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Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-161519

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus dated September 10, 2009)

$150,000,000

Sonic Automotive, Inc.

5.0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029

We are offering $150,000,000 principal amount of our 5.0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029. The notes will bear interest at a rate of 5.0% per year, payable semiannually in arrears on April 1 and October 1 of each year, beginning on April 1, 2010. The notes will mature on October 1, 2029.

Holders may convert their notes at their option prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding July 1, 2029 only under the following circumstances: (1) during any fiscal quarter commencing after December 31, 2009, if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during a period of 30 consecutive trading days ending on the last trading day of the preceding fiscal quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the applicable conversion price on each applicable trading day; (2) during the five business day period after any 10 consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price (as defined below) per $1,000 principal amount of notes for each day of that measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock and the applicable conversion rate on each such day; (3) if we call any or all of the notes for redemption, at any time prior to the close of business on the third scheduled trading day prior to the redemption date; or (4) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. On and after July 1, 2029 to (and including) the close of business on the third scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert their notes at any time, regardless of the foregoing circumstances. Upon conversion, in respect of our conversion obligation, we will have the right to deliver shares of our Class A common stock, cash or a combination of cash and shares of our Class A common stock.

The conversion rate will initially be 74.7245 shares of Class A common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes (equivalent to a conversion price of approximately $13.38 per share of Class A common stock). The conversion rate will be subject to adjustment in some events but will not be adjusted for accrued interest. In addition, following certain corporate transactions that occur prior to the maturity date, we will increase the conversion rate for a holder who elects to convert its notes in connection with such a corporate transaction in certain circumstances.

We may not redeem the notes prior to October 1, 2014. On or after October 1, 2014 and prior to the maturity date, we may redeem for cash all or part of the notes at 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, including any additional interest, to but excluding the redemption date.

Holders have the right to require us to purchase the notes on each of October 1, 2014, October 1, 2019 and October 1, 2024 for cash at a purchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be purchased plus any accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the applicable purchase date. If we undergo a fundamental change, holders may require us to purchase the notes in whole or in part for cash at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be purchased plus any accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the fundamental change purchase date.

The notes will be our senior unsecured obligations and will rank equal in right of payment to all of our other existing and future senior unsecured indebtedness and senior in right of payment to all of our existing and future senior subordinated debt and all existing and future subordinated indebtedness. The notes will be effectively junior to our existing and future secured debt, if any, to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt. The notes will not be guaranteed by any of our subsidiaries and, accordingly, the notes will be structurally subordinated to the indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries.

We will be required to pay additional interest in respect of the notes under specified circumstances. See “Description of Notes—Events of Default.”

Concurrently with this offering, we are offering 9,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or a total of 10,350,000 shares if the underwriters in that offering exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) in an underwritten offering pursuant to a separate prospectus supplement. This offering is not contingent upon the concurrent Class A common stock offering being completed, and the concurrent Class A common stock offering is not contingent upon this offering being completed.

The notes will not be listed on any securities exchange or included in any automated quotation system. Our Class A common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SAH.” The last reported sale price of our Class A common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on September 17, 2009 was $10.15 per share. You are urged to obtain current market data and should not use the market price as of September 17, 2009 as a prediction of the future market price of our Class A common stock.

Investing in the notes and the common stock issuable upon conversion of the notes involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-13 of this prospectus supplement and page 1 of the accompanying prospectus.

We have granted the underwriters the right to purchase within a 30-day period from the date of this prospectus supplement up to an additional $22,500,000 principal amount of notes, solely to cover over-allotments, if any. If the underwriters exercise this option in full, the total underwriting discounts and commissions will be $5,461,419 and total proceeds, before expenses, to us will be $167,038,581.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

We expect that delivery of the notes will be made to investors in book-entry form through The Depository Trust Company on or about September 23, 2009.

The date of this prospectus supplement is September 17, 2009.

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering, the notes and matters relating to us and our financial performance and condition. The second part, the accompanying prospectus dated September 10, 2009, gives more general information about securities we may offer from time to time, some of which does not apply to this offering.

If the description of this offering and the notes varies between this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. In various places in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, we refer you to sections of other documents for additional information by indicating the caption heading of the other sections. All cross-references in this prospectus supplement are to captions contained in this prospectus supplement and not in the accompanying prospectus, unless otherwise indicated.

You should read both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information About Sonic.”

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not making an offer to sell these securities (1) in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted, (2) where the person making the offer is not qualified to do so or (3) to any person who cannot legally be offered the securities. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein or therein is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

You should not consider any information in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to be legal, business or tax advice. You should consult your own attorney, business advisor and tax advisor for legal, business and tax advice regarding an investment in our securities.

You should base your decision to invest in our securities after considering all of the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any information incorporated by reference herein and therein.

No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the accuracy or completeness of the information obtained from third party sources set forth herein, in the accompanying prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, and nothing contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or incorporated by reference herein or therein is, or shall be relied upon as, a promise or representation, whether as to past or future performance.

No automobile manufacturer or distributor has been involved, directly or indirectly, in the preparation of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or in the offering being made hereby. No automobile manufacturer or distributor has been authorized to make any statements or representations in connection with the offering, and no automobile manufacturer or distributor has any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or for any offering thereunder.

Except as otherwise indicated or as the context otherwise requires, all references in this prospectus to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our,” or “Sonic” mean Sonic Automotive, Inc. and its subsidiaries, except that such references with respect to the terms of the notes mean Sonic Automotive, Inc. and not its subsidiaries.

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CAUTIONARY NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement contains numerous “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward looking statements address our future objectives, plans and goals, as well as our intent, beliefs and current expectations regarding future operating performance, and can generally be identified by words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “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:

These forward-looking statements are based on our 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 which may cause actual results to differ materially from our projections include those risks described in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and our filings with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, as well as:

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RISK FACTORS

This section describes some, but not all, of the risks of acquiring our securities. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risk factors included in our Current Report on Form 8-K furnished to the SEC on August 21, 2009, which are incorporated by reference herein, and the risks described in our other filings with the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein.

Risks Related to Our Substantial Indebtedness and Liquidity

Our significant indebtedness and near-term debt maturities could materially adversely affect our financial health, limit our ability to finance future acquisitions and capital expenditures and prevent us from fulfilling our financial obligations.

As of June 30, 2009, our total outstanding indebtedness was approximately $1.6 billion, including the following:

As of June 30, 2009, we had $48.9 million available for additional borrowings under a revolving credit sub-facility (the “2006 Revolving Credit Sub-Facility”) based on the borrowing base calculation on that date, which is affected by numerous factors including eligible asset balances, the market value of certain collateral and historical consolidated EBITDA (as defined). We are able to borrow under our 2006 Revolving Credit Sub-Facility only if we are in compliance with our financial and other covenants and all of our representations and warranties contained in the 2006 Revolving Credit Sub-Facility are true on the date of borrowing. Pursuant to the terms of our 2006 Credit Facility, we can only use proceeds from borrowings for ordinary course of business expenditures. We also have additional capacity under new and used inventory floor plan facilities. In addition, the indentures relating to our 8.625% Notes, 6.00% Convertible Notes, 4.25% Convertible Notes and our other debt instruments allow us to incur additional indebtedness, including secured indebtedness, as long as we are in compliance with the terms thereunder. We refer to the 2006 Revolving Credit Sub-Facility, our new vehicle inventory floor plan financing, as to which we had up to $635.0 million in borrowing availability as of June 30, 2009 and our used vehicle inventory floor plan financing, as to which we had up to $100.0 million in borrowing availability as of June 30, 2009, collectively as our “2006 Credit Facility”.

In addition, the majority of our dealership properties are leased under long-term operating lease arrangements that generally have initial terms of fifteen to twenty years with one or two ten-year renewal options. Many of these operating leases require compliance with financial and operating covenants similar to those under our 2006 Credit Facility, monthly payments of rent that may fluctuate based on interest rates and local consumer price indices. The total future minimum lease payments related to these operating leases and certain equipment leases are significant and are disclosed in the notes to our financial statements under the heading “Commitments and Contingencies” in our Current Report on Form 8-K furnished to the SEC on August 21, 2009.

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As of June 30, 2009, we had approximately $1.2 billion of debt, of which $834.3 million relates to notes payable—floor plan, that matures or which holders may force us to repay in 2010. This leverage could have important consequences to the holders of our securities, including the following:

In addition, our debt agreements contain numerous covenants that limit our discretion with respect to certain business matters, including mergers or acquisitions, paying dividends, incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or disposing of assets. These covenants may become more restrictive as a result of refinancing in the current environment. It is possible that, in connection with refinancing our 2006 Credit Facility, which is required by February 2010, the covenants relevant to these matters will be significantly more restrictive to our business.

If we are unable to refinance our 2006 Credit Facility on terms comparable to the 2006 Credit Facility, our overall liquidity position may be materially adversely affected.

We rely on our 2006 Credit Facility to finance our working capital requirements, portions of our used vehicle inventory, portions of our new vehicle inventory and for general corporate purposes. Our 2006 Credit Facility matures in February 2010. We cannot guarantee that a refinancing of the 2006 Credit Facility will provide the same or similar capacity, interest rates, restrictions and covenants as the current facility. Sonic Financial Corporation (“SFC”), an entity controlled by Mr. O. Bruton Smith, has pledged shares of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. common stock it owns to secure our 2006 Credit Facility. There is no assurance that SFC will be willing to pledge securities held by it to support a new credit facility. We may have no option other than to agree to terms that lower the capacity, increase interest rates and impose additional restrictions or covenants or are otherwise less favorable to us, which may affect future operations or corporate actions.

