,000 to 350,000 the number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the Stock Incentive Plan.  For shares issued under the Stock Incentive Plan, the associated compensation expense is generally recognized equally over the vesting periods established at the award date and is subject to the employee’s continued employment by the Company.

There were no restricted shares granted during the first nine months of fiscal 2013 or fiscal 2012.  A total of 187,027 shares remained available for award at January 31, 2013.There were 27,000 unvested shares at January 31, 2013 with a weighted average grant date fair value of $23.07.

The Company recorded compensation cost of $92,000 ($58,000 after tax effects) and $102,000 ($63,000 after tax effects) related to the Stock Incentive Plan during the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

As of January 31, 2013, the Company has $225,000 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested awards granted under the Stock Incentive Plan, which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted-average remaining period of 1.8 years.

16

There were no modifications to any of the Company’s outstanding share-based payment awards during fiscal 2012 or during the first nine months of fiscal 2013.

J - Supplemental Cash Flow Information

Supplemental cash flow disclosures are as follows:

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(in thousands)	2013		2012
Supplemental disclosures:
Interest paid	$	2,081	$	1,578
Income taxes paid, net		12,407		10,047
Non-cash transactions:
Inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims		27,909		25,706

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Item 2.  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Company's consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report.

Forward-Looking Information

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These forward-looking statements address the Company’s future objectives, plans and goals, as well as the Company’s intent, beliefs and current expectations regarding future operating performance, and can generally be identified by words such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “foresee”, and other similar words or phrases.  Specific events addressed by these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

·   new dealership openings;

·   performance of new dealerships;

·   same store revenue growth;

·   future revenue growth;

·   future credit losses;

·   the Company’s collection results, including but not limited to collections during income tax refund periods;

·   investment in development of workforce;

·   gross margin percentages;

·   financing the majority of growth from profits;

·   seasonality;

·   compliance with tax regulations; and

·   the Company’s business and growth strategies.

These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current estimates and assumptions and involve various risks and uncertainties.  As a result, you are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results could differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements.  Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s projections include, but are not limited to:

·   the availability of credit facilities to support the Company’s business;

·   the Company’s ability to underwrite and collect its contracts effectively;

·   competition;

·   dependence on existing management;

·   availability of quality vehicles at prices that will be affordable to customers;

·   changes in financing laws or regulations;

·   the outcome of pending tax audits; and

·   general economic conditions in the markets in which the Company operates, including but not limited to fluctuations in gas prices, grocery prices and employment levels.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they are made.

Overview

America’s Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “Company”), is the largest publicly held automotive retailer in the United States focused exclusively on the “Integrated Auto Sales and Finance” segment of the used car market.  References to the Company typically include the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries.  The Company’s operations are principally conducted through its two operating subsidiaries, America’s Car Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation (“Car-Mart of Arkansas”), and Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an Arkansas corporation (“Colonial”).  Collectively, Car-Mart of Arkansas and Colonial are referred to herein as “Car-Mart”.  The Company primarily sells older model used vehicles and provides financing for substantially all of its customers. Many of the Company’s customers have limited financial resources and would not qualify for conventional financing as a result of limited credit histories or past credit problems.  As of January 31, 2013, the Company operated 120 dealerships located primarily in small cities throughout the South-Central United States.

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Car-Mart has been operating since 1981.  Car-Mart has grown its revenues between 3% and 21% per year over the last ten fiscal years (average 13%).  Growth results from same dealership revenue growth and the addition of new dealerships.  Revenue increased 7.1% for the first nine months of fiscal 2013 compared to the same period of fiscal 2012 due primarily to a 7.3% increase in retail units sold and a 12.8% increase in interest income.  The average retail sales price remained relatively flat for the first nine months of fiscal 2013 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2012.

The Company’s primary focus is on collections.  Each dealership is responsible for its own collections with supervisory involvement of the corporate office.  Over the last five full fiscal years, the Company’s credit losses as a percentage of sales have ranged between approximately 20.2% in fiscal 2010 and 22.0% in fiscal 2008 (average of 21.1%). Credit losses in fiscal 2008 were 22% of sales as the Company continued to focus on operational initiatives, including credit and collections efforts.  In fiscal 2009, the Company saw the benefit of continuing operational improvements despite negative macro-economic factors and experienced a reduction in credit losses to 21.5% of sales.  Improvements in credit losses continued into fiscal 2010 as the provision for credit losses was 20.2% of sales for the year ended April 30, 2010.  The Company experienced credit losses of 20.8% of sales for fiscal 2011 and 21.1% of sales for fiscal 2012.  In fiscal 2011 the higher credit losses primarily related to credit losses during the second fiscal quarter as the Company experienced some modest operational difficulties.  In fiscal 2012 the Company experienced slightly higher credit losses; however, the losses were within the range of credit losses that the Company targets annually.  The credit losses as a percentage of sales for the first nine months of fiscal 2013 were 23.3% compared to 21.8% of sales for the prior year period.  The increase as a percentage of sales was primarily the result of the lower collections as a percentage of average finance receivables as well as higher losses at newer dealerships, which was anticipated, as these dealerships represent a higher percentage of the total dealerships as of the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2013 versus the same period last year.  Additionally, the Company did see increases in losses as a percentage of sales for some older dealerships due in part to the negative macroeconomic environment and lower average selling prices when compared to the prior year period.

Historically, credit losses, on a percentage basis, tend to be higher at new and developing dealerships than at mature dealerships.  Generally, this is the case because the management at new and developing dealerships tends to be less experienced in making credit decisions and collecting customer accounts and the customer base is less seasoned.  Normally the older, more mature dealerships have more repeat customers and on average, repeat customers are a better credit risk than non-repeat customers.

The Company believes that the proper execution of its business practices is the single most important determinant of credit loss experience.  The Company does believe that higher energy and fuel costs, general inflation and potentially lower personal income levels affecting customers can have a negative impact on collections.  However, negative macro-economic issues do not always lead to higher credit loss results for the Company, because the Company provides basic affordable transportation which in many cases is not a discretionary expenditure for customers. The Company continues to make improvements to its business practices, including better underwriting and better collection procedures in a continuing effort to improve collection results.  The Company has installed a proprietary credit scoring system which enables the Company to monitor the quality of contracts on the front end. Corporate office personnel monitor scores and work with dealerships when the distribution of scores fall outside of prescribed thresholds.  The Company continues to invest in its corporate infrastructure within the collection area.  The Director of Collection Practices and Review provides timely oversight and more accountability on a consistent basis.  In addition, the Company now has several Collection Specialists who assist the Director of Collection Practices and Review with monitoring and training efforts.

The Company’s gross margins as a percentage of sales have been fairly consistent from year to year. Over the last five full fiscal years, the Company’s gross margins as a percentage of sales have ranged between approximately 42% and 44%. Gross margin as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2012 was 42.3%. The Company’s gross margins are based upon the cost of the vehicle purchased, with lower-priced vehicles typically having higher gross margin percentages. In recent years, the Company’s gross margins have been negatively affected by the increase in the average retail sales price (a function of a higher purchase price) and higher operating costs, mostly related to increased vehicle repair costs and higher fuel costs. Additionally, the percentage of wholesale sales to retail sales, which relate for the most part to repossessed vehicles sold at or near cost, can have a significant effect on overall gross margin percentages.  The negative effect from wholesale sales was higher during the first part of fiscal 2008 due to the increased level of repossession activity coupled with relatively flat retail sales levels. Higher retail sales levels and lower repossessions activity during the latter part of fiscal 2008 and for fiscal 2009 helped to bring gross margin percentages back up.  Gross margin percentages in fiscal 2010 benefitted from higher retail sales levels and from a strong wholesale market for repossessed vehicles due to overall used vehicle supply shortages.  The gross margin percentage in fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012 was negatively affected by higher wholesale sales, increased average retail selling price, higher inventory repair costs and lower margins on the payment protection plan and service contract products. For the first nine months of fiscal 2013, the gross margin as a percentage of sales was 42.7%, up slightly from 42.5% for the first nine months of fiscal 2012.  The increase is primarily due to pricing efficiencies, improved margins on the service contract products and slightly lower cost of sales expenses.  The Company expects that its gross margin percentage will not change significantly in the near term from the current level (42%-43% range).

19

Hiring, training and retaining qualified associates are critical to the Company’s success.  The rate at which the Company adds new dealerships and is able to implement operating initiatives is limited by the number of trained managers and support personnel the Company has at its disposal.  Excessive turnover, particularly at the dealership manager level, could impact the Company’s ability to add new dealerships and to meet operational initiatives.  The Company has added resources to recruit, train and develop personnel especially personnel targeted to fill dealership manager positions.  The Company expects to continue to invest in the development of its workforce in fiscal 2013 and beyond.

Consolidated Operations

(Operating Statement Dollars in Thousands)

							% Change			As a % of Sales
	Three Months Ended January 31,						2013 vs.			Three Months Ended January 31,
	2013			2012			2012			2013			2012
Revenues:
Sales	$	106,215		$	93,957			13.0	%		100.0	%		100.0	%
Interest income		12,707			11,408			11.4			12.0			12.1
Total		118,922			105,365			12.9			112.0			112.1
Costs and expenses:
Cost of sales, excluding depreciation shown below		60,941			54,298			12.2			57.4			57.8
Selling, general and administrative		18,775			17,175			9.3			17.7			18.3
Provision for credit losses		25,189			20,899			20.5			23.7			22.2
Interest expense		795			659			20.6			0.7			0.7
Depreciation and amortization		712			594			19.9			0.7			0.6
Total		106,412			93,625			13.7			100.2			99.6
Pretax income	$	12,510		$	11,740			6.6	%		11.8	%		12.5	%
Operating Data:
Retail units sold		10,403			8,965
Average stores in operation		118			111
Average units sold per store per month		29.4			26.9
Average retail sales price	$	9,797		$	9,922
Same store revenue change		8.8	%		7.9	%
Period End Data:
Stores open		120			111
Accounts over 30 days past due		6.0	%		4.7	%

Three Months Ended January 31, 2013 vs. Three Months Ended January 31, 2012

Revenues increased by $13.6 million, or 12.9%, for the three months ended January 31, 2013 as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year.  The increase was principally the result of (i) a revenue increase from dealerships that operated a full three months in both periods ($9.2 million, or 8.8%) and (ii) revenue from dealerships opened after January 31, 2012 ($4.4 million).  The increase in same store revenue during the quarter ended January 31, 2013 as compared to the quarter ended January 31, 2012 was due primarily to more retail units sold, partially offset by a lower average selling price.

Cost of sales as a percentage of sales decreased 0.4% to 57.4% for the three months ended January 31, 2013 from 57.8% in the same period of the prior fiscal year. The decrease from the prior year period relates primarily to pricing efficiencies due in part to the lower average retail sales price, partially offset by higher losses on the payment protection plan product.  The average retail sales price for the third quarter of fiscal 2013 decreased $125 from the third quarter of fiscal 2012.  The Company will continue to focus efforts on holding down purchase costs (and the related selling price) and expects to see gross margin percentages generally in the 42% - 43% range over the near term.  Average selling prices and top line sales levels in relation to wholesale volumes, resulting from credit loss experience, can have a significant effect on gross margin percentages.

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Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of sales were 17.7% for the three months ended January 31, 2013, a decrease of 0.6% from the same period of the prior fiscal year.  In dollar terms, overall selling, general and administrative expenses increased $1.6 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year, consisting primarily of increased payroll costs, incremental costs at new dealerships as well as higher marketing and advertising costs.

Provision for credit losses as a percentage of sales increased to 23.7% for the three months ended January 31, 2013 compared to 22.2% for the three months ended January 31, 2012.  The increase as a percentage of sales was partially the result of the lower collections as a percentage of average finance receivables as well as anticipated higher losses at newer dealerships as these dealerships represent a higher percentage of the total dealerships as of the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2013 versus the same period last year.  Additionally, the Company did see increases in losses as a percentage of sales for some older dealerships due in part to the negative macroeconomic environment and lower average selling prices when compared to the prior year period.  Net charge-offs as a percentage of average finance receivables was 5.7% for the three months ended January 31, 2013 which was unchanged from the comparative prior year quarter.  The Company continually pushes for improvements and better execution of its collection practices.  However, the continuing negative macro-economic environment continues to put pressure on our customers and the resulting collections of our finance receivables.  The Company has made considerable investment in the corporate infrastructure within the collection area which is continuing to have a positive effect on results by providing more oversight and accountability on a consistent basis. The Company believes that the proper execution of its business practices is the single most important determinate of credit loss experience.

Interest expense for the three months ended January 31, 2013 as a percentage of sales remained constant at 0.7% compared to the three months ended January 31, 2012.   The increase in interest expense resulted from higher average borrowings during the three months ended January 31, 2013 ($102.4 million compared to $80.9 million in the prior year), which were partially offset by lower interest rates on the Company’s variable rate debt.

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Consolidated Operations

(Operating Statement Dollars in Thousands)

							% Change			As a % of Sales
	Nine Months Ended January 31,						2013 vs.			Nine Months Ended January 31,
	2013			2012			2012			2013			2012
Revenues:
Sales	$	302,706		$	284,409			6.4	%		100.0	%		100.0	%
Interest income		36,435			32,287			12.8			12.0			11.4
Total		339,141			316,696			7.1			112.0			111.4
Costs and expenses:
Cost of sales, excluding depreciation shown below		173,330			163,667			5.9			57.3			57.5
Selling, general and administrative		53,982			50,094			7.8			17.8			17.6
Provision for credit losses		70,499			62,056			13.6			23.3			21.8
Interest expense		2,156			1,676			28.6			0.7			0.6
Depreciation and amortization		2,070			1,697			22.0			0.7			0.6
Total		302,037			279,190			8.2			99.8			98.2
Pretax income	$	37,104		$	37,506			(1.1	) %		12.3	%		13.2	%
Operating Data:
Retail units sold		29,970			27,933
Average stores in operation		116			109
Average units sold per store per month		28.7			28.5
Average retail sales price	$	9,635		$	9,636
Same store revenue change		2.8	%		8.3	%
Period End Data:
Stores open		120			111
Accounts over 30 days past due		6.0	%		4.7	%

Nine Months Ended January 31, 2013 vs. Nine Months Ended January 31, 2012

Revenues increased by $22.4 million, or 7.1%, for the nine months ended January 31, 2013, as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year.  The increase was principally the result of (i) revenue growth from stores that operated a full nine months in both periods ($8.7 million, or 2.8%), (ii) revenue growth from stores opened during the nine months ended January 31, 2012 and stores that opened or closed a satellite location after January 31, 2012 ($4.6 million), and (iii) revenue from stores opened after January 31, 2012 ($9.1 million).

