FORM 5 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION CHECK BOX IF NO LONGER WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 SUBJECT TO SECTION 16. FORM 4 ANNUAL STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OR FORM 5 OBLIGATIONS MAY CONTINUE. SEE INSTRUCTION 1(B). [X] FORM 3 HOLDINGS REPORTED Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act FORM 4 TRANSACTIONS REPORTED of 1934, Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* 2. Issuer Name and Ticker or 6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer Trading Symbol (Check all applicable) ___X__ Director ______10% Owner ___X__ Officer _______ Other (give title below) (specify below) President of Retail Operations Higginbotham, Dennis D. Sonic Automotive, Inc. ("SAH") - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Last) (First) (Middle) 3. IRS 4. Statement or Social for Security Month/Year Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (Voluntary) P.O. Box 770 12/98 - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Street) 5. If 7. Individual or Joint/Group Reporting (Check Applicable Amendment, Line) Date of _X_ Form filed by One Reporting Person Original ___ Form filed by More than One Reporting Person (Month/Year) New Smyrna Beach, FL 32170 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (City) (State) (Zip) TABLE I-- NON-DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Amount of Owner- Securities ship Trans- Trans- Securities Acquired (A) Beneficially Form: action action or Disposed of (D) Owned at Direct Nature of Date Code (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) End of (D) or Indirect Title of (Month/ (Instr. 8) ---------------------------- Issuer's Indirect Beneficial Security Day/ ---------- Amount (A) or Price Fiscal Year (I) Ownership (Instr. 3) Year) (D) (Instr. (Instr. 4) (Instr. 4) 3 and 4) - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Class A Common Stock (1) 9/16/98 J3(2) 485,294 A 17.00 485,294 (3) I As trustee (4) ----------------------- ---------- ----- --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- ----------------------- ----------- ----- --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- ----------------------- ----------- ----- --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- ----------------------- ----------- ----- --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- ----------------------- ----------- ----- --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- ----------------------- ----------- ----- --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- ----------------------- ----------- ----- --------------- ---- --------- -------------- ------------- ---------- (1) A Form 3 was filed on September 28, 1998 erroneously reporting Mr. Higginbotham's acquisition of 8,250 shares of Class A Common Stock. This Form is filed to correctly reflect his acquisition of 485,294 shares of Class A Common Stock. (2) Mr. Higginbotham received a combination of cash and stock in exchange for certain automobile dealerships sold to Sonic. (3) Immediately following the transaction reported on Table I of this Form 5, Mr. Higginbotham beneficially owned 485,294 shares of Class A Common Stock. On January 25, 1999, in connection with Sonic's 2-for-1 split of its Class A Common Stock (the "Stock Split"), Mr. Higginbotham received a dividend of one share of Class A Common Stock for each share of (cont.) (Over) SEC 2270 (9-96) *If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4(b)(v).

FORM 5 (CONTINUED) TABLE II -- DERIVATIVE SECURITIES ACQUIRED, DISPOSED OF, OR BENEFICIALLY OWNED (E.G., PUTS, CALLS, WARRANTS, OPTIONS, CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. - ---------- -------- -------- -------- ---------- ------------ -------------- ------ ---------- --------- ---------- Title and Ownership Number of Date Exer- Amount of of Derivative cisable and Underlying Number of Deriv- Securities Expiration Securities Price Derivative ative Conver- Trans- Acquired (A) Date (Month/ (Instr. 3 of Securities Security: sion or Trans- action or Disposed Day/Year) and 4) Deriv- Benefi- Direct Exercise action Code of (D) -------------- -------------- ative cially (D) or Nature of Title of Price of Date (Instr. (Instr. 3, Date Amount Secur- Owned at Indirect Indirect Derivative Deriv- (Month/ 8) 4 and 5) Exer- Expir- or Num- ity End of (I) Beneficial Security ative Day/ -------- ---------- cis- ation ber of (Instr. Year (Instr. Ownership (Instr. 3) Security Year) (A) (D) able Date Title Shares 5) (Instr. 4) 4) (Instr. 4) - ---------- -------- -------- ---- --- ---- ---- ------- ----- ----- ------ ------ ---------- -------- ---------- Class A Options to 150,000 10/6/08 Common 150,000 $9.19 150,000 D purchase $9.19 (5) 10/6/98 A (5) (6) Stock (5) (5) - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Explanation of Responses: Class A Common Stock that he owned at that time (i.e. a total dividend of 485,294 shares of Class A Common Stock). (4) The shares are owned of record by The Dennis D. Higginbotham Revocable Trust, over which Mr. Higginbotham exercises control and for which he serves as trustee. (5) On October 6, 1998, Sonic granted Mr. Higginbotham options to purchase 75,000 shares of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $18.38 per share pursuant to the Sonic 1997 Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"). In connection with the Stock Split effected January 25, 1999, and pursuant to the terms of the Plan, Mr. Higginbotham's options were adjusted to options to purchase 150,000 shares of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $9.19 per share. (6) The options reported above are exercisable in three equal annual installments beginning on October 6, 1999. ** Intentional misstatements or omissions of /s/ Dennis D. Higginbotham 4/12/99 facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations. -------------------------------- --------------- SEE 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a) ** Signature of Reporting Person Date Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, SEE Instruction 6 for procedure. Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number. Page 2