If we do not restructure or obtain additional financing to satisfy our substantial debt obligations, we may not be able to continue as a going concern or we may be unable to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection.

On May 7, 2009, we completed a restructuring of our 5.25% convertible senior subordinated notes that matured on May 7, 2009 (the “5.25% Convertible Notes”). In conjunction with this restructuring, we paid cash of approximately $15.7 million, issued $85.6 million in 6.00% Convertible Notes in two series (Series A and Series B) and issued 860,723 shares of Class A common stock to holders of our 5.25% Convertible Notes to satisfy in full our obligations under the 5.25% Convertible Notes. In addition, we executed an amendment to our 2006 Credit Facility with Bank of America, NA, as administrative agent, and a syndicate of commercial banks and commercial finance entities which, among other things, permanently removed the requirement for us to deliver to the administrative agent under the 2006 Credit Facility an opinion of our independent registered public accounting firm with respect to our fiscal year ended December 31, 2008 without any “going concern” or like qualification. The amendment to the 2006 Credit Facility and a description of the 6.00% Convertible Notes are discussed further in Note 6 of the notes to our financial statements filed in our Form 8-K furnished to the SEC on

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August 21, 2009. Also in conjunction with the restructuring, we sold, in a private placement primarily to certain of our officers, directors and management employees to fund a portion of the repayment of our 5.25% Convertible Notes, 487,796 shares of our Class A common stock at a price of $5.74 per share.

We continue to explore options related to our other debt obligations with the assistance of a financial advisor. This offering and the concurrent Class A common stock offering are a part of our overall debt restructuring plan. We intend to use the proceeds from this and the concurrent Class A common stock offering to repay all or a portion of the $160.0 million principal amount outstanding of our 4.25% Convertible Notes and the $85.6 million principal amount outstanding of our 6.00% Convertible Notes. If we are unable to fulfill these intentions, we will use any remaining net proceeds to repay borrowings under our 2006 Credit Facility. Although we intend to repay all of our outstanding 4.25% Convertible Notes, we do not have the right to redeem them at this time. Consequently, we cannot assure our investors that we will succeed in applying the net proceeds of this offering and the concurrent Class A common stock offering exactly as we intend.

We may be required to repurchase all of our outstanding 4.25% Convertible Notes at the option of the holders thereof on November 30, 2010. We may also be required to repurchase all of our 6.00% Convertible Notes on August 25, 2010 if we do not repurchase or refinance substantially all of our 4.25% Convertible Notes by that time. In addition, our 2006 Credit Facility matures February 17, 2010, and we may not be able to refinance it on comparable terms. A reduction in the amount available under our working capital facility could have material adverse consequences on us. A default under one or more of our debt arrangements could cause cross defaults of other debt, lease facilities and operating agreements, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and operations and raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. If we are unable to repay, refinance or restructure these upcoming 2010 debt obligations, we may not be able to continue our operations, may be unable to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection and/or may have an involuntary bankruptcy case filed against us.

We may need to sell certain assets to raise additional capital in connection with refinancing and restructuring our 2010 obligations.

We may need to sell certain assets including dealerships and subsidiaries in order to satisfy our 2010 debt obligations. We may determine to sell profitable dealerships that we may otherwise want to retain. There are no assurances that we will be able to sell such assets on favorable terms, if at all. In addition, in the most recent amendment to the 2006 Credit Facility, we agreed that net proceeds from certain assets sales would be used to repay loans made under the 2006 Credit Facility. Also, certain of such proceeds will be used to repay our 6.00% Convertible Notes. The sale of profitable assets will reduce our profitability in future periods.

An acceleration of our obligation to repay all or a substantial portion of our outstanding indebtedness or lease obligations would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Our 2006 Credit Facility, the indentures governing our 8.625% Notes and 6.00% Convertible Notes and many of our facility operating leases contain numerous financial and operating covenants. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under the applicable agreement or indenture. If a default were to occur, we may be unable to adequately finance our operations and the value of our common stock would be materially adversely affected because of acceleration and cross default. In addition, a default under one agreement or indenture could result in a default and acceleration of our repayment obligations under the other agreements or indentures, including the indentures governing our outstanding 6.00% Convertible Notes, 4.25% Convertible Notes and the 8.625% Notes, under the cross default provisions in those agreements or indentures. If a cross default were to occur, we may not be able to pay our debts or borrow sufficient funds to refinance them. Even if new financing were available, it may not be on terms acceptable to us. As a result of this risk, we could be forced to take actions that we otherwise would not take, or not take actions that we otherwise might take, in order to comply with the covenants in these agreements and indentures.

Our ability to make interest and principal payments when due to holders of our debt securities depends upon our future performance.

Our ability to meet our debt obligations and other expenses will depend on our future performance, which will be affected by financial, business, domestic and foreign economic conditions, the regulatory environment and other factors, many of which we are unable to control. If our cash flow is not sufficient to service our debt as it becomes due, we may be

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required to refinance the debt, sell assets or sell shares of our stock on terms that we do not find attractive, if it can be done at all. Further, our failure to comply with the financial and other restrictive covenants relating to the 2006 Credit Facility and the indentures pertaining to our outstanding notes could result in a default under these agreements that would prevent us from borrowing under the 2006 Revolving Credit Sub-Facility, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to make interest and principal payments when due to holders of our debt securities depends upon the receipt of sufficient funds from our subsidiaries.

Substantially all of our consolidated assets are held by our subsidiaries and substantially all of our consolidated cash flow and net income are generated by our subsidiaries. Accordingly, our cash flow and ability to service debt depends to a substantial degree on the results of operations of our subsidiaries and upon the ability of our subsidiaries to provide us with cash. We may receive cash from our subsidiaries in the form of dividends, loans or otherwise. We may use this cash to service our debt obligations or for working capital. Our subsidiaries are separate and distinct legal entities and have no obligation, contingent or otherwise, to distribute cash to us or to make funds available to service debt. In addition, the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make loans to us are subject to contractual limitations under the floor plan facilities, minimum net capital and other requirements under manufacturer franchise agreements and laws of the state in which a subsidiary is organized and depend to a significant degree on the results of operations of our subsidiaries and other business considerations. In addition, if we sell a dealership subsidiary, our cash flows will decline and consequently, the sale of a significant portion of our dealership subsidiaries could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows.

We may require additional capital in the future, which may not be available on favorable terms, if at all. Such issuances may dilute the value of our Class A common stock and adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

We may require additional capital in 2009 and/or 2010 to, among other things, (i) address the debt obligations discussed above which may become due in 2010; (ii) expand our business and increase revenues; (iii) add liquidity in response to continued negative economic conditions; and (iv) meet unexpected liquidity needs caused by industry volatility and/or uncertainty. To the extent that our existing capital and borrowing capabilities are insufficient to meet these requirements and cover any losses, we will need to raise additional funds through debt or equity financings, including offerings of our Class A common stock, securities convertible into our Class A common stock or rights to acquire our Class A common stock or curtail our growth and reduce our assets or restructure arrangements with existing security holders. Any equity or debt financing, or additional borrowings, if available at all, may be on terms that are not favorable to us. Equity financings like this offering or the concurrent Class A common stock offering could result in dilution to our stockholders, and the securities issued in future financings may have rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to those of our Class A common stock. If our need for capital arises because of significant losses, the occurrence of these losses may make it more difficult for us to raise the necessary capital. If we cannot raise funds on acceptable terms if and when needed, we may not be able to take advantage of future opportunities, grow our business or respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated requirements. We may need to issue significant amounts of equity to the holders of our debt obligations, which may become due in 2010, in connection with any debt refinancing and restructuring.

If we raise funds through an equity offering and the market price of our Class A common stock is low at that time, we would need to issue a large amount of Class A common stock to raise a significant amount of cash, will decrease the ownership percentage of then current stockholders and may result in a decrease in the market price of our Class A common stock. Any large issuance may also result in a change in control of the Company which could result in a default under our debt instruments or make such debt instruments effectively due and payable.

If we are unable to consummate this offering or the concurrent Class A common stock offering, we may have to seek alternative sources of financing on terms that may not be favorable to us, which could adversely affect our liquidity position.

We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering, together with the net proceeds of the concurrent Class A common stock offering, to repay outstanding indebtedness, including all or a portion of the $160 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of our 4.25% Convertible Notes that mature on November 30, 2015, and the $85.6 million principal amount outstanding of our 6.00% Convertible Notes that mature on May 15, 2012. This offering and the concurrent Class A common

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stock offering are not contingent on each other, and there can be no assurance made that either of such transactions will be completed. If we are unable to complete this offering or the concurrent Class A common stock offering, we may not be able to repay our indebtedness as contemplated, if the aggregate net proceeds from such transactions do not sufficiently reduce the aggregate principal amount of our 4.25% Convertible Notes and 6.00% Convertible Notes or we are otherwise unable to apply the net proceeds as we intend, we will be required to use the proceeds of this offering or the concurrent Class A common stock offering to repay borrowings under our 2006 Credit Facility. We may have to use cash on hand for our future financial needs, including payments to be made at the maturity of the 4.25% Convertible Notes and 6.00% Convertible Notes or on conversion of the notes, or seek alternative sources of financing on terms that may not be favorable to us, any of which may adversely affect our ability to invest in existing and new projects, fund our ongoing business activities, retire or service our outstanding debt or pay dividends. The alternative sources of financing may not be available to us.

We depend on the performance of sublessees to offset costs related to certain of our lease agreements.