Cost of sales as a percentage of sales decreased 0.2% to 57.3% for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 from 57.5% in the same period of the prior fiscal year.  The decrease from the prior year period relates primarily to pricing efficiencies, improved margins on the service contract product and slightly lower cost of sales expenses.  The Company will continue to focus efforts on holding down purchase costs (and the related selling price) and expects to see gross margin percentages generally in the 42% - 43% range over the near term.  Average selling prices and top line sales levels in relation to wholesale volumes, resulting from credit loss experience, can have a significant effect on gross margin percentages.

Selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of sales was 17.8% for the nine months ended January 31, 2013, an increase of 0.2% from the same period of the prior fiscal year.   Selling, general and administrative expenses are, for the most part, more fixed in nature. The overall dollar increase of $3.9 million related primarily to higher payroll costs and to incremental costs related to new locations opened after January 31, 2012.

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Provision for credit losses as a percentage of sales increased 1.5% to 23.3% for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 from 21.8% in the same period of the prior fiscal year.  Continuing negative macro-economic conditions continue to put pressure on our customers and the resulting collections of our finance receivables.  However, despite the increase in credit losses during the first nine months of fiscal 2012 compared to the prior year period, the credit losses for the current year period were generally in line with historical experience and within an acceptable range.  The Company continues to push for improvements and better execution of its collection practices.  The Company believes that the proper execution of its business practices is the single most important determinate of credit loss experience and that the credit losses in both the current and prior year periods reflect the improvements in oversight and accountability provided by the Company’s investments in our corporate infrastructure within the collection area.

Interest expense as a percentage of sales increased 0.1% to 0.7% for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 from 0.6% for the same period of the prior fiscal year.  The increase was attributable to higher average borrowings during the nine months ended January 31, 2013 as compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year ($91.6 million compared to $69.2 million) partially offset by lower interest rates on the Company’s variable rate debt.

Financial Condition

The following table sets forth the major balance sheet accounts of the Company as of the dates specified (in thousands):

	January 31, 2013		April 30, 2012
Assets:
Finance receivables, net	$	288,352	$	251,103
Inventory		35,868		27,242
Income taxes receivable, net		2,006		1,444
Property and equipment, net		28,652		27,547
Liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		26,524		20,701
Deferred payment protection plan revenue		12,359		10,745
Deferred tax liabilities, net		18,505		16,721
Debt facilities		109,274		77,900

Historically, finance receivables tended to grow slightly faster than revenue growth.  This has historically been due, to a large extent, to an increasing weighted average term necessitated by increases in the average retail sales price over recent years.  The weighted average term for installment sales contracts at January 31, 2013 increased as compared to January 31, 2012 (28.7 months vs. 27.7 months).  Benefits related to software and operational changes made in an effort to shorten relative terms by maximizing up-front equity and scheduling payments to coincide with anticipated income tax refunds have helped maintain the overall term length in the face of the increasing average retail sales prices.  However, in response to current competitive and economic conditions, the Company is making some structural changes to its customer contracts which include increases to the overall length of contract terms.  Revenue growth results from same store revenue growth and the addition of new dealerships.  The Company currently anticipates going forward that the growth in finance receivables will be higher than overall revenue growth on an annual basis due to the overall term length increases offset by improvements in underwriting and collection procedures which are expected to result in strong collections.

During the first nine months of fiscal 2013, inventory increased 31.7% ($8.6 million) as compared to inventory at April 30, 2012.  The increase resulted from additional inventory to support new dealerships and increases related to expected demand in anticipation of income tax refund season as well as the expected increase in overall demand for the type of vehicle the Company purchases for resale.  The Company strives to offer a broad mix and sufficient quantities of vehicles to adequately serve its expanding customer base. The Company will continue to manage inventory levels in the future to ensure adequate supply, in volume and mix, and to meet anticipated sales demand.

Income taxes receivable, net, increased $560,000 at January 31, 2013 as compared to April 30, 2012 as the tax payments for the current year have been made and the receivable related to the fiscal year 2012 has not yet been received.

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Property and equipment, net, increased $1.1 million during the nine months ended January 31, 2013 as compared to property and equipment, net, at April 30, 2012 as the Company incurred expenditures related to new dealerships as well as to refurbish and expand existing locations.

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities increased $5.8 million during the first nine months of fiscal 2013 as compared to Accounts payable and accrued liabilities at April 30, 2012 due primarily to the amount and timing of cash overdrafts and the increase related to higher expenditures for cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative costs.

Deferred tax liabilities, net, increased $1.8 million during the first nine months of fiscal 2013 as compared to April 30, 2012 due primarily to the increase in finance receivables.

Borrowings on the Company’s revolving credit facilities fluctuate primarily based upon a number of factors including (i) net income, (ii) finance receivables changes, (iii) income taxes, (iv) capital expenditures and (v) common stock repurchases.  Historically, income from continuing operations, as well as borrowings on the revolving credit facilities, have funded the Company’s finance receivables growth, capital asset purchases and common stock repurchases.  In the first nine months of fiscal 2013, the Company had a $31.4 million increase in its debt facilities to help finance receivables growth of $47.0 million, an inventory increase of $8.6 million, capital expenditures of $3.2 million and common stock repurchases of $17.2 million.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

The following table sets forth certain summarized historical information with respect to the Company’s Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands):

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
	2013			2012
Operating activities:
Net income	$	23,376		$	23,346
Provision for credit losses		70,499			62,056
Losses on claims for payment protection plan		5,249			4,353
Depreciation and amortization		2,070			1,697
Stock based compensation		1,525			1,681
Finance receivable originations		(284,931	)		(263,539	)
Finance receivable collections		144,025			140,084
Inventory		19,283			19,470
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		2,806			(547	)
Deferred payment protection plan revenue		1,614			1,169
Income taxes, net		(463	)		1,052
Deferred income taxes		1,784			3,061
Accrued interest on finance receivables		(506	)		(444	)
Other		(522	)		581
Total		(14,191	)		(5,980	)
Investing activities:
Purchase of property and equipment		(3,438	)		(3,228	)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment		199			-
Total		(3,239	)		(3,228	)
Financing activities:
Debt facilities, net		31,374			36,334
Change in cash overdrafts		3,017			1,370
Purchase of common stock		(17,248	)		(29,950	)
Dividend payments		(30	)		(30	)
Exercise of stock options and warrants, including tax benefits and issuance of common stock		906			1,670
Total		18,019			9,394
Increase in Cash	$	589		$	186

The primary drivers of operating profits and cash flows include (i) top line sales and the related finance receivables originations and collections, (ii) interest rates on finance receivables, (iii) gross margin percentages on vehicle sales, and (iv) credit losses. The Company generates cash flow from income from operations.  Historically, most or all of this cash is used to fund finance receivables growth, capital expenditures and common stock repurchases.  To the extent finance receivables growth, capital expenditures and common stock repurchases exceed income from operations generally the Company increases its borrowings under its revolving credit facilities.  The majority of the Company’s growth has been self-funded.

Cash flows from operations for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year were negatively impacted by (i) an increase in finance receivables, and (ii) a smaller increase in income tax payable, net and in deferred income taxes, partially offset by (iii) higher non-cash charges including credit losses, depreciation, and losses on claims for payment protection plan and (iv) higher values for inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims.  Finance receivables, net, increased by $37.2 million from April 30, 2012 to January 31, 2013.

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The purchase price the Company pays for a vehicle has a significant effect on liquidity and capital resources. Several external factors can negatively affect the purchase cost of vehicles. Decreases in the overall volume of new car sales, particularly domestic brands, leads to decreased supply in the used car market. Also, the expansion of the customer base due in part to constrictions in consumer credit, as well as general economic conditions, can have an overall effect on the demand for the type of vehicle the Company purchases for resale. Because the Company bases its selling price on the purchase cost for the vehicle, increases in purchase costs result in increased selling prices. As the selling price increases, it becomes more difficult to keep the gross margin percentage and contract term in line with historical results because the Company’s customers have limited incomes and their car payments must remain affordable within their individual budgets. The Company has seen increases in the purchase cost of vehicles and resulting increases in selling prices over the last few years.   Management does expect a continuing tight supply of vehicles and a resulting pressure for increases in vehicle purchase costs. The Company has devoted significant efforts to improve its purchasing processes to ensure adequate supply at appropriate prices. This is expected to result in gross margin percentages generally in the 42% - 43% range in the near term with overall contract terms increasing, somewhat mitigated by software and operational changes which have been made to structure seasonal payments during income tax refund periods.  In an effort to ensure an adequate supply of vehicles at appropriate prices, the Company has increased the level of accountability for its purchasing agents including the establishment of sourcing and pricing guidelines.  Additionally, the Company is expanding its purchasing territories to larger cities in close proximity to its dealerships and increasing its efforts to purchase vehicles from individuals at the dealership level as well as via the internet.

The Company believes that the amount of credit available for the sub-prime auto industry has increased during recent months and management expects the availability of consumer credit within the automotive industry to be somewhat higher over the near term when compared to recent history and that this will contribute to overall increases in demand for most, if not all, of the vehicles the Company purchases for resale.  Increased competition resulting from availability of funding to the sub-prime auto industry has contributed to lower down payments and longer terms which have had a negative effect on collection percentages and liquidity when compared to prior periods.

Macro-economic factors can have an effect on credit losses and resulting liquidity. General inflation, particularly within staple items such as groceries and gasoline, as well as overall unemployment levels can have a significant effect on collection results and ultimately credit losses. The Company has made improvements to its business processes within the last few years to strengthen controls and provide stronger infrastructure to support its collections efforts. The Company anticipates that credit losses on a going-forward basis will be within historical ranges; however, losses for the full fiscal year 2013 could be slightly higher and will greatly dependent upon successful collections during income tax refund time. Significant negative macro-economic effects could cause actual results to differ from the anticipated range.  Management continues to focus on improved execution at the dealership level, specifically as related to working individually with its customers concerning collection issues.

The Company has generally leased the majority of the properties where its dealerships are located.  As of January 31, 2013, the Company leased approximately 79% of its dealership properties.  The Company expects to continue to lease the majority of the properties where its dealerships are located.

The Company’s revolving credit facilities generally limit distributions by the Company to its shareholders in order to repurchase the Company’s common stock.  The distribution limitations under these facilities allow the Company to repurchase the Company’s stock so long as either (a) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed $40 million and the sum of borrowing bases combined minus the principal balances of all revolver loans after giving effect to such repurchases is equal to or greater than 25% of the sum of the borrowing bases, or (b) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed 75% of the consolidated net income of the Company measured on a trailing twelve month basis; provided that immediately before and after giving effect to the stock repurchases, at least 12.5% of the aggregate funds committed under the credit facilities remain available. Thus, the Company is limited in the amount of dividends or other distributions it can make to its shareholders without the consent of the Company’s lenders.

At January 31, 2013, the Company had $865,000 of cash on hand and an additional $35.7 million of availability under its revolving credit facilities (see Note F to the Consolidated Financial Statements).  On a short-term basis, the Company’s principal sources of liquidity include income from operations and borrowings under its revolving credit facilities.  On a longer-term basis, the Company expects its principal sources of liquidity to consist of income from operations and borrowings under revolving credit facilities and/or fixed interest term loans.  The Company’s revolving credit facilities mature in March 2015 and the Company expects that it will be able to renew or refinance its revolving credit facilities on or before the date they mature.  Furthermore, while the Company has no specific plans to issue debt or equity securities, the Company believes, if necessary, it could raise additional capital through the issuance of such securities.

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The Company expects to use cash to (i) grow its finance receivables portfolio,  (ii) purchase property and equipment of approximately $4 million in the next 12 months in connection with refurbishing existing dealerships and adding new dealerships, (iii) repurchase shares of common stock when favorable conditions exist and (iv) reduce debt to the extent excess cash is available.  Potential future changes to the structuring of customer contracts could have the effect of reducing the level of capital allocated to our stock repurchase program when compared to levels in recent history.

The Company believes it will have adequate liquidity to continue to grow its revenues and to satisfy its capital needs for the foreseeable future.

Contractual Payment Obligations

There have been no material changes outside of the ordinary course of business in the Company’s contractual payment obligations from  those reported at April 30, 2012 in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company has entered into operating leases for approximately 79% of its dealerships and office facilities.  Generally these leases are for periods of three to five years and usually contain multiple renewal options.  The Company uses leasing arrangements to maintain flexibility in its dealership locations and to preserve capital.  The Company expects to continue to lease the majority of its dealerships and office facilities under arrangements substantially consistent with the past.

Other than its operating leases, the Company is not a party to any off-balance sheet arrangement that management believes is reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to investors.

Related Finance Company Contingency

Car-Mart of Arkansas and Colonial do not meet the affiliation standard for filing consolidated income tax returns, and as such they file separate federal and state income tax returns.  Car-Mart of Arkansas routinely sells its finance receivables to Colonial at what the Company believes to be fair market value and is able to take a tax deduction at the time of sale for the difference between the tax basis of the receivables sold and the sales price.  These types of transactions, based upon facts and circumstances, have been permissible under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) as described in the Treasury Regulations.  For financial accounting purposes, these transactions are eliminated in consolidation and a deferred tax liability has been recorded for this timing difference.   The sale of finance receivables from Car-Mart of Arkansas to Colonial provides certain legal protection for the Company’s finance receivables and, principally because of certain state apportionment characteristics of Colonial, also has the effect of reducing the Company’s overall effective state income tax rate by approximately 230 basis points.  The actual interpretation of the Regulations is in part a facts and circumstances matter.  The Company believes it satisfies the material provisions of the Regulations. Failure to satisfy those provisions could result in the loss of a tax deduction at the time the receivables are sold and have the effect of increasing the Company’s overall effective income tax rate as well as the timing of required tax payments.

In fiscal 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) concluded the examinations of the Company’s income tax returns for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.  As a result of the examinations, the IRS had questioned whether deferred payment protection plan (“PPP”) revenue associated with the sale of certain receivables are subject to the acceleration of advance payments provision of the IRC and whether the Company may deduct losses on the sale of the PPP receivables in excess of the income recognized on the underlying contracts.  The issue was timing in nature and did not affect the overall tax provision, but affected the timing of required tax payments.

In January 2013, the Company received approval for a negotiated settlement with the IRS related to the examinations for income tax returns for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.  The negotiated settlement resulted in additional taxable income and a resulting tax payment for the exam period.  The question related to the timing of income recognition and therefore the additional income recognized in 2008 and 2009 will result in a corresponding tax deduction and resulting refund in the following fiscal year.  Under the settlement the Company paid an immaterial amount of interest to the IRS related to the additional tax payment.

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The IRS is currently auditing the federal income tax returns for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 for the Company.

The Company’s policy is to recognize accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in operating expenses. The Company had no accrued penalties and/or interest as of January 31, 2013.

Critical Accounting Policies

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions in determining the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results could differ from the Company’s estimates.  The Company believes the most significant estimate made in the preparation of the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements relates to the determination of its allowance for credit losses, which is discussed below.  The Company’s accounting policies are discussed in Note B to the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses on an aggregate basis at an amount it considers sufficient to cover estimated losses in the collection of its finance receivables.  At January 31, 2013, the weighted average total contract term was 28.7 months with 20.7 months remaining. The reserve amount in the allowance for credit losses at January 31, 2013, $75.6 million, was 21.5% of the principal balance in finance receivables of $363.9 million, less unearned payment protection plan revenue of $12.4 million. Based on the analysis of the allowance and strong and consistent credit results the past several years, management reduced the allowance for credit losses at April 30, 2012 to 21.5% from 22.0% at January 31, 2012.  The estimated reserve amount is the Company’s anticipated future net charge-offs for losses incurred through the balance sheet date. The allowance takes into account historical credit loss experience (both timing and severity of losses), with consideration given to recent credit loss trends and changes in contract characteristics (i.e., average amount financed, months outstanding at loss date, term and age of portfolio), delinquency levels, collateral values, economic conditions and underwriting and collection practices. The allowance for credit losses is reviewed at least quarterly by management with any changes reflected in current operations.  The calculation of the allowance for credit losses uses the following primary factors:

·   The number of units repossessed or charged-off as a percentage of total units financed over specific historical periods of time.

·   The average net repossession and charge-off loss per unit during the last eighteen months segregated by the number of months since the contract origination date and adjusted for the expected future average net charge-off loss per unit.  About 50% of the charge-offs that will ultimately occur in the portfolio are expected to occur within 10-11 months following the loan origination date.  The average age of an account at charge-off date is 10.6 months.

·   The timing of repossession and charge-off losses relative to the date of sale (i.e., how long it takes for a repossession or charge-off to occur) for repossessions and charge-offs occurring during the last eighteen months.

A point estimate is produced by this analysis which is then supplemented by any positive or negative subjective factors to arrive at an overall reserve amount that management considers to be a reasonable estimate of incurred losses that will be realized via actual charge-offs in the future. Although it is at least reasonably possible that events or circumstances could occur in the future that are not presently foreseen which could cause actual credit losses to be materially different from the recorded allowance for credit losses, the Company believes that it has given appropriate consideration to all relevant factors and has made reasonable assumptions in determining the allowance for credit losses.  Periods of economic downturn do not necessarily lead to increased credit losses because the Company provides basic affordable transportation to customers that, for the most part, do not have access to public transportation.  The effectiveness of the execution of internal policies and procedures within the collections area has historically had a more significant effect on collection results than macro-economic issues. A 1% change, as a percentage of Finance receivables, in the allowance for credit losses would equate to an approximate pre-tax change of $3.5 million.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Occasionally, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies which the Company adopts as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes the impact of recently issued standards which are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

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Goodwill.  In September 2011, the FASB adopted an update regarding testing goodwill and other intangibles for impairment.  The update permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.  This update was effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011.  The Company implemented this update for its fiscal year beginning May 1, 2012.  This update did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Seasonality

The Company’s third fiscal quarter (November through January) was historically the slowest period for vehicle sales. Conversely, the Company’s first and fourth fiscal quarters (May through July and February through April) were historically the busiest times for vehicle sales. Therefore, the Company generally realized a higher proportion of its revenue and operating profit during the first and fourth fiscal quarters. However, beginning in fiscal 2008 tax refund anticipation sales have begun in early November and continued through January (the Company’s third fiscal quarter).  The success of the tax refund anticipation sales effort has led to higher sales levels during the third fiscal quarters and the Company expects this trend to continue in future periods, but a shift in the timing of actual tax refund dollars in the Company’s markets could have an effect in future years. If conditions arise that impair vehicle sales during the first, third or fourth fiscal quarters, the adverse effect on the Company’s revenues and operating results for the year could be disproportionately large.

Item 3.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The Company is exposed to market risk on its financial instruments from changes in interest rates.  In particular, the Company has exposure to changes in the prime interest rate of its lender.  The Company does not use financial instruments for trading purposes.  The Company has in the past entered into an interest rate swap agreement to manage interest rate risk; however, as of January 31, 2013, the Company has no interest rate swap agreement in effect.  

Interest rate risk. The Company’s exposure to changes in interest rates relates primarily to its debt obligations.  The Company is exposed to changes in interest rates as a result of its revolving credit facilities, and the interest rates charged to the Company under its credit facilities fluctuate based on its primary lender’s base rate of interest.  The Company had total indebtedness of $109.3 million outstanding at January 31, 2013. The impact of a 1% increase in interest rates on this amount of debt would result in increased annual interest expense of approximately $1.1 million and a corresponding decrease in net income before income tax.

The Company’s earnings are impacted by its net interest income, which is the difference between the income earned on interest-bearing assets and the interest paid on interest-bearing notes payable.  The Company’s finance receivables generally bear interest at fixed rates ranging from 11% to 19%, while its revolving credit facilities contain variable interest rates that fluctuate with market interest rates.  Prior to June 2009, interest rates charged on finance receivables originated in the State of Arkansas were limited to the federal primary credit rate plus 5%.  Typically, the Company had charged interest on its Arkansas contracts at or near the maximum rate allowed by law.  Thus, while the interest rates charged on the Company’s contracts do not fluctuate once established, new contracts originated in Arkansas were set at a spread above the federal primary credit rate which does fluctuate. Effective June 26, 2009, the Company began charging 12% on contracts originated in Arkansas. This was due to the passage by the U.S. Congress of the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009 which was signed into law on June 24, 2009. Within this legislation was a provision that allowed the Company to charge up to 17% on sales financed to customers in Arkansas, which expired via a sunset clause on December 31, 2010.  On November 2, 2010, voters in Arkansas approved a state constitutional amendment to allow up to 17% interest for non-bank loans and contracts in the state effectively making the Federal legislation permanent.  Subsequently, an appeal challenging the constitutionality of the amendment was filed with the Arkansas Supreme Court.  In June 2011, the Arkansas Supreme Court upheld the amendment.  In mid-July 2011, the Company began charging a fixed 15% interest rate on new contracts for all dealerships in all states in which the Company operates.  At January 31, 2013, approximately 40% of the Company’s finance receivables were originated in Arkansas.

Item 4.  Controls and Procedures

a)   Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Based on management’s evaluation (with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer), as of January 31, 2013, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer), to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

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b)   Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the Company’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 4T. Controls and Procedures

Not applicable
 

PART II

Item 2.  Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

The Company is authorized to repurchase up to one million shares of its common stock under the common stock repurchase program last amended and approved by the Board of Directors on August 16, 2012.  The following table sets forth information with respect to purchases made by or on behalf of the Company of shares of the Company’s common stock during the periods indicated:

Period	Total Number of Shares Purchased		Average Price Paid per Share		Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs(1)		Maximum Number of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs(1)
November 1, 2012 through November 30, 2012		62,160	$	41.52		62,160		861,308
December 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012		0	$	0.00		0		861,308
January 1, 2013 through January 31, 2013		0	$	0.00		0		861,308
Total		62,160	$	41.52		62,160		861,308

(1)  The above described stock repurchase program has no expiration date.

Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosure

Not applicable

30

Exhibit Number	Description of Exhibit
3.1	Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibits 4.1-4.8 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed with the SEC on November 16, 2005 (File No. 333-129727)).
3.2	Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company dated December 4, 2007.  (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2007 filed with the SEC on December 7, 2007).
4.1	Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement dated March 9, 2012, among America’s Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation, as Parent; Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, America’s Car Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, and Texas Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation, as Borrowers; and certain financial institutions, as Lenders, with Bank of America N.A., as Administrative Agent, Lead Arranger and Book Manager (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 12, 2012).
4.2	Colonial Second Amended and Restated Revolver Note dated March 9, 2012 by Colonial Auto Finance, Inc. in favor of Commerce Bank, as Lender (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on March 12, 2012).
4.3	Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement dated September 20, 2012, among America’s Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation, as Parent; Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, America’s Car Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, and Texas Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation, as Borrowers; and certain financial institutions, as Lenders, with Bank of America N.A., as Administrative Agent, Lead Arranger and Book Manager (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 21, 2012).
4.4	Colonial Third Amended and Restated Revolver Note dated September 20, 2012 by Colonial Auto Finance, Inc. in favor of Bank of America, N.A., as Lender (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 21, 2012).
4.5	Colonial Third Amended and Restated Revolver Note dated September 20, 2012 by Colonial Auto Finance, Inc. in favor of BOKF, NA d/b/a Bank of Arkansas, as Lender (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 21, 2012).
4.6	Colonial Amended and Restated Revolver Note dated September 20, 2012 by Colonial Auto Finance, Inc. in favor of First Tennessee Bank, as Lender (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 21, 2012).
4.7	Colonial Third Amended and Restated Revolver Note dated September 20, 2012 by Colonial Auto Finance, Inc. in favor of Arvest (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.7 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 21, 2012).
4.8	Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement dated February 4, 2013, among America’s Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation, as Parent; Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, America’s Car Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, and Texas Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation, as Borrowers; and certain financial institutions, as Lenders, with Bank of America N.A., as Administrative Agent, Lead Arranger and Book Manager.
31.1	Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

31

31.2	Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act.
32.1	Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Exchange Act and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
101.INS	XBRL Instance Document
Exhibit Number	Description of Exhibit
101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

32

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

America’s Car-Mart, Inc.
By:	\s\ William H. Henderson
	William H. Henderson Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)
By:	\s\ Jeffrey A. Williams
	Jeffrey A. Williams Chief Financial Officer and Secretary (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Dated: March 1, 2013

33

EX-4.8

Exhibit 4.8

AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO

AMENDED AND RESTATED

LOAN AND SECURITY AGREEMENT

This AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO AMENDED AND RESTATED LOAN AND SECURITY AGREEMENT (“Amendment”) is dated as of February 4, 2013 and is entered into by and among AMERICA’S CAR-MART, INC., a Texas corporation (“Parent”), COLONIAL AUTO FINANCE, INC., an Arkansas corporation (“Colonial”), AMERICA’S CAR MART, INC., an Arkansas corporation (“ACM”), TEXAS CAR-MART, INC., a Texas corporation (“TCM”)(each of Colonial, ACM and TCM, a “Borrower”, and collectively, “Borrowers”), the financial institutions party to the Loan Agreement (as hereinafter defined) as lenders (collectively, “Lenders”), BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,, as administrative agent for the Lenders (“Agent”) and lead arranger and book manager for the Lenders.  All capitalized terms used herein but not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Loan Agreement (as hereinafter defined).

WITNESSETH

WHEREAS, Parent, Borrowers, Lenders and Agent have entered into that certain Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement dated as of March 9, 2012 (as previously amended, amended and restated, modified, supplemented or renewed, the “Loan Agreement”);

WHEREAS, Parent, Borrowers, Required Lenders and Agent have agreed to amend the Loan Agreement subject to the terms and conditions stated herein; and

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, Required Lenders, Agent, Parent and Borrowers hereby agree as follows:

I.Amendment to the Loan Agreement.  Clause (l) of the definition of “Eligible Vehicle Contracts” as set forth in Section 1.1 of the Loan Agreement is hereby amended and restated in its entirety by deleting and replacing it with the following:

(l)           (A) the original term of the Vehicle Contract is not more than 42 months and (B) if the original term of the Vehicle Contract is greater than 36 months but no greater than 42 months (“Long Term Contracts”), then the portion of the Colonial Contracts Formula Amount attributable to such Long Term Contracts at no time exceeds 5% of the Colonial Revolver Commitments;

II.Conditions.  The effectiveness of this Amendment is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:

A.Amendment.  Fully executed copies of this Amendment signed by Parent, Borrowers and Lenders shall have been delivered to Agent.

1

B.Other Documents.  Borrowers shall have executed and delivered to Agent such other documents and instruments as Agent may reasonably require.

III.Miscellaneous.

A.Survival of Representations and Warranties.  All representations and warranties made in the Loan Agreement or any other document or documents relating thereto, including, without limitation, any Loan Document furnished in connection with this Amendment, shall survive the execution and delivery of this Amendment and the other Loan Documents, and no investigation by Agent or the Lenders shall affect the representations and warranties or the right of Agent or the Lenders to rely thereon.

B.Reference to Loan Agreement.  The Loan Agreement, each of the Loan Documents, and any and all other agreements, documents or instruments now or hereafter executed and delivered pursuant to the terms hereof, or pursuant to the terms of the Loan Agreement as amended hereby, are hereby amended so that any reference therein to the Loan Agreement shall mean a reference to the Loan Agreement as amended hereby.

C.Loan Agreement Remains in Effect.  The Loan Agreement and the Loan Documents, as amended hereby, remain in full force and effect and Parent and each Borrower ratifies and confirms its agreements and covenants contained therein.  Parent and each Borrower hereby confirms that to the best of its knowledge no Event of Default or Default exists.

D.Severability.  Any provision of this Amendment held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable shall not impair or invalidate the remainder of this Amendment and the effect thereof shall be confined to the provision so held to be invalid or unenforceable.

E.Counterparts.  This Amendment may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which when so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

F.Headings.  The headings, captions and arrangements used in this Amendment are for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Amendment.

G.NO ORAL AGREEMENTS.  THIS AMENDMENT, TOGETHER WITH THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS AS WRITTEN, REPRESENTS THE FINAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN LENDERS, AGENT AND BORROWERS AND MAY NOT BE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR, CONTEMPORANEOUS OR SUBSEQUENT ORAL AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES.  THERE ARE NO UNWRITTEN ORAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN AGENT, LENDERS AND BORROWERS.

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

2

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Amendment under seal on the date first written above.

BORROWERS:
COLONIAL AUTO FINANCE, INC., an Arkansas corporation
By:	\s\ Jeffrey A. Williams
Name:	Jeffrey A. Williams
Title:	Secretary
AMERICA’S CAR MART, INC., an Arkansas corporation
By:	\s\ Jeffrey A. Williams
Name:	Jeffrey A. Williams
Title:	Secretary
TEXAS CAR-MART, INC., a Texas corporation
By:	\s\ Jeffrey A. Williams
Name:	Jeffrey A. Williams
Title:	Secretary

[Signatures continue on the following page.]

Signature Page to Amendment No.2 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement

PARENT:
AMERICA’S CAR-MART, INC., a Texas corporation
By:	\s\ Jeffrey A. Williams
Name:	Jeffrey A. Williams
Title:	Secretary

[Signatures continue on the following page.]