In most cases when we sell a dealership franchise, the buyer of the franchise will sublease the dealership property from us, but we are not released from the underlying lease obligation to the primary landlord. We rely on the sublease income from the buyer to offset the expense incurred related to our obligation to pay the primary landlord. We also rely on the buyer to maintain the property in accordance with the terms of the sublease (which in most cases mirror the terms of the lease we have with the primary landlord). Although we assess the financial condition of a buyer at the time we sell the franchise, and seek to obtain guarantees of the buyer’s sublease obligation from the stockholders or affiliates of the buyer, the financial condition of the buyer and/or the sublease guarantors may deteriorate over time. In the event the buyer does not perform under the terms of the sublease agreement (due to the buyer’s financial condition or other factors), we may not be able to recover amounts owed to us under the terms of the sublease agreement or the related guarantees. Our operating results, financial condition and cash flows may be materially adversely affected if sublessees do not perform their obligations under the terms of the sublease agreements.

Our use of hedging transactions could limit our gains and result in financial losses.

To reduce our exposure to fluctuations in cash flow due to interest rate fluctuations, we have entered into, and in the future expect to enter into, derivative instruments (or hedging agreements). No hedging activity can completely insulate us from the risks associated with changes in interest rates. As of June 30, 2009 Sonic had interest rate swap agreements to effectively convert a portion of its LIBOR-based variable rate debt to a fixed rate. See “Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities” under Note 1 to our consolidated financial statements included in our Current Report on Form 8-K furnished to the SEC on August 21, 2009. During the first half of 2009, we settled our $100 million notional, pay 5.002% and $100 million notional, pay 5.319% swaps with a payment to the counterparty of $16.5 million. We generally intend to hedge as much of the interest rate risk as management determines is in our best interests given the cost of such hedging transactions.

Our hedging transactions expose us to certain risks and financial losses, including, among other things:

A failure on our part to effectively hedge against interest rate changes may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

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Risks Related to the Notes

Despite our current indebtedness levels, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantially more debt and take other actions that could diminish our ability to make payments on the notes when due. This could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness.

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future, subject to the restrictions contained in our debt instruments existing at the time such indebtedness is incurred. We will not be restricted under the terms of the indenture governing the notes from incurring additional debt, securing existing or future debt, recapitalizing our debt or taking a number of other actions that are not limited by the terms of the indenture governing the notes, any of which could have the effect of diminishing our ability to make payments on the notes when due. The terms of the instruments governing our subsidiaries’ indebtedness may also permit such actions.

The notes are effectively subordinated to our secured liabilities and structurally subordinated to all existing and future liabilities of our subsidiaries.

The notes are unsecured senior obligations of Sonic and not of our subsidiaries and will rank equal in right of payment to Sonic’s other existing and future unsecured senior debt. The notes are not secured by any of our assets. Any future claims of secured creditors with respect to assets securing their debt instruments will be prior to any claim of the holders of the notes with respect to those assets.

Since virtually all of our operations are conducted through subsidiaries, a significant portion of our cash flow and, consequently, our ability to service debt, including the notes, is dependent upon the earnings of our subsidiaries and the transfer of funds by those subsidiaries to us in the form of dividends, payments of interest on intercompany indebtedness, or other transfers.

Creditors of our subsidiaries would be entitled to a claim on the assets of our subsidiaries prior to any claims by us. Consequently, in the event of a liquidation or reorganization of any subsidiary, creditors of that subsidiary are likely to be paid in full before any distribution is made to us, except to the extent that we ourselves are recognized as a creditor of such subsidiary. Any of our claims as the creditor of our subsidiary would be subordinate to any security interest in the assets of such subsidiary and any indebtedness of our subsidiary senior to that held by us.

As of June 30, 2009, we and our subsidiaries had approximately $738.2 million aggregate principal amount of consolidated debt, excluding notes payable—floorplan. Assuming we had completed this offering and the concurrent Class A common stock offering and applied the net proceeds to repurchase all of our 4.25% Convertible Notes and a portion of our 6.00% Convertible Notes as contemplated in this prospectus supplement under “Use of Proceeds,” as of June 30, 2009, the notes would have been effectively or structurally subordinated to approximately $507.0 million aggregate principal amount of debt (excluding notes payable—floorplan).

If we are unable to repurchase any of our 4.25% Convertible Notes with net proceeds from this offering or the concurrent Class A common stock offering, as of June 30, 2009, the notes would have been effectively or structurally subordinated to approximately $572.6 million aggregate principal amount of debt (excluding notes payable—floorplan) and senior in right of payment to approximately $160.0 million of debt.

A significant portion of our outstanding indebtedness and the indebtedness of our subsidiaries is secured by substantially all of our and our subsidiaries’ consolidated assets. As a result of these security interests, such assets would be available to satisfy claims of our creditors, including holders of the notes, if we were to become insolvent only to the extent the value of such assets exceeded the amount of our secured and our subsidiaries’ indebtedness and other obligations. In addition, the existence of these security interests may adversely affect our financial flexibility.

Indebtedness under our 2006 Credit Facility (as defined below) and our 6.00% Convertible Notes are secured by a lien on substantially all of our and our subsidiaries’ assets, including pledges of all or a portion of the capital stock of certain of our subsidiaries. The notes are unsecured and therefore do not have the benefit of such collateral. Accordingly, if an event of default were to occur under our 2006 Credit Facility or 6.00% Convertible Notes, the senior secured creditors under such

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facilities would have a prior right to our and our subsidiaries’ assets, to the exclusion of our unsecured creditors, including the holders of the notes. In that event, our and our subsidiaries’ assets would first be used to repay in full all indebtedness and other obligations secured by them, resulting in all or a portion of our and our subsidiaries’ assets being unavailable to satisfy the claims of our unsecured indebtedness. The creditors under these secured facilities would have a prior claim on such assets in the event of our bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation or reorganization, and we might not have sufficient funds to pay all of our creditors and holders of our unsecured indebtedness might receive less, ratably, than the holders of our senior secured debt and all of our subsidiaries’ debt, and might not be fully paid, or might not be paid at all, even when the holders of our senior secured debt and all of our subsidiaries’ debt receive full payment for their claims. In that event, holders of our unsecured indebtedness and holders of our equity securities would not be entitled to receive any of our assets or the proceeds therefrom. The pledge of these assets and other restrictions may limit our flexibility in raising capital for other purposes. Because substantially all of our assets are pledged under our 2006 Credit Facility and 6.00% Convertible Notes, our ability to incur additional secured indebtedness or to sell or dispose of assets to raise capital may be impaired, which could have an adverse effect on our financial flexibility.

We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of the notes or to purchase the notes upon a fundamental change, and our future debt may contain limitations on our ability to pay cash upon conversion or repurchase of the notes.

Holders of the notes will have the right to require us to repurchase the notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change at 100% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, including additional interest, if any as described under “Description of Notes—Repurchase at the Option of the Holder upon a Fundamental Change” in this prospectus supplement. In addition, upon conversion of any notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation solely by delivering shares of our common stock, we will be required to make cash payments to satisfy all or a portion of our conversion obligation based on the applicable conversion rate, as described under “Description of Notes—Conversion Procedures—Settlement upon Conversion” in this prospectus supplement.

However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases of notes or effect settlement of converted notes. In addition, our ability to repurchase the notes or to pay cash upon conversions of the notes may be limited by law or by agreements governing our then outstanding indebtedness. Our failure to repurchase notes at a time when the repurchase is required by the indenture or to pay any cash payable upon future conversions of the notes as required by the indenture would constitute an event of default under the indenture. An event of default under the indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our existing or future indebtedness. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof.

Some significant restructuring transactions may not constitute a fundamental change, in which case we would not be obligated to offer to repurchase the notes.

Upon the occurrence of a fundamental change, you have the right to require us to repurchase your notes. However, the fundamental change provisions will not afford protection to holders of notes in the event of certain other transactions that could adversely affect the notes. For example, transactions such as leveraged recapitalizations, refinancings, restructurings, or acquisitions initiated by us may not constitute a fundamental change requiring us to repurchase the notes. In the event of any such transaction, the holders would not have the right to require us to repurchase the notes, even though each of these transactions could increase the amount of our indebtedness, or otherwise adversely affect our capital structure or any credit ratings, thereby adversely affecting the holders of notes.

Holders of notes will not be entitled to any rights with respect to our Class A common stock, but will be subject to all changes made with respect to them to the extent our conversion obligation includes shares of our Class A common stock.

Holders of notes will not be entitled to any rights with respect to our Class A common stock (including, without limitation, voting rights and rights to receive any dividends or other distributions on our Class A common stock), but to the extent we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation with shares of our Class A common stock, holders of notes will be subject to all changes affecting our Class A common stock. Holders of notes will have rights with respect to our Class A

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common stock only if they convert their notes which they are permitted to do so only in the limited circumstances described in this prospectus supplement. For example, if an amendment is proposed to our certificate of incorporation or bylaws requiring stockholder approval and the record date for determining the stockholders of record entitled to vote on the amendment occurs prior to a holder’s conversion of its notes, such holder will not be entitled to vote on the amendment, although such holder will nevertheless be subject to any changes affecting our Class A common stock included in that amendment.

The conditional conversion feature of the notes could result in your receiving less than the value of our Class A common stock underlying into which the notes would otherwise be convertible.

Prior to July 1, 2029, you may convert your notes only if specified conditions are met. If the specific conditions for conversion are not met, you will not be able to convert your notes, and you may not be able to receive the value of our Class A common stock into which the notes would otherwise be convertible.