Signature Page to Amendment No.2 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement

AGENT AND LENDERS:
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as Agent and Lender
By:	\s\ Carlos Gil
Name:	Carlos Gil
Title:	Senior Vice President

[Signatures continue on the following page.]

Signature Page to Amendment No.2 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement

BOKF, NA D/B/A BANK OF ARKANSAS, as Lender
By:	\s\ Jacob Hudson
Name:	Jacob Hudson
Title:	Vice President

[Signatures continue on the following page.]

Signature Page to Amendment No.2 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement

FIRST TENNESSEE BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Lender
By:	/s/ Stephen R. Brimm
Name:	Stephen R. Brimm
Title:	Vice-President

[Signatures continue on the following page.]

Signature Page to Amendment No.2 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement

ARVEST BANK, as Lender
By:	/s/ Andy Marshall
Name:	Andy Marshall
Title:	Senior Vice President

[Signatures continue on the following page.]

Signature Page to Amendment No.2 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement

COMMERCE BANK, as Lender
By:	/s/ R. David Emley, Jr.
Name:	R. David Emley, Jr.
Title:	Vice President

Signature Page to Amendment No.2 to Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement

EX-31.1

Exhibit 31.1

Certification

I, William H. Henderson, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of America’s Car-Mart, Inc. for the period ended January 31, 2013;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

March 1, 2013	\s\ William H. Henderson
	William H. Henderson
	Chief Executive Officer

EX-31.2

Exhibit 31.2

Certification

I, Jeffrey A. Williams, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of America’s Car-Mart, Inc. for the period ended January 31, 2013;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

(a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

March 1, 2013	\s\ Jeffrey A. Williams
	Jeffrey A. Williams
	Chief Financial Officer

EX-32.1

Exhibit 32.1

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report of America’s Car-Mart, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended January 31, 2013 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), the undersigned, William H. Henderson, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and Jeffrey A. Williams, Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify in our capacities as officers of the Company, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that to the best of our knowledge:

(1)   The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and

(2)   The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

By:	\s\ William H. Henderson
	William H. Henderson Chief Executive Officer March 1, 2013
By:	\s\ Jeffrey A. Williams
	Jeffrey A. Williams Chief Financial Officer and Secretary March 1, 2013

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Note G - Fair Value Measurements (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013
Fair Value Inputs, Discount Rate	37.50%

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Note J - Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Detail) - Supplemental cash flow disclosures (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Supplemental disclosures:
Interest paid	$ 2,081	$ 1,578
Income taxes paid, net	12,407	10,047
Non-cash transactions:
Inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims	$ 27,909	$ 25,706

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Note C - Finance Receivables (Detail) - Credit quality information for finance receivables (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2012	Jan. 31, 2012
Current (in Dollars)	$ 287,553,000	$ 262,325,000	$ 249,880,000
Current	79.01%	82.77%	77.52%
3 - 29 days past due (in Dollars)	54,358,000	41,508,000	57,227,000
3 - 29 days past due	14.94%	13.10%	17.75%
30 - 60 days past due (in Dollars)	14,112,000	8,818,000	11,096,000
30 - 60 days past due	3.88%	2.78%	3.44%
61 - 90 days past due (in Dollars)	5,494,000	3,627,000	3,172,000
61 - 90 days past due	1.51%	1.14%	0.98%
> 90 days past due (in Dollars)	2,401,000	656,000	978,000
> 90 days past due	0.66%	0.21%	0.30%
Total (in Dollars)	$ 363,918,000	$ 316,934,000	$ 322,353,000
Total	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

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Note J - Supplemental Cash Flow Information (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Schedule of Cash Flow, Supplemental Disclosures [Table Text Block]

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(in thousands)	2013		2012
Supplemental disclosures:
Interest paid	$	2,081	$	1,578
Income taxes paid, net		12,407		10,047
Non-cash transactions:
Inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims		27,909		25,706

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Note I - Stock Based Compensation (Detail) (USD $)	9 Months Ended					9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2013 Stock Options [Member]	Jan. 31, 2012 Stock Options [Member]	Oct. 13, 2010 Stock Options [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Stock Incentive Plan [Member]	Jan. 31, 2012 Stock Incentive Plan [Member]	Oct. 14, 2009 Stock Incentive Plan [Member]
Share-based Compensation	$ 1,525,000	$ 1,681,000	$ 1,400,000	$ 1,600,000		$ 92,000	$ 102,000
Allocated Share-based Compensation Expense, Net of Tax	960,000	1,000,000	887,000	996,000		58,000	63,000
Number Of Stock Option Plans	2
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Authorized (in Shares)			1,500,000		1,000,000	350,000		150,000
Stock Options, Maximum Term	10 years
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross (in Shares)	40,000	58,750
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in Dollars per share)	$ 784,000	$ 744,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Intrinsic Value	21,300,000			19,700,000
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized			$ 1,700,000			$ 225,000
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Nonvested Awards, Total Compensation Cost Not yet Recognized, Period for Recognition			328 days			1 year 292 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant (in Shares)						187,027
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Number (in Shares)	27,000
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Nonvested, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value (in Dollars per share)	$ 23.07

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Note F - Debt Facilities (Detail) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2012	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012	Sep. 20, 2012	Apr. 30, 2012	Mar. 09, 2012
Line of Credit Facility, Interest Rate at Period End		2.71%			2.74%
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity		$ 145,000,000		$ 145,000,000		$ 125,000,000
Line of Credit Facility, Interest Rate Description		The Credit Facilities provide for three pricing tiers for determining the applicable interest rate, based on the Company's consolidated leverage ratio for the preceding fiscal quarter. The current applicable interest rate under the Credit Facilities is generally LIBOR plus 2.5%
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate		2.50%
Line of Credit Facility, Dividend Restrictions		The distribution limitations under the Credit Facilities allow the Company to repurchase the Company's stock so long as: either (a) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed $40 million and the sum of borrowing bases combined minus the principal balances of all revolver loans after giving effect to such repurchases is equal to or greater than 25% of the sum of the borrowing bases, or (b) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed 75% of the consolidated net income of the Company measured on a trailing twelve month basis; provided that immediately before and after giving effect to the stock repurchases, at least 12.5% of the aggregate funds committed under the credit facilities remain available.
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		35,700,000
Debt Issuance Cost	42,000
Amortization of Financing Costs and Discounts		$ 155,000	$ 133,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Contract Term Of Contracts Included By Credit Facilities Amendment		36 months
Subsequent Event [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Contract Term Of Contracts Included By Credit Facilities Amendment		42 months

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Note D - Property and Equipment

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Property, Plant and Equipment Disclosure [Text Block]

D – Property and Equipment

A summary of property and equipment is as follows:

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013			April 30, 2012
Land	$	5,896		$	6,079
Buildings and improvements		10,152			10,275
Furniture, fixtures and equipment		9,699			8,904
Leasehold improvements		14,596			12,368
Construction in progress		1,397			1,063
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(13,088	)		(11,142	)
	$	28,652		$	27,547

XML

Note I - Stock Based Compensation (Detail) - Stock Option Plan Comparison	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013
1997 Plan [Member]
Minimum exercise price as a percentage of fair market value at date of grant	100.00%
Last expiration date for outstanding options	Jul. 02, 2017
2007 Plan [Member]
Minimum exercise price as a percentage of fair market value at date of grant	100.00%
Last expiration date for outstanding options	Oct. 09, 2022
Shares available for grant at January 31, 2013 (in Shares)	392,500

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Note C - Finance Receivables (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Finance Receivables Interest Rate Range Start	11.00%
Finance Receivable Interest Rate Range End	19.00%
Finance Receivables Payment Periods Start	18 months
Finance Receivables Payment Periods End	36 months
Finance Receivables, Number Of Loan Classes	1
Finance Receivables, Number Of Risk Pools	1
Net Increase In Net Charge Offs As Percentage Of Average Finance Receivables	0.40%
Net Charge Offs As Percentage of Average Finance Receivables	18.10%	17.70%
Allowance Percentage	21.50%	22.00%
Collections As Percentage of Average Finance Receivables	42.80%	46.30%
Dellinquecies Greater Than 30 Days As Percentage Of Average Finance Receivables	6.00%	4.70%

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Note B - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Detail) - Sales (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Sales	$ 106,215	$ 93,957	$ 302,706	$ 284,409
Sales - Used Autos [Member]
Sales	94,966	82,589	268,539	250,865
Wholesales - Third Party [Member]
Sales	4,300	5,008	13,953	15,239
Service Contract Sales [Member]
Sales	3,661	3,500	10,730	10,039
Payment Protection Plan Revenue [Member]
Sales	$ 3,288	$ 2,860	$ 9,484	$ 8,266

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Note I - Stock Based Compensation (Detail) - Options valuation assumptions	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Expected term (years)	5 years	5 years
Risk-free interest rate	0.78%	1.59%
Volatility	50.00%	50.00%

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Note C - Finance Receivables (Detail) - Components of Finance Receivables (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2012	Jan. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2011
Gross contract amount	$ 411,577	$ 359,364
Less unearned finance charges	(47,659)	(42,430)
Principal balance	363,918	316,934	322,353
Less allowance for credit losses	(75,566)	(65,831)	(68,708)	(60,173)
Finance receivables, net	$ 288,352	$ 251,103	$ 253,645	$ 222,305

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Note C - Finance Receivables (Detail) - Changes in Finance Receivables (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Balance	$ 251,103	$ 222,305
Finance receivable originations	284,931	263,539
Finance receivable collections	(144,025)	(140,084)
Provision for credit losses	(70,499)	(62,056)
Losses on claims for payment protection plan	(5,249)	(4,353)
Inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims	(27,909)	(25,706)
Balance	$ 288,352	$ 253,645

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Note C - Finance Receivables

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Financing Receivables [Text Block]

C – Finance Receivables

The Company originates installment sale contracts from the sale of used vehicles at its dealerships.  These installment sale contracts typically include interest rates ranging from 11% to 19% per annum, are collateralized by the vehicle sold and typically provide for payments over periods ranging from 18 to 36 months.  The Company’s finance receivables are aggregated as one class of loans, which is sub-prime consumer automobile contracts.  The level of risks inherent in the Company’s financing receivables is managed as one homogeneous pool.  The components of finance receivables are as follows:

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013			April 30, 2012
Gross contract amount	$	411,577		$	359,364
Less unearned finance charges		(47,659	)		(42,430	)
Principal balance		363,918			316,934
Less allowance for credit losses		(75,566	)		(65,831	)
Finance receivables, net	$	288,352		$	251,103

Changes in the finance receivables, net for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013			2012
Balance at beginning of period	$	251,103		$	222,305
Finance receivable originations		284,931			263,539
Finance receivable collections		(144,025	)		(140,084	)
Provision for credit losses		(70,499	)		(62,056	)
Losses on claims for payment protection plan		(5,249	)		(4,353	)
Inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims		(27,909	)		(25,706	)
Balance at end of period	$	288,352		$	253,645

Changes in the finance receivables allowance for credit losses for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012 are as follows:

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013			2012
Balance at beginning of period	$	65,831		$	60,173
Provision for credit losses		70,499			62,056
Charge-offs, net of recovered collateral		(60,764	)		(53,521	)
Balance at end of period	$	75,566		$	68,708

The factors which influenced management’s judgment in determining the amount of the additions to the allowance charged to provision for credit losses are described below:

The level of actual charge-offs, net of recovered collateral, is the most important factor in determining the charges to the provision for credit losses. This is due to the fact that once a contract becomes delinquent the account is either made current by the customer, the vehicle is repossessed or the account is written off if the collateral cannot be recovered.  Net charge-offs for the first nine months of fiscal 2013 were higher than the prior year period, partially due to higher sales volumes.  Net charge-offs as a percentage of average finance receivables increased 0.4% to 18.1% for the first nine months ended January 31, 2013 compared to 17.7% for the same period in the prior year.  Higher sales volumes also had the effect of higher additions to the allowance charged to the provision for the first nine months of fiscal 2013, partially offset by a decrease in the allowance percentage from 22% at January 31, 2012 to 21.5% at January 31, 2013.

Collections and delinquency levels can have a significant effect on additions to the allowance and are reviewed frequently.  Collections as a percentage of average finance receivables were 42.8% for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 compared to 46.3% for the prior year period.  The decrease in collections as a percentage of average finance receivables was primarily due to the increase in the average term and the increased average interest rate for the first nine months of fiscal 2013 as compared to the first nine months of the prior year.  In addition, the timing of income tax refunds for our customers was delayed somewhat this year compared to last year contributing to the decrease in collections as a percentage of average finance receivables and higher delinquencies.  Delinquencies greater than 30 days were 6.0% for January 31, 2013 and 4.7% at January 31, 2012.

Macro-economic factors as well as proper execution of operational policies and procedures have a significant effect on additions to the allowance charged to the provision. Higher unemployment levels, higher gasoline prices and higher prices for staple items can potentially have a significant effect.  While overall macro-economic factors were still somewhat unfavorable during the first nine months of fiscal 2013, the Company is focused on continuing operational improvements within the collections area as well as market share gains which can be a positive factor in the Company’s collection efforts.

Credit quality information for finance receivables is as follows:

(Dollars in thousands)	January 31, 2013					April 30, 2012					January 31, 2012
	Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio			Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio			Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio
Current	$	287,553		79.01	%	$	262,325		82.77	%	$	249,880		77.52	%
3 - 29 days past due		54,358		14.94	%		41,508		13.10	%		57,227		17.75	%
30 - 60 days past due		14,112		3.88	%		8,818		2.78	%		11,096		3.44	%
61 - 90 days past due		5,494		1.51	%		3,627		1.14	%		3,172		0.98	%
> 90 days past due		2,401		0.66	%		656		0.21	%		978		0.30	%
Total	$	363,918		100.00	%	$	316,934		100.00	%	$	322,353		100.00	%

Accounts one and two days past due are considered current for this analysis, due to the varying payment dates and variation in the day of the week at each period end.  Delinquencies may vary from period to period based on the average age of the portfolio, seasonality within the calendar year, the day of the week and overall economic factors.  The above categories are consistent with internal operational measures used by the Company to monitor credit results.

Substantially all of the Company’s automobile contracts involve contracts made to individuals with impaired or limited credit histories, or higher debt-to-income ratios than permitted by traditional lenders.  Contracts made with buyers who are restricted in their ability to obtain financing from traditional lenders generally entail a higher risk of delinquency, default and repossession, and higher losses than contracts made with buyers with better credit.  The Company monitors contract term length, down payment percentages, and collections for credit quality indicators.