Upon conversion of the notes, you may receive less valuable consideration than expected because the value of our Class A common stock may decline (or not appreciate as much as you expect) after you exercise your conversion right.

Under the notes, a converting holder will be exposed to fluctuations in the value of our Class A common stock during the period from the date such holder surrenders notes for conversion until the date we settle our conversion obligation.

Upon conversion of the notes, we have the option to deliver shares of our Class A common stock, cash or a combination of cash and shares of our Class A common stock. If we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation in cash or a combination of cash and shares of our Class A common stock, the amount of consideration that you will receive upon conversion of your notes is in part determined by reference to the volume weighted average prices of our Class A common stock for each trading day in a 30 trading-day settlement period. Accordingly, if the price of our Class A common stock decreases during this period (or does not appreciate as much as expected), the amount and/or value of consideration you receive will be adversely affected. In addition, if the market price of our Class A common stock at the end of such period is below the average of the volume weighted average price of our Class A common stock during such periods, the value of any shares of our Class A common stock that you receive in satisfaction of our conversion obligation will be less than the value used to determine the number of shares that you will receive.

If we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation solely in shares of our Class A common stock upon conversion of the notes, we will be required to deliver the shares of our Class A common stock on the third trading day following the relevant conversion date. Accordingly, if the price of our Class A common stock decreases during this period, the value of the shares you receive will be adversely affected and would be less than the conversion value of the notes on the conversion date.

The notes are not protected by restrictive covenants.

The indenture governing the notes does not contain any financial or operating covenants or restrictions on the payments of dividends, the incurrence of indebtedness or the issuance or repurchase of securities by us or any of our subsidiaries. The indenture contains no covenants or other provisions to afford protection to holders of the notes in the event of a fundamental change involving us except to the extent described under “Description of Notes—Repurchase at the Option of the Holder upon a Fundamental Change,” “Description of Notes—Conversion Rate Adjustments—Adjustment to Conversion Rate upon Conversion upon Make-Whole Fundamental Changes” and “Description of Notes—Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” in this prospectus supplement.

The adjustment to the conversion rate for notes converted in connection with a make-whole fundamental change may not adequately compensate you for any lost value of your notes as a result of such transaction.

If a make-whole fundamental change occurs prior to maturity, under certain circumstances, we will increase the conversion rate by a number of additional shares of our Class A common stock for notes converted in connection with such make-whole fundamental change. The increase in the conversion rate will be determined based on the date on which the specified corporate transaction occurs or becomes effective and the price paid per share of our Class A common stock in such transaction, as described below under “Description of Notes—Conversion Rate Adjustments—Adjustment to Conversion

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Rate upon Conversion upon Make-Whole Fundamental Changes” in this prospectus supplement. The adjustment to the conversion rate for notes converted in connection with a make-whole fundamental change may not adequately compensate you for any lost value of your notes as a result of such transaction. In addition, if the price of our Class A common stock in the transaction is greater than $70.00 per share or less than $10.10 (in each case, subject to adjustment), no adjustment will be made to the conversion rate. Moreover, in no event will the total number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion as a result of this adjustment exceed 99.0099 per $1,000 in principal amount of notes, subject to adjustments in the same manner as the conversion rate as set forth under “Description of Notes—Conversion Rate Adjustments” in this prospectus supplement. Our obligation to increase the conversion rate upon the occurrence of a make-whole fundamental change could be considered a penalty, in which case the enforceability thereof would be subject to general principles of reasonableness of economic remedies.

The conversion rate of the notes may not be adjusted for all dilutive events.

The conversion rate of the notes is subject to adjustment for certain specified events, including, but not limited to, the issuance of stock dividends on our Class A common stock, the issuance of certain rights or warrants, subdivisions, combinations, distributions of capital stock, indebtedness, or assets, cash dividends and certain issuer tender or exchange offers as described under “Description of Notes—Conversion Rate Adjustments” in this prospectus supplement. However, the conversion rate will not be adjusted for other events, such as a third-party tender or exchange offer or an issuance of Class A common stock for cash, that may adversely affect the trading price of the notes or our Class A common stock. An event that adversely affects the value of the notes may occur, and that event may not result in an adjustment to the conversion rate.

There is currently no market for the notes. We cannot assure you that an active trading market will develop for the notes.

The new notes are a new issue of securities. There is no established trading market for the notes. We do not intend to apply for listing of the notes on any securities exchange or market quotation system. The liquidity of, and trading market for, the notes also may be adversely affected by general declines in the market or by declines in the market for similar securities or a decline in our share price. Such declines may adversely affect such liquidity and trading markets independent of our financial performance and prospects.

You may be subject to tax if we make or fail to make certain adjustments to the conversion rate of the notes even though you do not receive a corresponding cash distribution.

The conversion rate of the notes is subject to adjustment in certain circumstances, including the payment of certain cash dividends. If the conversion rate is adjusted as a result of a distribution that is taxable to our common stockholders, such as a cash dividend, you may be deemed to have received a dividend subject to U.S. federal income tax even though you did not receive any cash or other property in connection with the adjustment and even though you may not exercise your conversion right. In addition, a failure to adjust (or to adjust adequately) the conversion rate after an event that increases your proportionate interest in us could be treated as a deemed taxable dividend to you. If a make-whole fundamental change occurs on or prior to the maturity date of the notes, under some circumstances, we will increase the conversion rate for notes converted in connection with the make-whole fundamental change. Such increase may also be treated as a distribution subject to U.S. federal income tax as a dividend. See “Certain United States Federal Tax Considerations” in this prospectus supplement. If you are a Non-U.S. holder (as defined in “Certain United States Federal Tax Considerations” in this prospectus supplement), any constructive distribution on a note that is treated as a taxable dividend would be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a 30% rate, or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable treaty, which may be set off against subsequent payments to you. See “Certain United States Federal Tax Considerations” in this prospectus supplement.

You may be subject to tax with respect to your receipt of shares of Class A common stock upon a conversion of a note into a combination of shares of Class A common stock and cash.

We may satisfy the conversion obligation for a combination of cash and shares of Class A common stock. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of the conversion of your note into cash and shares of Class A common stock is not entirely clear. The U.S. federal income tax treatment will depend upon whether the notes are treated as “securities” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. It is unclear whether the notes qualify as “securities,” and if they do not qualify as “securities,” the conversion of your note might be viewed as a fully taxable exchange of your note for a combination of cash and shares of Class A common stock. See “Certain United States Federal Tax Considerations” in this prospectus supplement.

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The accounting for convertible debt securities is subject to uncertainty.

The accounting for convertible debt securities is subject to frequent scrutiny by the accounting authorities and is subject to change. We cannot predict whether or when any such change could be made and any such change could have a material adverse effect on our reported or future financial results. Any such effects could adversely affect the trading prices of our Class A common stock and the notes.

For example, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) in 2008 posted FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) No. APB 14-1 “Accounting for Convertible Debt Instruments That May Be Settled in Cash upon Conversion (Including Partial Cash Settlements)” (previously FSP APB 14-a), which changes the accounting treatment for net share settled convertible securities. Under this position, cash settled convertible securities are separated into their debt and equity components. The value assigned to the debt component is the estimated fair value, as of the issuance date, of a similar debt instrument without the conversion feature, and the difference between the proceeds for the convertible debt and the amount reflected as a debt liability is recorded as additional paid-in capital. As a result, the debt is recorded at a discount reflecting its below market coupon interest rate. The debt is subsequently accreted to its par value over its expected life, with the rate of interest that reflects the market rate at issuance being reflected on the income statement.

The notes are not rated. Any adverse rating of the notes or a downgrade of our credit ratings generally may cause their trading price to fall.

We do not intend to seek a rating on the notes. However, if one or more rating agencies rates the notes and assigns the notes a rating lower than the rating expected by investors, reduces their rating in the future, or announces their intention to put the notes on credit watch, the market price of the notes and our Class A common stock could be harmed. Future downgrades of our credit ratings in general could cause also the trading price of the notes and our Class A common stock to decrease.

Upon conversion of the notes, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our Class A common stock in respect of our conversion obligation, we will pay cash in respect of a specified portion of our conversion obligation.

Unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our Class A common stock in respect of our conversion obligation, we will satisfy our conversion obligation to holders by paying cash in respect of a specified portion of our conversion obligation. Accordingly, upon conversion of a note, you may not receive any shares of our Class A common stock, or you may receive fewer shares of Class A common stock relative to the conversion value of the note. Upon conversion of the notes, you may receive less proceeds than expected because the value of our Class A common stock may decline (or not appreciate as much as you may expect) between the day that you exercise your conversion right and the day the conversion value of your notes is finally determined. See “Description of Notes—Conversion Procedures—Payment upon Conversion” in this prospectus supplement.

The conditional conversion features of the notes, if triggered, may adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.

In the event the conditional conversion features of the notes are triggered, holders of notes will be entitled to convert the notes at any time during specified periods at their option. See “Description of Notes—Conversion Rights” in this prospectus supplement. If one or more holders elect to convert their notes, unless we elect to satisfy our conversion obligation solely by delivering shares of our Class A common stock, we would be required to make cash payments to satisfy all or a portion of our conversion obligation based on the applicable conversion rate, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity. In addition, even if holders do not elect to convert their notes, we could be required under applicable accounting rules to reclassify all or a portion of the outstanding principal of the notes as a current rather than long-term liability, which would result in a material reduction of our net working capital.

Recent developments in the convertible debt markets may adversely affect the market value of the notes.