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
	2013			2012
Principal collected as a percent of average finance receivables		42.8	%		46.3	%
Average down-payment percentage		5.8	%		6.2	%

	January 31, 2013		January 31, 2012
Average originating contract term (in months)		28.3		26.6
Portfolio weighted average contract term, including modifications (in months)		28.7		27.7

The decrease in the principal collected as a percent of average finance receivables is primarily attributed to the longer average contract term, together with an increase in contract modifications as well as the higher average interest rate within the portfolio when compared to this time last year.  The increases in contract term are primarily related to increases in the average selling price in recent years and our efforts to keep our payments affordable for our customers.  Recent market conditions and competitive pressures are expected to result in the Company offering somewhat longer overall contract terms as the Company has been extremely aggressive over the last several years in efforts to keep terms short.  The Company has seen average selling price decreases in its most recent quarters but over the last several years pricing trends have resulted in higher average selling prices.

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Note C - Finance Receivables (Detail) - Changes in the finance receivables allowance for credit losses (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Balance	$ 65,831	$ 60,173
Provision for credit losses	70,499	62,056
Charge-offs, net of recovered collateral	(60,764)	(53,521)
Balance	$ 75,566	$ 68,708

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Note G - Fair Value Measurements (Detail) - Fair value of financial instruments (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2012
Carrying (Reported) Amount, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Cash	$ 865	$ 276
Finance receivables, net	288,352	251,103
Accounts payable	10,082	7,352
Revolving credit facilities	109,274	77,900
Portion at Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure [Member]
Cash	865	276
Finance receivables, net	227,449	198,084
Accounts payable	10,082	7,352
Revolving credit facilities	$ 109,274	$ 77,900

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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2012
Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 865	$ 276
Accrued interest on finance receivables	1,934	1,428
Finance receivables, net	288,352	251,103
Inventory	35,868	27,242
Prepaid expenses and other assets	2,032	1,545
Income taxes receivable, net	2,006	1,444
Goodwill	355	355
Property and equipment, net	28,652	27,547
Total Assets	360,064	310,940
Liabilities:
Accounts payable	10,082	7,352
Deferred payment protection plan revenue	12,359	10,745
Accrued liabilities	16,442	13,349
Deferred tax liabilities, net	18,505	16,721
Revolving credit facilities	109,274	77,900
Total liabilities	166,662	126,067
Commitments and contingencies
Mezzanine equity:
Mandatorily redeemable preferred stock	400	400
Equity:
Preferred stock, par value $.01 per share, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding
Common stock, par value $.01 per share, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 12,403,909 and 12,371,167 issued at January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2012, respectively, of which 9,013,774 and 9,378,346 were outstanding at January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2012, respectively	124	124
Additional paid-in capital	52,788	50,357
Retained earnings	234,480	211,134
Less: Treasury stock, at cost, 3,390,135 and 2,992,821 shares at January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2012, respectively	(94,490)	(77,242)
Total stockholders' equity	192,902	184,373
Non-controlling interest	100	100
Total equity	193,002	184,473
Total Liabilities, Mezzanine Equity and Equity	$ 360,064	$ 310,940

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Note I - Stock Based Compensation (Detail) - Options Exercised (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Options Exercised (in Shares)	28,500	86,897
Cash Received from Option Exercises	$ 665	$ 1,355
Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised	$ 603	$ 1,456

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Note A - Organization and Business

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]

A – Organization and Business

America’s Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “Company”), is the largest publicly held automotive retailer in the United States focused exclusively on the “Integrated Auto Sales and Finance” segment of the used car market.  References to the Company typically include the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries.  The Company’s operations are principally conducted through its two operating subsidiaries, America’s Car Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation (“Car-Mart of Arkansas”), and Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an Arkansas corporation (“Colonial”).  Collectively, Car-Mart of Arkansas and Colonial are referred to herein as “Car-Mart.”  The Company primarily sells older model used vehicles and provides financing for substantially all of its customers. Many of the Company’s customers have limited financial resources and would not qualify for conventional financing as a result of limited credit histories or past credit problems.  As of January 31, 2013, the Company operated 120 dealerships located primarily in small cities throughout the South-Central United States.

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Note D - Property and Equipment (Detail) - Property and equipment (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2012
Land	$ 5,896	$ 6,079
Buildings and improvements	10,152	10,275
Furniture, fixtures and equipment	9,699	8,904
Leasehold improvements	14,596	12,368
Construction in progress	1,397	1,063
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization	(13,088)	(11,142)
	$ 28,652	$ 27,547

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Note G - Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Fair Value, by Balance Sheet Grouping [Table Text Block]

	January 31, 2013				April 30, 2012
(In thousands)	Carrying Value		Fair Value		Carrying Value		Fair Value
Cash	$	865	$	865	$	276	$	276
Finance receivables, net		288,352		227,449		251,103		198,084
Accounts payable		10,082		10,082		7,352		7,352
Revolving credit facilities		109,274		109,274		77,900		77,900

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Note E - Accrued Liabilities (Detail) - Accrued liabilities (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2012
Compensation	$ 4,517	$ 5,063
Cash overdrafts (see Note B)	3,145	128
Deferred service contract revenue (see Note B)	3,347	3,036
Deferred sales tax (see Note B)	2,332	1,785
Interest	260	185
Other	2,841	3,152
	$ 16,442	$ 13,349

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Note I - Stock Based Compensation (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Stock Option Plan Comparison [Table Text Block]

	1997 Plan	2007 Plan
Minimum exercise price as a percentage of fair market value at date of grant	100%	100%
Last expiration date for outstanding options	July 2, 2017	October 9, 2022
Shares available for grant at January 31, 2013	-	392,500

Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions [Table Text Block]

	January 31, 2013	January 31, 2012
Expected term (years)	5.0	5.0
Risk-free interest rate	0.78%	1.59%
Volatility	50%	50%
Dividend yield	—	—

Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Stock Options, Activity [Table Text Block]

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(Dollars in thousands)	2013		2012
Options Exercised		28,500		86,897
Cash Received from Option Exercises	$	665	$	1,355
Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised	$	603	$	1,456

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Note B - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

B – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

General

The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of April 30, 2012, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and the unaudited interim condensed financial statements as of January 31, 2013 and 2012, have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q in Article 10 of Regulation S-X.  Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete financial statements.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending April 30, 2013.  For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2012.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Segment Information

Each dealership is an operating segment with its results regularly reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker in an effort to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and to assess its performance. Individual dealerships meet the aggregation criteria under the current accounting guidance.  The Company operates in the Integrated Auto Sales and Finance segment of the used car market.  In this industry, the nature of the sale and the financing of the transaction, financing processes, the type of customer and the methods used to distribute the Company’s products and services, including the actual servicing of the contracts as well as the regulatory environment in which the Company operates, all have similar characteristics.  Each of our individual dealerships is similar in nature and only engages in the selling and financing of used vehicles.  All individual dealerships have similar operating characteristics.  As such, individual dealerships have been aggregated into one reportable segment.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Concentration of Risk

The Company provides financing in connection with the sale of substantially all of its vehicles.  These sales are made primarily to customers residing in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, with approximately 39% of revenues resulting from sales to Arkansas customers.  Periodically, the Company maintains cash in financial institutions in excess of the amounts insured by the federal government.

Restrictions on Distributions/Dividends

The Company’s revolving credit facilities generally limit distributions by the Company to its shareholders in order to repurchase the Company’s common stock.  The distribution limitations under the Agreement allow the Company to repurchase the Company’s stock so long as: either (a) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed $40 million and the sum of borrowing bases combined minus the principal balances of all revolver loans after giving effect to such repurchases is equal to or greater than 25% of the sum of the borrowing bases, or (b) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed 75% of the consolidated net income of the Company measured on a trailing twelve month basis; provided that immediately before and after giving effect to the stock repurchases, at least 12.5% of the aggregate funds committed under the credit facilities remain available. Thus, the Company is limited in the amount of dividends or other distributions it can make to its shareholders without the consent of the Company’s lenders.

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Finance Receivables, Repossessions and Charge-offs and Allowance for Credit Losses

The Company originates installment sale contracts from the sale of used vehicles at its dealerships.  These installment sale contracts carry interest rates ranging from 11% to 19% using the simple effective interest method including any deferred fees.  Contract origination costs are not significant.  The installment sale contracts are not pre-computed contracts whereby buyers are obligated to pay back principal plus the full amount of interest that will accrue over the entire term of the contract.  Finance receivables are collateralized by vehicles sold and consist of contractually scheduled payments from installment contracts net of unearned finance charges and an allowance for credit losses.  Unearned finance charges represent the balance of interest receivable to be earned over the entire term of the related installment contract, less the earned amount ($1.9 million at January 31, 2013 and $1.4 million at April 30, 2012), and as such, has been reflected as a reduction to the gross contract amount in arriving at the principal balance in finance receivables. An account is considered delinquent when a contractually scheduled payment has not been received by the scheduled payment date.  While the Company does not formally place contracts on nonaccrual status, the immaterial amount of interest that may accrue after an account becomes delinquent up until the point of resolution via repossession or write-off, is reserved for against the accrued interest on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Delinquent contracts are addressed and either made current by the customer, which is the case in most situations, or the vehicle is repossessed or written off, if the collateral cannot be recovered quickly. Customer payments are set to match their pay-day with over 80% of payments due on either a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The frequency of the payment due dates combined with the declining value of collateral lead to prompt resolutions on problem accounts.  Accounts are delinquent when the customer is one day or more behind on their contractual payments.  At January 31, 2013, 6.0% of the Company’s finance receivable balances were 30 days or more past due compared to 4.7% at January 31, 2012.

Substantially all of the Company’s automobile contracts involve contracts made to individuals with impaired or limited credit histories, or higher debt-to-income ratios than permitted by traditional lenders.  Contracts made with buyers who are restricted in their ability to obtain financing from traditional lenders generally entail a higher risk of delinquency, default and repossession, and higher losses than contracts made with buyers with better credit.

The Company works very hard to keep its delinquency percentages low, and not to repossess vehicles.  Accounts one day late are sent a notice in the mail.  Accounts three days late are contacted by telephone.  Notes from each telephone contact are electronically maintained in the Company’s computer system.  If a customer becomes severely delinquent in his or her payments, and management determines that timely collection of future payments is not probable, the Company will take steps to repossess the vehicle.  The Company attempts to resolve payment delinquencies amicably prior to repossessing a vehicle.  Periodically, the Company enters into contract modifications with its customers to extend the payment terms.  The Company only enters into a contract modification or extension if it believes such action will increase the amount of monies the Company will ultimately realize on the customer’s account. At the time of modification, the Company expects to collect amounts due including accrued interest at the contractual interest rate for the period of delay. Other than the extension of additional time, concessions are not granted to customers at the time of modifications. Modifications are minor and are made for pay-day changes, minor vehicle repairs and other reasons.  For those vehicles that are repossessed, the majority are returned or surrendered by the customer on a voluntary basis.  Other repossessions are performed by Company personnel or third party repossession agents.  Depending on the condition of a repossessed vehicle, it is either resold on a retail basis through a Company dealership, or sold for cash on a wholesale basis primarily through physical and/or on-line auctions.

The Company takes steps to repossess a vehicle when the customer becomes delinquent in his or her payments, and management determines that timely collection of future payments is not probable.  Accounts are charged-off after the expiration of a statutory notice period for repossessed accounts, or when management determines that the timely collection of future payments is not probable for accounts where the Company has been unable to repossess the vehicle.  For accounts with respect to which the vehicle was repossessed, the fair value of the repossessed vehicle is charged as a reduction of the gross finance receivable balance charged-off.  On average, accounts are approximately 63 days past due at the time of charge-off.  For previously charged-off accounts that are subsequently recovered, the amount of such recovery is credited to the allowance for credit losses.

The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses on an aggregate basis, as opposed to a contract-by-contract basis, at an amount it considers sufficient to cover estimated losses in the collection of its finance receivables.  The Company accrues an estimated loss as it is probable that the entire amount will not be collected and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated in the aggregate.  The allowance for credit losses is based primarily upon historical credit loss experience, with consideration given to recent credit loss trends and changes in contract characteristics (i.e., average amount financed and term), delinquency levels, collateral values, economic conditions and underwriting and collection practices.  The allowance for credit losses is periodically reviewed by management with any changes reflected in current operations.  Although it is at least reasonably possible that events or circumstances could occur in the future that are not presently foreseen which could cause actual credit losses to be materially different from the recorded allowance for credit losses, the Company believes that it has given appropriate consideration to all relevant factors and has made reasonable assumptions in determining the allowance for credit losses.

The calculation of the allowance for credit losses uses the following primary factors:

·   The number of units repossessed or charged-off as a percentage of total units financed over specific historical periods of time.

·   The average net repossession and charge-off loss per unit during the last eighteen months, segregated by the number of months since the contract origination date, and adjusted for the expected future average net charge-off loss per unit.  About 50% of the charge-offs that will ultimately occur in the portfolio are expected to occur within 10-11 months following the loan origination date.  The average age of an account at charge-off date is 10.6 months.

·   The timing of repossession and charge-off losses relative to the date of sale (i.e., how long it takes for a repossession or charge-off to occur) for repossessions and charge-offs occurring during the last eighteen months.

A point estimate is produced by this analysis which is then supplemented by any positive or negative subjective factors to arrive at an overall reserve amount that management considers to be a reasonable estimate of incurred losses that will be realized via actual charge-offs in the future.  Periods of economic downturn do not necessarily lead to increased credit losses because the Company provides basic affordable transportation to customers that, for the most part, do not have access to public transportation.  The effectiveness of the execution of internal policies and procedures within the collections area has historically had a more significant effect on collection results than macro-economic issues.

The Company offers retail customers in most states the option of purchasing a payment protection plan product as an add-on to the installment sale contract.  This product contractually obligates the Company to cancel the remaining principal outstanding for any contract where the retail customer has totaled the vehicle, as defined, or the vehicle has been stolen.  The Company periodically evaluates anticipated losses to ensure that if anticipated losses exceed deferred payment protection plan revenues, an additional liability is recorded for such difference.  No such liability was required at January 31, 2013 or April 30, 2012.

Inventory

Inventory consists of used vehicles and is valued at the lower of cost or market on a specific identification basis.  Vehicle reconditioning costs are capitalized as a component of inventory.  Repossessed vehicles are recorded at fair value, which approximates wholesale value.  The cost of used vehicles sold is determined using the specific identification method.