The convertible debt markets have experienced unprecedented disruptions resulting from, among other things, the recent instability in the credit and capital markets and the emergency orders issued by the SEC on September 17 and 18, 2008 (and extended on October 1, 2008). These orders were issued as a stop-gap measure while the U.S. Congress worked to

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provide a comprehensive legislative plan to stabilize the credit and capital markets. Among other things, these orders temporarily imposed a prohibition on effecting short sales of the common stock of certain financial companies. As a result, the SEC orders made the convertible arbitrage strategy that many convertible notes investors employ difficult to execute for outstanding convertible notes of those companies whose common stock was subject to the short sale prohibition. The SEC orders expired on October 8, 2008. However, the SEC recently published proposed amendments to Regulation SHO, including consideration by the SEC to reinstate the “up-tick rule,” that would impose new restrictions on short sales. If certain of these proposed short sale restrictions are adopted in a way that would impose limitations on short sales of common stock of issuers such as Sonic (or if any other future governmental action occurs that has the same effect), the market value of the notes could be significantly affected.

Future sales of our Class A common stock or securities convertible into Class A common stock in the public market could lower the market price of our Class A common stock and adversely impact the trading price of the notes.

Concurrent with this offering, pursuant to a separate prospectus supplement, we are offering 9,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock in an underwritten public offering (or 10,350,000 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares with respect to that offering in full). In the future, we may sell additional shares of our Class A common stock or securities convertible into Class A common stock to raise capital. In addition, a substantial number of shares of our Class A common stock is reserved for issuance upon the exercise of stock options, the vesting of restricted stock units and is issuable upon conversion of the notes and our other outstanding convertible notes or other obligations. We cannot predict the size of future issuances or the effect, if any, that they may have on the market price of our Class A common stock. The issuance and sale of substantial amounts of Class A common stock or securities convertible into Class A common stock, or the perception that such issuances and sales may occur, could adversely affect the trading price of the notes and the market price of our Class A common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.

Volatility in the market price and trading volume of our Class A common stock could adversely impact the trading price of the notes.

The stock market in recent years has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies like us. These broad market factors may materially reduce the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our operating performance. The market price of our common stock, which has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations in recent months, could continue to fluctuate significantly for many reasons, including in response to the risks described in this section of, elsewhere in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus or for reasons unrelated to our operations, such as reports by industry analysts, investor perceptions or negative announcements by our competitors or suppliers regarding their own performance, as well as industry conditions and general financial, economic and political instability. A decrease in the market price of our Class A common stock would likely adversely impact the trading price of the notes. The price of our Class A common stock could also be affected by possible sales of our Class A common stock by investors who view the notes as a more attractive means of equity participation in us and by hedging or arbitrage trading activity that may develop involving our Class A common stock. This trading activity could, in turn, affect the trading prices of the notes.

Provisions in the indenture for the notes may deter or prevent a business combination that may be favorable to you.

If a fundamental change occurs prior to the maturity date of the notes, holders of the notes will have the right, at their option, to require us to repurchase all or a portion of their notes. In addition, if a make-whole fundamental change occurs prior to the maturity date of the notes, we will in some cases increase the conversion rate for a holder that elects to convert its notes in connection with such fundamental change. In addition, the indenture for the notes prohibits us from engaging in certain mergers or acquisitions unless, among other things, the surviving entity assumes our obligations under the notes. These and other provisions could prevent or deter a third party from acquiring us even where the acquisition could be beneficial to you.

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Risks Related to Our Relationships with Vehicle Manufacturers

Our operations may be adversely affected if one or more of our manufacturer franchise agreements is terminated or not renewed.

In the second quarter of 2009, six of our General Motors dealerships, representing twelve franchises, including three Hummer franchises at multi-franchise dealerships, two Saab franchises at multi-franchise dealerships and one additional General Motors franchise at a multi-franchise dealership, received letters stating that the franchise agreements between General Motors and us will not be continued by General Motors on a long-term basis. The termination of these franchises will occur no earlier than January 1, 2010 and no later than October 31, 2010. For our remaining General Motors franchises, we executed “continuation agreements” which require, among other things, that existing franchise agreements will expire no later than October 31, 2010. Although we expect our franchises which executed “continuation agreements” to be renewed on or before October 31, 2010, we can give no assurances our franchises will be renewed by General Motors. As the operations at the affected franchises that will not be renewed wind down, we may be required to accelerate depreciation expenses and record impairment charges related to, but not limited to, lease obligations, fixed assets, franchise assets, accounts receivable and inventory.

In addition, in conjunction with Chrysler’s reorganization efforts in the second quarter of 2009, three franchise agreements associated with one of our dealership locations were terminated. Although the effect of these Chrysler terminations did not have a material impact on our operations, financial position or cash flows, we cannot guarantee future actions by Chrysler will not so adversely affect us.

Each of our dealerships operates under a franchise agreement with the applicable automobile manufacturer or distributor. Without a franchise agreement, we cannot obtain new vehicles from a manufacturer and may not be able to service vehicles under warranty. As a result, we are significantly dependent on our relationships with these manufacturers.

Manufacturers exercise a great degree of control over the operations of our dealerships through the franchise agreements. The franchise agreements govern, among other things, our ability to purchase vehicles from the manufacturer and to sell vehicles to customers. Each of our franchise agreements provides for termination or non-renewal for a variety of causes, including certain changes in the financial condition of the dealerships and any unapproved change of ownership or management. Manufacturers may also have a right of first refusal if we seek to sell dealerships.

Actions taken by manufacturers to exploit their superior bargaining position in negotiating the terms of franchise agreements or renewals of these agreements or otherwise could also have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows. We cannot guarantee you that any of our existing franchise agreements will be renewed or that the terms and conditions of such renewals will be favorable to us.

Our sales volume and profit margin on each sale may be materially adversely affected if manufacturers discontinue or change their incentive programs.

Our dealerships depend on the manufacturers for certain sales incentives, warranties and other programs that are intended to promote and support dealership new vehicle sales. Manufacturers routinely modify their incentive programs in response to changing market conditions. Some of the key incentive programs include:

Manufacturers frequently offer incentives to potential customers. A reduction or discontinuation of a manufacturer’s incentive programs, or a delay in the payment thereunder, may materially adversely impact vehicle demand and affect our profitability. For example, in the fourth quarter of 2008, General Motors delayed payments related to certain incentive programs. In the event this delay was longer or of greater scale, the effect on our overall liquidity could have been material.

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Our overall liquidity may be materially adversely affected by failures of or delays by manufactures in remitting payments to us.

We rely on our manufacturing partners to pay amounts owed to us under customary business terms. These amounts owed to us would relate to, but are not limited to, warranty work performed, factory holdback or other manufacturer incentives. In the event manufacturers significantly delay or fail to make payments of amounts owed, our overall liquidity position could be materially and adversely affected.

Our sales volume may be materially adversely affected if manufacturer captives change their customer financing programs or are unable to provide floor plan financing.

One of the primary finance sources used by consumers in connection with the purchase of a new or used vehicle is the manufacturer captive finance companies. These captive finance companies rely, to a certain extent, on the public debt markets to provide the capital necessary to support their financing programs. In addition, the captive finance companies will occasionally change their loan underwriting criteria to alter the risk profile of their loan portfolio. A limitation or reduction of available consumer financing for these or other reasons could affect a consumer’s ability to purchase a vehicle, and thus, could have a material adverse effect on our sales volume. For example, for a period of time in the fourth quarter of 2008, GMAC stated they would not make loans to customers with FICO credit scores below 700. If this continues or if consumer credit is further restricted, the adverse effect on our overall liquidity could be material.

Our parts and service sales volume and profitability are dependent on manufacturer warranty programs.

Franchised automotive retailers perform service work and sell replacement parts on vehicles covered by warranties issued by the automotive manufacturer. Dealerships which perform work covered by a manufacturer warranty are reimbursed at rates established by the manufacturer. For the six-month period ended June 30, 2009, approximately 18.7% of our parts and service revenue was for work covered by manufacturer warranties. To the extent a manufacturer reduces the labor rates or markup of replacement parts for such warranty work, our fixed operations sales volume and profitability could be adversely affected.

We depend on manufacturers to supply us with sufficient numbers of popular and profitable new models.

Manufacturers typically allocate their vehicles among dealerships based on the sales history of each dealership. Supplies of popular new vehicles may be limited by the applicable manufacturer’s production capabilities. Popular new vehicles that are in limited supply typically produce the highest profit margins. We depend on manufacturers to provide us with a desirable mix of popular new vehicles. Our operating results may be materially adversely affected if we do not obtain a sufficient supply of these vehicles.

Adverse conditions affecting one or more key manufacturers may negatively impact our profitability.

On June 1, 2009, General Motors Corp. and certain of its subsidiaries (“General Motors”) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As of June 30, 2009, we operated 33 General Motors franchises (under the Cadillac, Chevrolet, Hummer, Saab, Buick and Saturn nameplates) at 26 physical dealerships. Six of our General Motors dealerships, representing twelve franchises, including three Hummer franchises at multi-franchise dealerships, two Saab franchises at multi-franchise dealerships and one additional General Motors franchise at a multi-franchise dealership, received letters stating that the franchise agreements between General Motors and us will not be continued by General Motors on a long-term basis. Subject to bankruptcy approval, General Motors has offered assistance with winding down the operations of these franchises in exchange for our execution of termination agreements. We executed all of the termination agreements. Assistance expected to be received from General Motors totals $3.3 million, none of which was recorded as a receivable from General Motors as of June 30, 2009 due to the uncertainty of bankruptcy court approval and certain conditions required for the payments to occur had not yet been satisfied. The termination agreements provide for the following:

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For the remaining General Motors franchises we executed “continuation agreements” which require, among other things, that existing franchise agreements will expire no later than October 31, 2010. In consideration of the execution of the “continuation agreements” General Motors will recommend to the bankruptcy court the continuation or assumption of our existing franchise agreements, as amended by the “continuation agreements”. We cannot be assured that General Motors will renew our franchise agreements when they expire on October 31, 2010.