Goodwill

Goodwill reflects the excess of purchase price over the fair value of specifically identified net assets purchased.  Goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives are not amortized but are subject to annual impairment tests at the Company’s year-end. The Company assesses qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.  If the qualitative factors indicate impairment then additional tests are based on the comparison of the fair value of the reporting unit to the carrying value of such unit. If the fair value of the reporting unit falls below its carrying value, the Company performs the second step of the two-step goodwill impairment process to determine the amount, if any, that the goodwill is impaired.  The second step involves determining the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities and the implied goodwill.  The implied goodwill is compared to the carrying value of the goodwill to determine the impairment, if any.  There was no impairment of goodwill during fiscal 2012, and to date, there has been none in fiscal 2013.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost.  Expenditures for additions, renewals and improvements are capitalized.  Costs of repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.  Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated life of the improvement or the lease term.  The lease term includes the primary lease term plus any extensions that are reasonably assured. Depreciation is computed principally using the straight-line method generally over the following estimated useful lives:

Furniture, fixtures and equipment	3 to 7 years
Leasehold improvements	5 to 15 years
Buildings and improvements	18 to 39 years

Property and equipment are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.  Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying values of the impaired assets exceed the fair value of such assets.  Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell.

Cash Overdraft

As checks are presented for payment from the Company’s primary disbursement bank account, monies are automatically drawn against cash collections for the day and, if necessary, are drawn against one of its revolving credit facilities.  Any cash overdraft balance principally represents outstanding checks, net of any deposits in transit that as of the balance sheet date had not yet been presented for payment.

Deferred Sales Tax

Deferred sales tax represents a sales tax liability of the Company for vehicles sold on an installment basis in the states of Alabama and Texas.  Under Alabama and Texas law, for vehicles sold on an installment basis, the related sales tax is due as the payments are collected from the customer, rather than at the time of sale.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the liability method.  Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply in the years in which these temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The quarterly provision for income taxes is determined using an estimated annual effective tax rate, which is based on expected annual taxable income, statutory tax rates and the Company’s best estimate of nontaxable and nondeductible items of income and expense.

Occasionally, the Company is audited by taxing authorities.  These audits could result in proposed assessments of additional taxes. The Company believes that its tax positions comply in all material respects with applicable tax law.  However, tax law is subject to interpretation, and interpretations by taxing authorities could be different from those of the Company, which could result in the imposition of additional taxes.

The Company recognizes the financial statement benefit of a tax position only after determining that the relevant tax authority would more likely than not sustain the position following an audit.  For tax positions meeting the more-likely-than-not threshold, the amount recognized in the financial statements is the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the relevant tax authority.  The Company applies this methodology to all tax positions for which the statute of limitations remains open.

The Company is subject to income taxes in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions.  Tax regulations within each jurisdiction are subject to the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations and require significant judgment to apply.  With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local income tax examinations by tax authorities for the years before fiscal 2009.

In fiscal 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) completed the examinations of the Company’s income tax returns for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.  As a result of the examinations, the IRS had questioned whether deferred payment protection plan (“PPP”) revenue associated with the sale of certain receivables are subject to the acceleration of advance payments provision of the Internal Revenue Code and whether the Company may deduct losses on the sale of the PPP receivables in excess of the income recognized on the underlying contracts.  The issue was timing in nature and did not affect the overall tax provision, but affected the timing of required tax payments.

In January 2013, the Company received approval for a negotiated settlement with the IRS related to the examinations for income tax returns for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.  The negotiated settlement resulted in additional taxable income and a resulting tax payment for the exam period.  The question related to the timing of income recognition and therefore the additional income recognized in 2008 and 2009 will result in a corresponding tax deduction and resulting refund in the following fiscal year.  Under the settlement the Company paid an immaterial amount of interest to the IRS related to the additional tax payment.

The IRS is currently auditing the Company’s federal income tax returns for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

The Company’s policy is to recognize accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in operating expenses. The Company had no accrued penalties or interest as of January 31, 2013 or April 30, 2012.

Revenue Recognition

Revenues are generated principally from the sale of used vehicles, which in most cases includes a service contract and a payment protection plan product, interest income and late fees earned on finance receivables.  Revenues are net of taxes collected from customers and remitted to government agencies.  Cost of vehicle sales include costs incurred by the Company to prepare the vehicle for sale including license and title costs, gasoline, transport services and repairs.

Revenues from the sale of used vehicles are recognized when the sales contract is signed, the customer has taken possession of the vehicle and, if applicable, financing has been approved.  Revenues from the sale of service contracts are recognized ratably over the five-month service contract period.  Service contract revenues are included in sales and the related expenses are included in cost of sales.  Payment protection plan revenues are initially deferred and then recognized to income using the “Rule of 78’s” interest method over the life of the contract so that revenues are recognized in proportion to the amount of cancellation protection provided.  Payment protection plan revenues are included in sales and related losses are included in cost of sales.  Interest income is recognized on all active finance receivable accounts using the simple effective interest method.  Active accounts include all accounts except those that have been paid-off or charged-off.

Sales consist of the following:

	Three Months Ended January 31,				Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013		2012		2013		2012
Sales – used autos	$	94,966	$	82,589	$	268,539	$	250,865
Wholesales – third party		4,300		5,008		13,953		15,239
Service contract sales		3,661		3,500		10,730		10,039
Payment protection plan revenue		3,288		2,860		9,484		8,266
Total	$	106,215	$	93,957	$	302,706	$	284,409

Revenues from late fees were approximately $1.4 million and $1.2 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Late fees are recognized when collected and are reflected in interest income.  Finance receivables more than 90 days past due were approximately $2.4 million and $978,000 at January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share are computed by dividing net income by the average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted earnings per share are computed by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the average number of common shares outstanding during the period plus common stock equivalents.  The calculation of diluted earnings per share takes into consideration the potentially dilutive effect of common stock equivalents, such as outstanding stock options and restricted stock, which if exercised or converted into common stock would then share in the earnings of the Company.  In computing diluted earnings per share, the Company utilizes the treasury stock method and anti-dilutive securities are excluded.

Stock-based compensation

The Company recognizes the cost of employee services received in exchange for awards of equity instruments, such as stock options and restricted stock, based on the fair value of those awards at the date of grant over the requisite service period.  The Company uses the Black Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of stock option awards.  The Company may issue either new shares or treasury shares upon exercise of these awards.  Stock-based compensation plans, related expenses and assumptions used in the Black Scholes option pricing model are more fully described in Note I.

Treasury Stock

The Company purchased 397,314 shares of its common stock during the first nine months of fiscal 2013 for a total cost of $17.2 million and 1,002,363 shares for a total cost of $29.9 million during the first nine months of fiscal 2012.  Treasury stock may be used for issuances under the Company’s stock-based compensation plans or for other general corporate purposes.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Occasionally, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies which the Company adopts as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes the impact of recently issued standards which are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

Goodwill.  In September 2011, the FASB adopted an update regarding testing goodwill and other intangibles for impairment.  The update permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.  This update was effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011.  The Company implemented this update for its fiscal year beginning May 1, 2012.  This update did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (Parentheticals) (USD $)	Jan. 31, 2013	Apr. 30, 2012
Preferred stock, par value (in Dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Preferred stock, shares authorized	1,000,000	1,000,000
Common stock, par value (in Dollars per share)	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	50,000,000	50,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	12,403,909	12,371,167
Common stock, shares outstanding	9,013,774	9,378,346
Treasury stock, shares	3,390,135	2,992,821

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Note B - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Revenue from External Customers by Products and Services [Table Text Block]

	Three Months Ended January 31,				Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013		2012		2013		2012
Sales – used autos	$	94,966	$	82,589	$	268,539	$	250,865
Wholesales – third party		4,300		5,008		13,953		15,239
Service contract sales		3,661		3,500		10,730		10,039
Payment protection plan revenue		3,288		2,860		9,484		8,266
Total	$	106,215	$	93,957	$	302,706	$	284,409

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Document And Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Mar. 01, 2013
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	AMERICAS CARMART INC
Document Type	10-Q
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--04-30
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		9,017,274
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Central Index Key	0000799850
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Document Period End Date	Jan. 31, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3

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Note C - Finance Receivables (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Schedule of Accounts, Notes, Loans and Financing Receivable [Table Text Block]

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013			April 30, 2012
Gross contract amount	$	411,577		$	359,364
Less unearned finance charges		(47,659	)		(42,430	)
Principal balance		363,918			316,934
Less allowance for credit losses		(75,566	)		(65,831	)
Finance receivables, net	$	288,352		$	251,103

Change in Finance Receivables, Net

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013			2012
Balance at beginning of period	$	251,103		$	222,305
Finance receivable originations		284,931			263,539
Finance receivable collections		(144,025	)		(140,084	)
Provision for credit losses		(70,499	)		(62,056	)
Losses on claims for payment protection plan		(5,249	)		(4,353	)
Inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims		(27,909	)		(25,706	)
Balance at end of period	$	288,352		$	253,645

Allowance for Credit Losses on Financing Receivables [Table Text Block]

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013			2012
Balance at beginning of period	$	65,831		$	60,173
Provision for credit losses		70,499			62,056
Charge-offs, net of recovered collateral		(60,764	)		(53,521	)
Balance at end of period	$	75,566		$	68,708

Past Due Financing Receivables [Table Text Block]

(Dollars in thousands)	January 31, 2013					April 30, 2012					January 31, 2012
	Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio			Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio			Principal Balance		Percent of Portfolio
Current	$	287,553		79.01	%	$	262,325		82.77	%	$	249,880		77.52	%
3 - 29 days past due		54,358		14.94	%		41,508		13.10	%		57,227		17.75	%
30 - 60 days past due		14,112		3.88	%		8,818		2.78	%		11,096		3.44	%
61 - 90 days past due		5,494		1.51	%		3,627		1.14	%		3,172		0.98	%
> 90 days past due		2,401		0.66	%		656		0.21	%		978		0.30	%
Total	$	363,918		100.00	%	$	316,934		100.00	%	$	322,353		100.00	%

Financing Receivable Credit Quality Indicators [Table Text Block]

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
	2013			2012
Principal collected as a percent of average finance receivables		42.8	%		46.3	%
Average down-payment percentage		5.8	%		6.2	%

	January 31, 2013		January 31, 2012
Average originating contract term (in months)		28.3		26.6
Portfolio weighted average contract term, including modifications (in months)		28.7		27.7

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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Revenues:
Sales	$ 106,215	$ 93,957	$ 302,706	$ 284,409
Interest income	12,707	11,408	36,435	32,287
Total revenue	118,922	105,365	339,141	316,696
Costs and expenses:
Cost of sales, excluding depreciation shown below	60,941	54,298	173,330	163,667
Selling, general and administrative	18,775	17,175	53,982	50,094
Provision for credit losses	25,189	20,899	70,499	62,056
Interest expense	795	659	2,156	1,676
Depreciation and amortization	712	594	2,070	1,697
Total costs and expenses	106,412	93,625	302,037	279,190
Income before taxes	12,510	11,740	37,104	37,506
Provision for income taxes	4,530	4,436	13,728	14,160
Net income	7,980	7,304	23,376	23,346
Less: Dividends on mandatorily redeemable preferred stock	(10)	(10)	(30)	(30)
Net income attributable to common stockholders	$ 7,970	$ 7,294	$ 23,346	$ 23,316
Earnings per share:
Basic (in Dollars per share)	$ 0.88	$ 0.76	$ 2.55	$ 2.36
Diluted (in Dollars per share)	$ 0.84	$ 0.73	$ 2.43	$ 2.28
Weighted average number of shares outstanding:
Basic (in Shares)	9,017,613	9,610,125	9,142,296	9,886,100
Diluted (in Shares)	9,451,473	9,998,290	9,593,854	10,219,796

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Note G - Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Fair Value Disclosures [Text Block]

G – Fair Value Measurements

The table below summarizes information about the fair value of financial instruments included in the Company’s financial statements at January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2012:

	January 31, 2013				April 30, 2012
(In thousands)	Carrying Value		Fair Value		Carrying Value		Fair Value
Cash	$	865	$	865	$	276	$	276
Finance receivables, net		288,352		227,449		251,103		198,084
Accounts payable		10,082		10,082		7,352		7,352
Revolving credit facilities		109,274		109,274		77,900		77,900

Because no market exists for certain of the Company’s financial instruments, fair value estimates are based on judgments and estimates regarding yield expectations of investors, credit risk and other risk characteristics, including interest rate and prepayment risk.  These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of judgment and therefore cannot be determined with precision.  Changes in assumptions could significantly affect these estimates.  The methodology and assumptions utilized to estimate the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments are as follows:

Financial Instrument	Valuation Methodology
Cash	The carrying amount is considered to be a reasonable estimate of fair value due to the short-term nature of the financial instrument.
Finance receivables, net	The Company estimated the fair value of its receivables at what a third party purchaser might be willing to pay. The Company has had discussions with third parties and has bought and sold portfolios, and has had a third party appraisal that indicates a 37.5% discount to face would be a reasonable fair value in a negotiated third party transaction.  The sale of finance receivables from Car-Mart of Arkansas to Colonial is at a 37.5% discount. For financial reporting purposes these sale transactions are eliminated. Since the Company does not intend to offer the receivables for sale to an outside third party, the expectation is that the book value at January 31, 2013, will be ultimately collected. By collecting the accounts internally the Company expects to realize more than a third party purchaser would expect to collect with a servicing requirement and a profit margin included.
Accounts payable	The carrying amount is considered to be a reasonable estimate of fair value due to the short-term nature of the financial instrument.
Revolving credit facilities	The fair value approximates carrying value due to the variable interest rates charged on the borrowings, which reprice frequently.

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Note F - Debt Facilities

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Debt Disclosure [Text Block]

F – Debt Facilities

A summary of revolving credit facilities is as follows:

(In thousands)
					Balance at
	Aggregate Amount		Interest Rate	Maturity	January 31, 2013		April 30, 2012
Revolving credit facilities	$	145,000	LIBOR + 2.5%	March 2015	$	109,274	$	77,900

( 2.71% at January 31, 2013 and 2.74% at April 30, 2012)

On March 9, 2012, the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Loan and Security Agreement (“Credit Facilities”) with a group of lenders providing revolving credit facilities totaling $125 million.  On September 20, 2012, the Credit Facilities were amended to increase the total revolving commitment to $145 million.  The Credit Facilities expire in March 2015.  The revolving credit facilities are collateralized primarily by finance receivables and inventory, are cross collateralized and contain a guarantee by the Company.  Interest is payable monthly under the revolving credit facilities. The Credit Facilities provide for three pricing tiers for determining the applicable interest rate, based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio for the preceding fiscal quarter. The current applicable interest rate under the Credit Facilities is generally LIBOR plus 2.5%.  The Credit Facilities contains various reporting and performance covenants including (i) maintenance of certain financial ratios and tests, (ii) limitations on borrowings from other sources, (iii) restrictions on certain operating activities and (iv) limitations on the payment of dividends or distributions. The distribution limitations under the Credit Facilities allow the Company to repurchase the Company’s stock so long as: either (a) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed $40 million and the sum of borrowing bases combined minus the principal balances of all revolver loans after giving effect to such repurchases is equal to or greater than 25% of the sum of the borrowing bases, or (b) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed 75% of the consolidated net income of the Company measured on a trailing twelve month basis; provided that immediately before and after giving effect to the stock repurchases, at least 12.5% of the aggregate funds committed under the credit facilities remain available.   The Company was in compliance with the covenants at January 31, 2013.  The amount available to be drawn under the credit facilities is a function of eligible finance receivables and inventory. Based upon eligible finance receivables and inventory at January 31, 2013, the Company had additional availability of $35.7 million under the revolving credit facilities.

In connection with the amendment to the Credit Facilities in September 2012, the Company incurred debt issuance costs of approximately $42,000. The Company recognized $155,000 and $133,000 of amortization for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and January 31, 2012, respectively, related to debt issuance costs.  The amortization is reflected as interest expense in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations.

On February 4, 2013, the Company entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Facilities (the “Amendment”).  The Amendment amended the definition of eligible vehicle contracts to include contracts with 36-42 month terms.

The Company has made reclassifications to certain prior year amounts in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows to conform to the fiscal 2013 presentation.  The prior year amounts related to proceeds from revolving credit facilities and payments on revolving credit facilities have been changed to reflect the gross amount of proceeds and payments in order to reflect a more meaningful disclosure of these amounts.

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Note H - Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Schedule of Weighted Average Number of Shares [Table Text Block]

	Three Months Ended January 31,				Nine Months Ended January 31,
	2013		2012		2013		2012
Weighted average shares outstanding-basic		9,017,613		9,610,125		9,142,296		9,886,100
Dilutive options and restricted stock		433,860		388,165		451,558		333,696
Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted		9,451,473		9,998,290		9,593,854		10,219,796
Antidilutive securities not included:
Options		45,000		35,000		41,667		28,333

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Note D - Property and Equipment (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Property, Plant and Equipment [Table Text Block]

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013			April 30, 2012
Land	$	5,896		$	6,079
Buildings and improvements		10,152			10,275
Furniture, fixtures and equipment		9,699			8,904
Leasehold improvements		14,596			12,368
Construction in progress		1,397			1,063
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(13,088	)		(11,142	)
	$	28,652		$	27,547

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Note J - Supplemental Cash Flow Information

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Cash Flow, Supplemental Disclosures [Text Block]

J - Supplemental Cash Flow Information

Supplemental cash flow disclosures are as follows:

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(in thousands)	2013		2012
Supplemental disclosures:
Interest paid	$	2,081	$	1,578
Income taxes paid, net		12,407		10,047
Non-cash transactions:
Inventory acquired in repossession and payment protection plan claims		27,909		25,706

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Note H - Weighted Average Shares Outstanding

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Weighted Average Shares Outstanding

H – Weighted Average Shares Outstanding

Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding, which are used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share, are as follows:

	Three Months Ended January 31,				Nine Months Ended January 31,
	2013		2012		2013		2012
Weighted average shares outstanding-basic		9,017,613		9,610,125		9,142,296		9,886,100
Dilutive options and restricted stock		433,860		388,165		451,558		333,696
Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted		9,451,473		9,998,290		9,593,854		10,219,796
Antidilutive securities not included:
Options		45,000		35,000		41,667		28,333

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Note I - Stock Based Compensation

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Text Block]

I – Stock Based Compensation

The Company has stock based compensation plans available to grant non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options and restricted stock to employees, directors and certain advisors of the Company.  The stock based compensation plans currently being utilized are the 2007 Stock Option Plan (“2007 Plan”) and the Stock Incentive Plan (“Incentive Plan”).    The Company recorded total stock based compensation expense for all plans of $1.5 million ($960,000 after tax effects) and $1.7 million ($1.0 million after tax effects) for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.  Tax benefits were recognized for these costs at the Company’s overall effective tax rate.

Stock Options

The Company has options outstanding under two stock option plans approved by the shareholders, the 1997 Stock Option Plan (“1997 Plan”) and the 2007 Plan. While previously granted options remain outstanding, no additional option grants may be made under the 1997 Plan.  The shareholders of the Company approved an amendment to the Company’s 2007 Plan on October 13, 2010. The amendment increased from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 the number of options to purchase our common stock that may be issued under the 2007 Plan.  The 2007 Plan provides for the grant of options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to employees, directors and certain advisors of the Company at a price not less than the fair market value of the stock on the date of grant and for periods not to exceed ten years. Options granted under the Company’s stock option plans expire in the calendar years 2013 through 2022.

	1997 Plan	2007 Plan
Minimum exercise price as a percentage of fair market value at date of grant	100%	100%
Last expiration date for outstanding options	July 2, 2017	October 9, 2022
Shares available for grant at January 31, 2013	-	392,500

The fair value of options granted is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the assumptions in the table below.

	January 31, 2013	January 31, 2012
Expected term (years)	5.0	5.0
Risk-free interest rate	0.78%	1.59%
Volatility	50%	50%
Dividend yield	—	—

The expected term of the options is based on evaluations of historical and expected future employee exercise behavior.  The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury rates at the date of grant with maturity dates approximately equal to the expected life at the grant date.  Volatility is based on historical volatility of the Company’s common stock.  The Company has not historically issued any dividends and does not expect to do so in the foreseeable future.

There were 40,000 and 58,750 options granted during the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. The grant-date fair value of options granted during the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012 was $784,000 and $744,000, respectively. The options were granted at fair market value on date of grant.

Stock option compensation expense on a pre-tax basis was $1.4 million ($887,000 after tax effects) and $1.6 million ($996,000 after tax effects) for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

The aggregate intrinsic value of outstanding options at January 31, 2013 and 2012 was $21.3 million and $19.7 million, respectively.

As of January 31, 2013, the Company had $1.7 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested options.  These unvested outstanding options have a weighted-average remaining vesting period of 0.9 years.

The Company had the following options exercised for the periods indicated.  The impact of these cash receipts is included in financing activities in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

	Nine Months Ended January 31,
(Dollars in thousands)	2013		2012
Options Exercised		28,500		86,897
Cash Received from Option Exercises	$	665	$	1,355
Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised	$	603	$	1,456

Stock Incentive Plan

The shareholders of the Company approved an amendment to the Company’s Stock Incentive Plan on October 14, 2009. The amendment increased from 150,000 to 350,000 the number of shares of common stock that may be issued under the Stock Incentive Plan.  For shares issued under the Stock Incentive Plan, the associated compensation expense is generally recognized equally over the vesting periods established at the award date and is subject to the employee’s continued employment by the Company.

There were no restricted shares granted during the first nine months of fiscal 2013 or fiscal 2012.  A total of 187,027 shares remained available for award at January 31, 2013.There were 27,000 unvested shares at January 31, 2013 with a weighted average grant date fair value of $23.07.

The Company recorded compensation cost of $92,000 ($58,000 after tax effects) and $102,000 ($63,000 after tax effects) related to the Stock Incentive Plan during the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

As of January 31, 2013, the Company has $225,000 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested awards granted under the Stock Incentive Plan, which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted-average remaining period of 1.8 years.

There were no modifications to any of the Company’s outstanding share-based payment awards during fiscal 2012 or during the first nine months of fiscal 2013.

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Accounting Policies, by Policy (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Consolidation, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Segment Reporting, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Segment Information

Each dealership is an operating segment with its results regularly reviewed by the Company’s chief operating decision maker in an effort to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and to assess its performance. Individual dealerships meet the aggregation criteria under the current accounting guidance.  The Company operates in the Integrated Auto Sales and Finance segment of the used car market.  In this industry, the nature of the sale and the financing of the transaction, financing processes, the type of customer and the methods used to distribute the Company’s products and services, including the actual servicing of the contracts as well as the regulatory environment in which the Company operates, all have similar characteristics.  Each of our individual dealerships is similar in nature and only engages in the selling and financing of used vehicles.  All individual dealerships have similar operating characteristics.  As such, individual dealerships have been aggregated into one reportable segment.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Concentration Risk, Credit Risk, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Concentration of Risk

The Company provides financing in connection with the sale of substantially all of its vehicles.  These sales are made primarily to customers residing in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, with approximately 39% of revenues resulting from sales to Arkansas customers.  Periodically, the Company maintains cash in financial institutions in excess of the amounts insured by the federal government.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Finance, Loans and Leases Receivable, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Finance Receivables, Repossessions and Charge-offs and Allowance for Credit Losses

The Company originates installment sale contracts from the sale of used vehicles at its dealerships.  These installment sale contracts carry interest rates ranging from 11% to 19% using the simple effective interest method including any deferred fees.  Contract origination costs are not significant.  The installment sale contracts are not pre-computed contracts whereby buyers are obligated to pay back principal plus the full amount of interest that will accrue over the entire term of the contract.  Finance receivables are collateralized by vehicles sold and consist of contractually scheduled payments from installment contracts net of unearned finance charges and an allowance for credit losses.  Unearned finance charges represent the balance of interest receivable to be earned over the entire term of the related installment contract, less the earned amount ($1.9 million at January 31, 2013 and $1.4 million at April 30, 2012), and as such, has been reflected as a reduction to the gross contract amount in arriving at the principal balance in finance receivables. An account is considered delinquent when a contractually scheduled payment has not been received by the scheduled payment date.  While the Company does not formally place contracts on nonaccrual status, the immaterial amount of interest that may accrue after an account becomes delinquent up until the point of resolution via repossession or write-off, is reserved for against the accrued interest on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Delinquent contracts are addressed and either made current by the customer, which is the case in most situations, or the vehicle is repossessed or written off, if the collateral cannot be recovered quickly. Customer payments are set to match their pay-day with over 80% of payments due on either a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The frequency of the payment due dates combined with the declining value of collateral lead to prompt resolutions on problem accounts.  Accounts are delinquent when the customer is one day or more behind on their contractual payments.  At January 31, 2013, 6.0% of the Company’s finance receivable balances were 30 days or more past due compared to 4.7% at January 31, 2012.

Substantially all of the Company’s automobile contracts involve contracts made to individuals with impaired or limited credit histories, or higher debt-to-income ratios than permitted by traditional lenders.  Contracts made with buyers who are restricted in their ability to obtain financing from traditional lenders generally entail a higher risk of delinquency, default and repossession, and higher losses than contracts made with buyers with better credit.

The Company works very hard to keep its delinquency percentages low, and not to repossess vehicles.  Accounts one day late are sent a notice in the mail.  Accounts three days late are contacted by telephone.  Notes from each telephone contact are electronically maintained in the Company’s computer system.  If a customer becomes severely delinquent in his or her payments, and management determines that timely collection of future payments is not probable, the Company will take steps to repossess the vehicle.  The Company attempts to resolve payment delinquencies amicably prior to repossessing a vehicle.  Periodically, the Company enters into contract modifications with its customers to extend the payment terms.  The Company only enters into a contract modification or extension if it believes such action will increase the amount of monies the Company will ultimately realize on the customer’s account. At the time of modification, the Company expects to collect amounts due including accrued interest at the contractual interest rate for the period of delay. Other than the extension of additional time, concessions are not granted to customers at the time of modifications. Modifications are minor and are made for pay-day changes, minor vehicle repairs and other reasons.  For those vehicles that are repossessed, the majority are returned or surrendered by the customer on a voluntary basis.  Other repossessions are performed by Company personnel or third party repossession agents.  Depending on the condition of a repossessed vehicle, it is either resold on a retail basis through a Company dealership, or sold for cash on a wholesale basis primarily through physical and/or on-line auctions.

The Company takes steps to repossess a vehicle when the customer becomes delinquent in his or her payments, and management determines that timely collection of future payments is not probable.  Accounts are charged-off after the expiration of a statutory notice period for repossessed accounts, or when management determines that the timely collection of future payments is not probable for accounts where the Company has been unable to repossess the vehicle.  For accounts with respect to which the vehicle was repossessed, the fair value of the repossessed vehicle is charged as a reduction of the gross finance receivable balance charged-off.  On average, accounts are approximately 63 days past due at the time of charge-off.  For previously charged-off accounts that are subsequently recovered, the amount of such recovery is credited to the allowance for credit losses.

The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses on an aggregate basis, as opposed to a contract-by-contract basis, at an amount it considers sufficient to cover estimated losses in the collection of its finance receivables.  The Company accrues an estimated loss as it is probable that the entire amount will not be collected and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated in the aggregate.  The allowance for credit losses is based primarily upon historical credit loss experience, with consideration given to recent credit loss trends and changes in contract characteristics (i.e., average amount financed and term), delinquency levels, collateral values, economic conditions and underwriting and collection practices.  The allowance for credit losses is periodically reviewed by management with any changes reflected in current operations.  Although it is at least reasonably possible that events or circumstances could occur in the future that are not presently foreseen which could cause actual credit losses to be materially different from the recorded allowance for credit losses, the Company believes that it has given appropriate consideration to all relevant factors and has made reasonable assumptions in determining the allowance for credit losses.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventory

Inventory consists of used vehicles and is valued at the lower of cost or market on a specific identification basis.  Vehicle reconditioning costs are capitalized as a component of inventory.  Repossessed vehicles are recorded at fair value, which approximates wholesale value.  The cost of used vehicles sold is determined using the specific identification method.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Goodwill, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Goodwill

Goodwill reflects the excess of purchase price over the fair value of specifically identified net assets purchased.  Goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite lives are not amortized but are subject to annual impairment tests at the Company’s year-end. The Company assesses qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.  If the qualitative factors indicate impairment then additional tests are based on the comparison of the fair value of the reporting unit to the carrying value of such unit. If the fair value of the reporting unit falls below its carrying value, the Company performs the second step of the two-step goodwill impairment process to determine the amount, if any, that the goodwill is impaired.  The second step involves determining the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities and the implied goodwill.  The implied goodwill is compared to the carrying value of the goodwill to determine the impairment, if any.  There was no impairment of goodwill during fiscal 2012, and to date, there has been none in fiscal 2013.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost.  Expenditures for additions, renewals and improvements are capitalized.  Costs of repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.  Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the estimated life of the improvement or the lease term.  The lease term includes the primary lease term plus any extensions that are reasonably assured. Depreciation is computed principally using the straight-line method generally over the following estimated useful lives:

Furniture, fixtures and equipment	3 to 7 years
Leasehold improvements	5 to 15 years
Buildings and improvements	18 to 39 years

Property and equipment are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.  Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying values of the impaired assets exceed the fair value of such assets.  Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell.