With the exception of product liability indemnifications, amounts owed to us through incentive programs, amounts currently owed to our franchises under their open accounts with General Motors and warranty claims occurring within 90 days prior to June 1, 2009, all amounts owed to us from General Motors were extinguished as a result of the execution of the termination and continuation agreements. A motion was made by General Motors to the bankruptcy court and the motion was granted by the bankruptcy court allowing General Motors to pay the claims noted above. As a result, we received payments related to all pre-bankruptcy claims.

As our operations at the affected franchises that will not be renewed wind down, we may be required to accelerate depreciation expenses and record impairment charges related to, but not limited to, lease obligations, fixed assets, franchise assets, accounts receivable and inventory. These charges could have a material adverse impact on our results, financial position and cash flows.

On June 2, 2009, General Motors announced that Chinese equipment manufacturer Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. (“STHIMC”) will buy its Hummer brand. As of June 30, 2009, we operated three Hummer franchises at three dealership locations. It is uncertain whether STHIMC will continue supporting the Hummer brand or whether STHIMC’s ownership of the Hummer brand will have a positive or negative impact on our Hummer franchises’ operations.

On June 5, 2009, General Motors announced that Penske Automotive Group (PAG), will buy its Saturn brand. As of June 5, 2009, we operated one Saturn franchise at one dealership location. It is uncertain whether PAG will continue supporting the Saturn brand or whether PAG’s ownership of the Saturn brand will have a positive or negative impact on our Saturn franchise’s operations.

On April 30, 2009, Chrysler LLC filed for bankruptcy protection and submitted a plan of reorganization. On June 10, 2009, Fiat SpA purchased a substantial portion of Chrysler’s assets which include rights related to our franchise agreements. As of June 30, 2009, we owned six Chrysler franchises at two dealership locations. It is uncertain whether Fiat will continue supporting the Chrysler brand or whether Fiat’s ownership of the Chrysler brand will have a positive or negative impact on our Chrysler franchises’ operations.

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At June 30, 2009 we had the following balances recorded related to domestic manufacturers:

The manner in which these manufactures maintain relations with their franchisees may change as a result of the bankruptcy filings and subsequent emergence from bankruptcy. We can give no assurances that future practices of these manufactures will be consistent with the way they have historically operated.

Manufacturer stock ownership restrictions may impair our ability to maintain or renew franchise agreements or issue additional equity.

Some of our franchise agreements prohibit transfers of any ownership interests of a dealership and, in some cases, its parent, without prior approval of the applicable manufacturer. A number of manufacturers impose restrictions on the transferability of our Class A common stock and our ability to maintain franchises if a person acquires a significant percentage of the voting power of our common stock. Our existing franchise agreements could be terminated if a person or entity acquires a substantial ownership interest in us or acquires voting power above certain levels without the applicable manufacturer’s approval. Violations of these levels by an investor are generally outside of our control and may result in the termination or non-renewal of existing franchise agreements or impair our ability to negotiate new franchise agreements for dealerships we acquire in the future. In addition, if we cannot obtain any requisite approvals on a timely basis, we may not be able to issue additional equity or otherwise raise capital on terms acceptable to us. These restrictions may also prevent or deter a prospective acquirer from acquiring control of us. This could adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock and also may limit our ability to restructure our debt obligations.

The current holders of our Class B common stock maintain voting control over us. However, we are unable to prevent our stockholders from transferring shares of our common stock, including transfers by holders of the Class B common stock. If such transfer results in a change in control, it could result in the termination or non-renewal of one or more of our existing franchise agreements, the triggering of provisions in our agreements with certain manufacturers requiring us to sell our dealerships franchised with such manufacturers and/or a default under our credit arrangements.

Our dealers depend upon vehicle sales and, therefore, their success depends in large part upon customer demand for the particular vehicles they carry.

The success of our dealerships depends in large part on the overall success of the vehicle lines they carry. New vehicle sales generate the majority of our total revenue and lead to sales of higher-margin products and services such as finance, insurance, vehicle protection products and other aftermarket products, and parts and service operations. Although we have sought to limit our dependence on any one vehicle brand and our parts and service operations and used vehicle sales may serve to offset some of this risk, we have focused our new vehicle sales operations in mid-line import and luxury brands.

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Our failure to meet a manufacturer’s customer satisfaction, financial and sales performance and facility requirements may adversely affect our ability to acquire new dealerships and our profitability.

Many manufacturers attempt to measure customers’ satisfaction with their sales and warranty service experiences through manufacturer-determined customer satisfaction index (“CSI”) scores. The components of CSI vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and are modified periodically. Franchise agreements also may impose financial and sales performance standards. Under our agreements with certain manufacturers, a dealership’s CSI scores, sales and financial performance may be considered a factor in evaluating applications for additional dealership acquisitions. From time to time, some of our dealerships have had difficulty meeting various manufacturers’ CSI requirements or performance standards. We cannot assure you that our dealerships will be able to comply with these requirements in the future. A manufacturer may refuse to consent to an acquisition of one of its franchises if it determines our dealerships do not comply with its CSI requirements or performance standards, which could impair the execution of our acquisition strategy. In addition, we receive incentive payments from the manufacturers based, in part, on CSI scores, which could be materially adversely affected if our CSI scores decline.

In addition, a manufacturer may condition its allotment of vehicles, participation in bonus programs, or acquisition of additional franchises upon our compliance with its facility standards. This may put us in a competitive disadvantage with other competing dealerships and may ultimately result in our decision to sell a franchise when we believe it may be difficult to recover the cost of the required investment to reach the manufacturer’s facility standards.

If state dealer laws are repealed or weakened, our dealerships will be more susceptible to termination, non-renewal or renegotiation of their franchise agreements.

State dealer laws generally provide that a manufacturer may not terminate or refuse to renew a franchise agreement unless it has first provided the dealer with written notice setting forth good cause and stating the grounds for termination or nonrenewal. Some state dealer laws allow dealers to file protests or petitions or attempt to comply with the manufacturer’s criteria within the notice period to avoid the termination or nonrenewal. Though unsuccessful to date, manufacturers’ lobbying efforts may lead to the repeal or revision of state dealer laws. If dealer laws are repealed in the states in which we operate, manufacturers may be able to terminate our franchises without providing advance notice, an opportunity to cure or a showing of good cause. Without the protection of state dealer laws, it may also be more difficult for our dealers to renew their franchise agreements upon expiration.

In addition, these laws restrict the ability of automobile manufacturers to directly enter the retail market in the future. However, the ability of a manufacturer to grant additional franchises is based on several factors which are not within our control. If manufacturers grant new franchises in areas near or within our existing markets, this could significantly impact our revenues and/or profitability. Further, if manufacturers obtain the ability to directly retail vehicles and do so in our markets, such competition could have a material adverse effect on us.

Risks Related to Our Ability to Implement any Acquisition Strategy

Pursuant to the terms of the 2006 Credit Facility, our ability to make acquisitions is restricted.

Pursuant to the 2006 Credit Facility, we are prohibited from making acquisitions. This restriction will continue until we either further amend or refinance the 2006 Credit Facility. We may be forced to sell dealerships in connection with such an amendment or restructuring. Without the ability to make acquisitions, our growth strategy will be limited. In addition, due to these restrictions, we may forfeit the opportunity to acquire profitable dealerships at attractive valuations and may forfeit the opportunity for additional franchise awards from manufacturers.

We may not be able to capitalize on acquisition opportunities because our ability to obtain capital to fund these acquisitions is limited.

We intend to finance any acquisitions we may be able to enter into in the future with cash generated from operations, through issuances of our stock or debt securities and through borrowings under credit arrangements. We may not be able to obtain additional financing by issuing stock or debt securities due to the market price of our Class A common stock, overall

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market conditions or the need for manufacturer consent to the issuance of equity securities. Using cash to complete acquisitions could substantially limit our operating or financial flexibility.

In addition, we are dependent to a significant extent on our ability to finance our new vehicle inventory with “floor plan financing.” Floor plan financing arrangements allow us to borrow money to buy a particular vehicle from the manufacturer and pay off the loan when we sell that particular vehicle. We must obtain new floor plan financing or obtain consents to assume existing floor plan financing in connection with our acquisition of dealerships.

Substantially all the assets of our dealerships are pledged to secure the indebtedness under the 2006 Credit Facility and our separate floor plan indebtedness with lenders, including the captive finance subsidiaries of BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Mercedes. In addition, in connection with the issuance of the 6.00% Convertible Notes, a second lien was granted on those assets pledged under the 2006 Credit Facility in favor of the 6.00% Convertible Notes holders. These pledges may impede our ability to borrow from other sources. Moreover, because the identified manufacturer captive finance subsidiaries are either owned or affiliated with BMW, Mercedes, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Toyota, respectively, any deterioration of our relationship with the particular captive finance subsidiary could adversely affect our relationship with the affiliated manufacturer, and vice-versa.

Manufacturers’ restrictions on acquisitions could limit our future growth.