Cash Overdraft [Policy Text Block]

Cash Overdraft

As checks are presented for payment from the Company’s primary disbursement bank account, monies are automatically drawn against cash collections for the day and, if necessary, are drawn against one of its revolving credit facilities.  Any cash overdraft balance principally represents outstanding checks, net of any deposits in transit that as of the balance sheet date had not yet been presented for payment.

Deferred Sales Tax [Policy Text Block]

Deferred Sales Tax

Deferred sales tax represents a sales tax liability of the Company for vehicles sold on an installment basis in the states of Alabama and Texas.  Under Alabama and Texas law, for vehicles sold on an installment basis, the related sales tax is due as the payments are collected from the customer, rather than at the time of sale.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the liability method.  Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply in the years in which these temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The quarterly provision for income taxes is determined using an estimated annual effective tax rate, which is based on expected annual taxable income, statutory tax rates and the Company’s best estimate of nontaxable and nondeductible items of income and expense.

Occasionally, the Company is audited by taxing authorities.  These audits could result in proposed assessments of additional taxes. The Company believes that its tax positions comply in all material respects with applicable tax law.  However, tax law is subject to interpretation, and interpretations by taxing authorities could be different from those of the Company, which could result in the imposition of additional taxes.

The Company recognizes the financial statement benefit of a tax position only after determining that the relevant tax authority would more likely than not sustain the position following an audit.  For tax positions meeting the more-likely-than-not threshold, the amount recognized in the financial statements is the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the relevant tax authority.  The Company applies this methodology to all tax positions for which the statute of limitations remains open.

The Company is subject to income taxes in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions.  Tax regulations within each jurisdiction are subject to the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations and require significant judgment to apply.  With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local income tax examinations by tax authorities for the years before fiscal 2009.

In fiscal 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) completed the examinations of the Company’s income tax returns for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.  As a result of the examinations, the IRS had questioned whether deferred payment protection plan (“PPP”) revenue associated with the sale of certain receivables are subject to the acceleration of advance payments provision of the Internal Revenue Code and whether the Company may deduct losses on the sale of the PPP receivables in excess of the income recognized on the underlying contracts.  The issue was timing in nature and did not affect the overall tax provision, but affected the timing of required tax payments.

In January 2013, the Company received approval for a negotiated settlement with the IRS related to the examinations for income tax returns for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.  The negotiated settlement resulted in additional taxable income and a resulting tax payment for the exam period.  The question related to the timing of income recognition and therefore the additional income recognized in 2008 and 2009 will result in a corresponding tax deduction and resulting refund in the following fiscal year.  Under the settlement the Company paid an immaterial amount of interest to the IRS related to the additional tax payment.

The IRS is currently auditing the Company’s federal income tax returns for fiscal years 2010 and 2011.

The Company’s policy is to recognize accrued interest related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in operating expenses. The Company had no accrued penalties or interest as of January 31, 2013 or April 30, 2012.

Revenue Recognition, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition

Revenues are generated principally from the sale of used vehicles, which in most cases includes a service contract and a payment protection plan product, interest income and late fees earned on finance receivables.  Revenues are net of taxes collected from customers and remitted to government agencies.  Cost of vehicle sales include costs incurred by the Company to prepare the vehicle for sale including license and title costs, gasoline, transport services and repairs.

Revenues from the sale of used vehicles are recognized when the sales contract is signed, the customer has taken possession of the vehicle and, if applicable, financing has been approved.  Revenues from the sale of service contracts are recognized ratably over the five-month service contract period.  Service contract revenues are included in sales and the related expenses are included in cost of sales.  Payment protection plan revenues are initially deferred and then recognized to income using the “Rule of 78’s” interest method over the life of the contract so that revenues are recognized in proportion to the amount of cancellation protection provided.  Payment protection plan revenues are included in sales and related losses are included in cost of sales.  Interest income is recognized on all active finance receivable accounts using the simple effective interest method.  Active accounts include all accounts except those that have been paid-off or charged-off.

Sales consist of the following:

	Three Months Ended January 31,				Nine Months Ended January 31,
(In thousands)	2013		2012		2013		2012
Sales – used autos	$	94,966	$	82,589	$	268,539	$	250,865
Wholesales – third party		4,300		5,008		13,953		15,239
Service contract sales		3,661		3,500		10,730		10,039
Payment protection plan revenue		3,288		2,860		9,484		8,266
Total	$	106,215	$	93,957	$	302,706	$	284,409

Revenues from late fees were approximately $1.4 million and $1.2 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively. Late fees are recognized when collected and are reflected in interest income.  Finance receivables more than 90 days past due were approximately $2.4 million and $978,000 at January 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per share are computed by dividing net income by the average number of common shares outstanding during the period.  Diluted earnings per share are computed by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the average number of common shares outstanding during the period plus common stock equivalents.  The calculation of diluted earnings per share takes into consideration the potentially dilutive effect of common stock equivalents, such as outstanding stock options and restricted stock, which if exercised or converted into common stock would then share in the earnings of the Company.  In computing diluted earnings per share, the Company utilizes the treasury stock method and anti-dilutive securities are excluded.

Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy [Policy Text Block]

Stock-based compensation

The Company recognizes the cost of employee services received in exchange for awards of equity instruments, such as stock options and restricted stock, based on the fair value of those awards at the date of grant over the requisite service period.  The Company uses the Black Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value of stock option awards.  The Company may issue either new shares or treasury shares upon exercise of these awards.  Stock-based compensation plans, related expenses and assumptions used in the Black Scholes option pricing model are more fully described in Note I.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Occasionally, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies which the Company adopts as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company believes the impact of recently issued standards which are not yet effective will not have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

Goodwill.  In September 2011, the FASB adopted an update regarding testing goodwill and other intangibles for impairment.  The update permits an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test.  This update was effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011.  The Company implemented this update for its fiscal year beginning May 1, 2012.  This update did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

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Note C - Finance Receivables (Detail) - Financing receivables analysis	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Principal collected as a percent of average finance receivables	42.80%	46.30%
Average down-payment percentage	5.80%	6.20%
Average originating contract term (in months)	28 months 9 days	26 months 18 days
Portfolio weighted average contract term, including modifications (in months)	28 months 21 days	27 months 21 days

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Note F - Debt Facilities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Schedule of Long-term Debt Instruments [Table Text Block]

(In thousands)
					Balance at
	Aggregate Amount		Interest Rate	Maturity	January 31, 2013		April 30, 2012
Revolving credit facilities	$	145,000	LIBOR + 2.5%	March 2015	$	109,274	$	77,900

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Note A - Organization and Business (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013
Number of Operating Subsidiaries	2
Number of Stores	120

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Note H - Weighted Average Shares Outstanding (Detail) - Weighted average shares of common stock outstanding	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Weighted average shares outstanding-basic	9,017,613	9,610,125	9,142,296	9,886,100
Dilutive options and restricted stock	433,860	388,165	451,558	333,696
Weighted average shares outstanding-diluted	9,451,473	9,998,290	9,593,854	10,219,796
Antidilutive securities not included:
Options	45,000	35,000	41,667	28,333

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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012
Net income	$ 23,376,000	$ 23,346,000
Adjustments to reconcile net income from operations to net cash used in operating activities:
Provision for credit losses	70,499,000	62,056,000
Losses on claims for payment protection plan	5,249,000	4,353,000
Depreciation and amortization	2,070,000	1,697,000
Amortization of debt issuance costs	155,000	133,000
Loss on sale of property and equipment	64,000	15,000
Stock based compensation	1,525,000	1,681,000
Deferred income taxes	1,784,000	3,061,000
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
Finance receivable originations	(284,931,000)	(263,539,000)
Finance receivable collections	144,025,000	140,084,000
Accrued interest on finance receivables	(506,000)	(444,000)
Inventory	19,283,000	19,470,000
Prepaid expenses and other assets	(642,000)	630,000
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	2,806,000	(547,000)
Deferred payment protection plan revenue	1,614,000	1,169,000
Income taxes, net	(463,000)	1,052,000
Excess tax benefit from share based compensation	(99,000)	(197,000)
Net cash used in operating activities	(14,191,000)	(5,980,000)
Investing Activities:
Purchase of property and equipment	(3,438,000)	(3,228,000)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment	199,000
Net cash used in investing activities	(3,239,000)	(3,228,000)
Financing Activities:
Exercise of stock options and warrants	665,000	1,355,000
Excess tax benefit from share based compensation	98,000	197,000
Issuance of common stock	143,000	118,000
Purchase of common stock	(17,248,000)	(29,950,000)
Dividend payments	(30,000)	(30,000)
Debt issuance costs	(56,000)
Change in cash overdrafts	3,017,000	1,370,000
Proceeds from revolving credit facilities	238,336,000	236,980,000
Payments on revolving credit facilities	(206,906,000)	(200,646,000)
Net cash provided by financing activities	18,019,000	9,394,000
Increase in cash and cash equivalents	589,000	186,000
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period	276,000	223,000
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period	$ 865,000	$ 409,000

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Note E - Accrued Liabilities

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Other Liabilities Disclosure [Text Block]

E – Accrued Liabilities

A summary of accrued liabilities is as follows:

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013		April 30, 2012
Compensation	$	4,517	$	5,063
Cash overdrafts (see Note B)		3,145		128
Deferred service contract revenue (see Note B)		3,347		3,036
Deferred sales tax (see Note B)		2,332		1,785
Interest		260		185
Other		2,841		3,152
	$	16,442	$	13,349

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Note B - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Detail) (USD $)	9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Jan. 31, 2012	Apr. 30, 2012
Number of Reportable Segments	1
Concentration Risk, Percentage	39.00%
Line of Credit Facility, Dividend Restrictions	The distribution limitations under the Credit Facilities allow the Company to repurchase the Company's stock so long as: either (a) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed $40 million and the sum of borrowing bases combined minus the principal balances of all revolver loans after giving effect to such repurchases is equal to or greater than 25% of the sum of the borrowing bases, or (b) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed 75% of the consolidated net income of the Company measured on a trailing twelve month basis; provided that immediately before and after giving effect to the stock repurchases, at least 12.5% of the aggregate funds committed under the credit facilities remain available.
Finance Receivables Interest Rate Range Start	11.00%
Finance Receivable Interest Rate Range End	19.00%
Interest Earned On Financing Receivables (in Dollars)	$ 1,900,000		$ 1,400,000
Finance Receivables, Customer Payments Due Either Weekly or Bi-Weekly, Percentage	80.00%
Financing Receivable, Greater Than Or Equal To 30 Days Past Due, Percent Of Portfolio	6.00%	4.70%
Financing Receivable, Average Days Past Due At Charge Off	63
Financing Receivable, Allowance for Credit Losses, Policy for Uncollectible Amounts	The calculation of the allowance for credit losses uses the following primary factors: The number of units repossessed or charged-off as a percentage of total units financed over specific historical periods of time. The average net repossession and charge-off loss per unit during the last eighteen months, segregated by the number of months since the contract origination date, and adjusted for the expected future average net charge-off loss per unit.About 50% of the charge-offs that will ultimately occur in the portfolio are expected to occur within 10-11 months following the loan origination date.The average age of an account at charge-off date is 10.6 months. The timing of repossession and charge-off losses relative to the date of sale (i.e., how long it takes for a repossession or charge-off to occur) for repossessions and charge-offs occurring during the last eighteen months. A point estimate is produced by this analysis which is then supplemented by any positive or negative subjective factors to arrive at an overall reserve amount that management considers to be a reasonable estimate of incurred losses that will be realized via actual charge-offs in the future.Periods of economic downturn do not necessarily lead to increased credit losses because the Company provides basic affordable transportation to customers that, for the most part, do not have access to public transportation.The effectiveness of the execution of internal policies and procedures within the collections area has historically had a more significant effect on collection results than macro-economic issues. The Company offers retail customers in most states the option of purchasing a payment protection plan product as an add-on to the installment sale contract.This product contractually obligates the Company to cancel the remaining principal outstanding for any contract where the retail customer has totaled the vehicle, as defined, or the vehicle has been stolen.The Company periodically evaluates anticipated losses to ensure that if anticipated losses exceed deferred payment protection plan revenues, an additional liability is recorded for such difference.No such liability was required at January 31, 2013 or April 30, 2012.
Average Age of Account At Charge-Off Date	10 months 18 days
Service Contract Revenue Recognition Period	5 months
Late Fee Income Generated by Servicing Financial Assets, Amount (in Dollars)	1,400,000	1,200,000
Financing Receivable Recorded Investment Greater Than 90 Days Past Due (in Dollars)	2,401,000	978,000	656,000
Stock Repurchased During Period, Shares (in Shares)	397,314	1,002,363
Stock Repurchased During Period, Value (in Dollars)	$ 17,200,000	$ 29,900,000
Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies Note [Member]
Line of Credit Facility, Dividend Restrictions	Restrictions on Distributions/Dividends The Company's revolving credit facilities generally limit distributions by the Company to its shareholders in order to repurchase the Company's common stock.The distribution limitations under the Agreement allow the Company to repurchase the Company's stock so long as: either (a) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed $40 million and the sum of borrowing bases combined minus the principal balances of all revolver loans after giving effect to such repurchases is equal to or greater than 25% of the sum of the borrowing bases, or (b) the aggregate amount of such repurchases does not exceed 75% of the consolidated net income of the Company measured on a trailing twelve month basis; provided that immediately before and after giving effect to the stock repurchases, at least 12.5% of the aggregate funds committed under the credit facilities remain available. Thus, the Company is limited in the amount of dividends or other distributions it can make to its shareholders without the consent of the Company's lenders.
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	3 years
Furniture, fixtures, and equipment [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	7 years
Leasehold Improvements [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	5 years
Leasehold Improvements [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	15 years
Building and Building Improvements [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	18 years
Building and Building Improvements [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Property, Plant and Equipment, Useful Life	39 years

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Note F - Debt Facilities (Detail) - Revolving credit facilities (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Jan. 31, 2013	Sep. 20, 2012	Apr. 30, 2012	Mar. 09, 2012
Revolving credit facilities	$ 145,000	$ 145,000		$ 125,000
Revolving credit facilities	LIBOR + 2.5%
Revolving credit facilities	Mar. 31, 2015
Revolving credit facilities	$ 109,274		$ 77,900

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Note E - Accrued Liabilities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2013

Schedule of Accrued Liabilities [Table Text Block]

(In thousands)	January 31, 2013		April 30, 2012
Compensation	$	4,517	$	5,063
Cash overdrafts (see Note B)		3,145		128
Deferred service contract revenue (see Note B)		3,347		3,036
Deferred sales tax (see Note B)		2,332		1,785
Interest		260		185
Other		2,841		3,152
	$	16,442	$	13,349