Although we have currently suspended our plans to grow our business through acquisitions, we intend to grow through acquisitions in the future. We are required to obtain the approval of the applicable manufacturer before we can acquire an additional dealership franchise of that manufacturer. In determining whether to approve an acquisition, manufacturers may consider many factors such as our financial condition and CSI scores. Obtaining manufacturer approval of acquisitions also takes a significant amount of time, typically three to five months. We cannot assure you that manufacturers will approve future acquisitions or do so on a timely basis, which could impair the execution of our acquisition strategy.

Certain manufacturers also limit the number of its dealerships that we may own, our national market share of that manufacturer’s products or the number of dealerships we may own in a particular geographic area. In addition, under an applicable franchise agreement or under state law, a manufacturer may have a right of first refusal to acquire a dealership that we seek to acquire.

A manufacturer may condition approval of an acquisition on the implementation of material changes in our operations or extraordinary corporate transactions, facilities improvements or other capital expenditures. If we are unable or unwilling to comply with these conditions, we may be required to sell the assets of that manufacturer’s dealerships or terminate our franchise agreement.

Failure to effectively integrate acquired dealerships with our existing operations could adversely affect our future operating results.

Our future operating results depend on our ability to integrate the operations of recently acquired dealerships, as well as dealerships we acquire in the future, with our existing operations. In particular, we need to integrate our management information systems, procedures and organizational structures, which can be difficult. Our growth strategy has focused on the pursuit of strategic acquisitions that either expand or complement our business.

We cannot assure you that we will effectively and profitably integrate the operations of these dealerships without substantial costs, delays or operational or financial problems, due to:

These factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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We may not adequately anticipate all of the demands that growth through acquisitions will impose.

In pursuing any future strategy of acquiring other dealerships, we will face risks commonly encountered with growth through acquisitions. These risks include, but are not limited to:

We may not adequately anticipate all of the demands that growth will impose on our systems, procedures and structures.

We may not be able to reinstitute our acquisition strategy without the costs of future acquisitions escalating.

We have grown our business primarily through acquisitions. We may not be able to consummate any future acquisitions at acceptable prices and terms or identify suitable candidates. In addition, increased competition in the future for acquisition candidates could result in fewer acquisition opportunities for us and higher acquisition prices. The magnitude, timing, pricing and nature of future acquisitions will depend upon various factors, including:

We may not be able to determine the actual financial condition of dealerships we acquire until after we complete the acquisition and take control of the dealerships.

The operating and financial condition of acquired businesses cannot be determined accurately until we assume control. Although we conduct what we believe to be a prudent level of investigation regarding the operating and financial condition of the businesses we purchase, in light of the circumstances of each transaction, an unavoidable level of risk remains regarding the actual operating condition of these businesses. Similarly, many of the dealerships we acquire, including some of our largest acquisitions, do not have financial statements audited or prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. We may not have an accurate understanding of the historical financial condition and performance of our acquired entities. Until we actually assume control of business assets and their operations, we may not be able to ascertain the actual value or understand the potential liabilities of the acquired entities and their operations.

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Although O. Bruton Smith, our chairman and chief executive officer, and his affiliates have previously assisted us with obtaining financing, we cannot assure you that he or they will be willing or able to do so in the future.

Our obligations under the 2006 Credit Facility are secured with a pledge of five million shares of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. common stock, a publicly traded owner and operator of automobile racing facilities. These shares of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. common stock are owned by SFC. As of June 30, 2009, the $216.6 million borrowing limit of our 2006 Revolving Credit Sub-Facility is subject to a borrowing base calculation that is based, in part, on the value of the Speedway Motorsports shares pledged by SFC. Consequently, a withdrawal of this pledge by SFC or a significant decrease in the value of Speedway Motorsports common stock could reduce the amount we can borrow under the 2006 Revolving Credit Sub-Facility or our ability to refinance our 2006 Revolving Credit Facility.

In the past, Mr. Smith has also guaranteed additional indebtedness incurred to complete certain dealership acquisitions. Mr. Smith may not be willing or able to provide similar guarantees or credit support in the future. This could impair our ability to obtain acquisition financing on favorable terms.

Risks Related to the Automotive Retail Industry

Increasing competition among automotive retailers reduces our profit margins on vehicle sales and related businesses. Further, the use of the Internet in the car purchasing process could materially adversely affect us.

Automobile retailing is a highly competitive business. Our competitors include publicly and privately owned dealerships, some of which are larger and have greater financial and marketing resources than we do. Many of our competitors sell the same or similar makes of new and used vehicles that we offer in our markets at competitive prices. We do not have any cost advantage in purchasing new vehicles from manufacturers due to economies of scale or otherwise. In addition, the popularity of short-term vehicle leasing in the past few years has resulted, as these leases expire, in a large increase in the number of late model used vehicles available in the market, which puts added pressure on new and used vehicle margins. We typically rely on advertising, merchandising, sales expertise, service reputation and dealership location to sell new vehicles. Our revenues and profitability could be materially adversely affected if manufacturers decide to enter the retail market directly.

Our finance, insurance and other aftermarket products (“F&I”) business and other related businesses, which have higher margins than sales of new and used vehicles, are subject to strong competition from various financial institutions and other third parties.

The Internet has become a significant part of the sales process in our industry. Customers are using the Internet to compare pricing for cars and related F&I services, which may further reduce margins for new and used cars and profits for related F&I services. If Internet new vehicle sales are allowed to be conducted without the involvement of franchised dealers, our business could be materially adversely affected. In addition, other franchise groups have aligned themselves with services offered on the Internet or are investing heavily in the development of their own Internet capabilities, which could materially adversely affect our business.

Our franchise agreements do not grant us the exclusive right to sell a manufacturer’s product within a given geographic area. Our revenues or profitability could be materially adversely affected if any of our manufacturers award franchises to others in the same markets where we operate or if existing franchised dealers increase their market share in our markets.

We may face increasingly significant competition as we strive to gain market share through acquisitions or otherwise. Our operating margins may decline over time as we expand into markets where we do not have a leading position.

Our business will be harmed if overall consumer demand continues to suffer from a severe or sustained downturn.

Our business is heavily dependent on consumer demand and preferences. Our revenues have been materially and adversely affected by the recent downturn in overall levels of consumer spending. We expect this downturn to continue through at least 2010. Retail vehicle sales are cyclical and historically have experienced periodic downturns characterized by oversupply and weak demand. These cycles are often dependent on general economic conditions and consumer confidence,

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as well as the level of discretionary personal income and credit availability. Economic conditions may have a material adverse effect on our retail business, particularly sales of new and used automobiles.

In addition, severe or sustained increases in gasoline prices have in the past and may in the future lead to a reduction in automobile purchases or a shift in buying patterns from luxury and sport utility vehicle models (which typically provide high margins to retailers) to smaller, more economical vehicles (which typically have lower margins).

A decline of available financing in the lending market has, and may continue to, adversely affect our vehicle sales volume.

A significant portion of vehicle buyers, particularly in the used car market, finance their purchases of automobiles. Sub-prime lenders have historically provided financing for consumers who, for a variety of reasons including poor credit histories and lack of down payment, do not have access to more traditional finance sources. In the event lenders further tighten their credit standards or there is a further decline in the availability of credit in the lending market, the ability of these consumers to purchase vehicles could be limited which could have a material adverse effect on our business, revenues and cash flow from operations.

Our business may be adversely affected by import product restrictions and foreign trade risks that may impair our ability to sell foreign vehicles profitably.

A significant portion of our new vehicle business involves the sale of vehicles, parts or vehicles composed of parts that are manufactured outside the United States. As a result, our operations are subject to customary risks of importing merchandise, including fluctuations in the relative values of currencies, import duties, exchange controls, trade restrictions, work stoppages and general political and socio-economic conditions in other countries. The United States or the countries from which our products are imported may, from time to time, impose new quotas, duties, tariffs or other restrictions, or adjust presently prevailing quotas, duties or tariffs, which may affect our operations and our ability to purchase imported vehicles and/or parts at reasonable prices.

The seasonality of our business magnifies the importance of second and third quarter operating results.

Our business is subject to seasonal variations in revenues. In our experience, demand for automobiles is generally lower during the first and fourth quarters of each year. We therefore receive a disproportionate amount of revenues generally in the second and third quarters and expect our revenues and operating results to be generally lower in the first and fourth quarters. Consequently, if conditions surface during the second and third quarters that impair vehicle sales, such as higher fuel costs, depressed economic conditions or similar adverse conditions, our revenues for the full year could be materially adversely affected.

General Risks Related to Investing in Our Securities

Concentration of voting power and anti-takeover provisions of our charter, bylaws, Delaware law and our dealer agreements may reduce the likelihood of any potential change of control.

Our common stock is divided into two classes with different voting rights. This dual class stock ownership allows the present holders of the Class B common stock to control us. Holders of Class A common stock have one vote per share on all matters. Holders of Class B common stock have 10 votes per share on all matters, except that they have only one vote per share on any transaction proposed or approved by the Board of Directors or a Class B common stockholder or otherwise benefiting the Class B common stockholders constituting a:

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The holders of Class B common stock currently hold less than a majority of our outstanding common stock, but a majority of our voting power (which include O. Bruton Smith Sonic Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director, his family members and entities they control). This may prevent or discourage a change of control of us even if the action was favored by holders of Class A common stock.

Our charter and bylaws make it more difficult for our stockholders to take corporate actions at stockholders’ meetings. In addition, stock options, restricted stock and restricted stock units granted under our 1997 Stock Option Plan and 2004 Stock Incentive Plan become immediately exercisable or automatically vest upon a change in control. Delaware law also makes it difficult for stockholders who have recently acquired a large interest in a company to consummate a business combination transaction with the company against its directors’ wishes. Finally, restrictions imposed by our dealer agreements may impede or prevent any potential takeover bid. Generally, our franchise agreements allow the manufacturers the right to terminate the agreements upon a change of control of our company and impose restrictions upon the transferability of any significant percentage of our stock to any one person or entity who may be unqualified, as defined by the manufacturer, to own one of its dealerships. The inability of a person or entity to qualify with one or more of our manufacturers may prevent or seriously impede a potential takeover bid. In addition, provisions of our lending arrangements create an event of default on a change in control. These agreements, corporate governance documents and laws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control or preventing stockholders from realizing a premium on the sale of their shares if we were acquired.

The outcome of legal and administrative proceedings we are or may become involved in could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and profitability.

We are involved, and expect to continue to be involved, in numerous legal and administrative proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including regulatory investigations and private civil actions brought by plaintiffs purporting to represent a potential class or for which a class has been certified.

Several private civil actions have been filed against Sonic Automotive, Inc. and several of our dealership subsidiaries that purport to represent classes of customers as potential plaintiffs and make allegations that certain products sold in the finance and insurance departments were done so in a deceptive or otherwise illegal manner. One of these private civil actions has been filed in South Carolina state court against Sonic Automotive, Inc. and 10 of our South Carolina subsidiaries. This group of plaintiffs’ attorneys has filed another one of these private civil class action lawsuits in state court in North Carolina seeking certification of a multi-state class of plaintiffs. The South Carolina state court action and the North Carolina state court action have since been consolidated into a single proceeding in private arbitration.

The outcomes of the civil actions brought by plaintiffs purporting to represent a class of customers, as well as other pending and future legal proceedings arising out of the conduct of our business, including litigation with customers, employment related lawsuits, contractual disputes, class actions, purported class actions and actions brought by governmental authorities, cannot be predicted with certainty. An unfavorable resolution of one or more of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects.

Our company is a defendant in the matter of Galura, et al. v. Sonic Automotive, Inc., a private civil action filed in the Circuit Court of Hillsborough County, Florida. In this action, originally filed on December 30, 2002, the plaintiffs allege that we and our Florida dealerships sold an antitheft protection product in a deceptive or otherwise illegal manner, and further sought representation on behalf of any customer of any of our Florida dealerships who purchased the antitheft protection product since December 30, 1998. The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief on behalf of this class of customers. In June 2005, the court granted the plaintiffs’ motion for certification of the requested class of customers, but the court has made no finding to date regarding actual liability in this lawsuit. We have subsequently filed a notice of appeal of the court’s class certification ruling with the Florida Court of Appeals. In April 2007, the Florida Court of Appeals affirmed a portion of the trial court’s class certification, and overruled a portion of the trial court’s class certification. We intend to continue our vigorous defense of this lawsuit, including the aforementioned appeal of the trial court’s class certification order, and to assert available defenses. However, an adverse resolution of this lawsuit could result in the payment of significant costs and damages, which could have a material adverse effect on our future results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

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Our business may be adversely affected by claims alleging violations of laws and regulations in our advertising, sales and finance and insurance activities.

Our business is highly regulated. In the past several years, private plaintiffs and state attorney generals have increased their scrutiny of advertising, sales, and finance and insurance activities in the sale and leasing of motor vehicles. The conduct of our business is subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding unfair, deceptive and/or fraudulent trade practices (including advertising, marketing, sales, insurance, repair and promotion practices), truth-in-lending, consumer leasing, fair credit practices, equal credit opportunity, privacy, insurance, motor vehicle finance, installment finance, closed-end credit, usury and other installment sales. Claims arising out of actual or alleged violations of law may be asserted against us or any of our dealers by individuals, either individually or through class actions, or by governmental entities in civil or criminal investigations and proceedings. Such actions may expose us to substantial monetary damages and legal defense costs, injunctive relief and criminal and civil fines and penalties, including suspension or revocation of our licenses and franchises to conduct dealership operations.

Our business may be adversely affected by unfavorable conditions in our local markets, even if those conditions are not prominent nationally.

Our performance is subject to local economic, competitive, weather and other conditions prevailing in geographic areas where we operate. We may not be able to expand geographically and any geographic expansion may not adequately insulate us from the adverse effects of local or regional economic conditions. In addition, due to the provisions and terms contained in our operating lease agreements, we may not be able to relocate a dealership operation to a more favorable location without incurring significant costs or penalties.

The loss of key personnel and limited management and personnel resources could adversely affect our operations and growth.

Our success depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our management team, particularly our senior management, and service and sales personnel. Additionally, manufacturer franchise agreements may require the prior approval of the applicable manufacturer before any change is made in franchise general managers. We do not have employment agreements with certain members of our senior management team, our dealership managers and other key dealership personnel. Consequently, the loss of the services of one or more of these key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In addition, as we expand we may need to hire additional managers. The market for qualified employees in the industry and in the regions in which we operate, particularly for general managers and sales and service personnel, is highly competitive and may subject us to increased labor costs during periods of low unemployment. The loss of the services of key employees or the inability to attract additional qualified managers could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, the lack of qualified management or employees employed by potential acquisition candidates may limit our ability to consummate future acquisitions.

Governmental regulation and environmental regulation compliance costs may adversely affect our profitability.

We are subject to a wide range of federal, state and local laws and regulations, such as local licensing requirements, retail financing and consumer protection laws and regulations, and wage-hour, anti-discrimination and other employment practices laws and regulations. Our facilities and operations are also subject to federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and human health and safety, including those governing wastewater discharges, air emissions, the operation and removal of underground and aboveground storage tanks, the use, storage, treatment, transportation, release, recycling and disposal of solid and hazardous materials and wastes and the cleanup of contaminated property or water. The violation of these laws and regulations can result in administrative, civil or criminal penalties against us or in a cease and desist order against our operations that are not in compliance. Our future acquisitions may also be subject to regulation, including antitrust reviews. We believe that we comply in all material respects with all laws and regulations applicable to our business, but future regulations may be more stringent and require us to incur significant additional compliance costs.

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Our past and present business operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations. We may be required by these laws to pay the full amount of the costs of investigation and/or remediation of contaminated properties, even if we are not at fault for disposal of the materials or if such disposal was legal at the time. Like many of our competitors, we have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in complying with these laws and regulations. In addition, soil and groundwater contamination exists at certain of our properties. We cannot assure you that our other properties have not been or will not become similarly contaminated. In addition, we could become subject to potentially material new or unforeseen environmental costs or liabilities because of our acquisitions.

Potential conflicts of interest between us and our officers or directors could adversely affect our future performance.

O. Bruton Smith also serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports. Accordingly, we compete with Speedway Motorsports for the management time of Mr. Smith.

We have in the past and will likely in the future enter into transactions with Mr. Smith, entities controlled by Mr. Smith or our other affiliates. We believe that all of our existing arrangements with affiliates are as favorable to us as if the arrangements were negotiated between unaffiliated parties, although the majority of these transactions have neither been verified by third parties in that regard nor are likely to be so verified in the future. Potential conflicts of interest could arise in the future between us and our officers, directors and other affiliates in the enforcement, amendment or termination of arrangements existing between them.

Our executive officers have pledged shares of Class B common stock to secure personal loans.

Mr. O. Bruton Smith, Mr. B. Scott Smith and certain of their affiliates have pledged approximately 6,253,483 shares of our Class B common stock as collateral to secure two personal loans. Under certain circumstances, the lenders under these loans could elect to foreclose on these shares. Under the terms of our charter, shares of Class B common stock (which are entitled to 10 votes per share on most matters presented to our stockholders) automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock (which are entitled to one vote per share on all matters presented to our stockholders) if any person or entity other than a member of the Smith family or certain of their affiliates acquire such shares. A foreclosure on the Class B shares by the lenders could therefore materially affect the voting control of the Smith family over Sonic. In addition, the market price of our Class A common stock could materially decline if the lenders were to sell the pledged shares into the open market.

We may be subject to substantial withdrawal liability assessments in the future related to a multi-employer pension plan to which certain of our dealerships make contributions pursuant to collective bargaining agreements.

Seven of our dealership subsidiaries in Northern California currently make fixed-dollar contributions to the Automotive Industries Pension Plan (the “AI Pension Plan”) pursuant to collective bargaining agreements between our subsidiaries and the International Association of Machinists (the “IAM”). The AI Pension Plan is a “multi-employer pension plan” as defined under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and our seven dealership subsidiaries are among approximately 120 automobile dealerships that make contributions to the AI Pension Plan pursuant to collective bargaining agreements with the IAM. In June 2006, we received information that the AI Pension Plan was substantially underfunded as of December 31, 2005. In July 2007, we received updated information that the AI Pension Plan continued to be substantially underfunded as of December 31, 2006, with the amount of such underfunding increasing versus year end 2005. In March 2008, the Board of Trustees of the AI Pension Plan notified participants, participating employers and local unions that the Plan’s actuary, in accordance with the requirements of the federal Pension Protection Act of 2006, had issued a certification that the AI Pension Plan is in Critical Status effective with the plan year commencing January 1, 2008. In conjunction with this finding, the Board of Trustees of the AI Pension Plan adopted a Rehabilitation Plan that implements reductions or eliminations of certain adjustable benefits that were previously available under the Plan (including some forms of early retirement benefits, and disability and death benefits), and also implements a requirement on all participating employers to increase employer contributions to the Plan for a seven year period commencing in 2013. Under applicable federal law, any employer contributing to a multiemployer pension plan that completely ceases participating in the plan while the plan is underfunded is subject to payment of such employer’s assessed share of the aggregate unfunded vested benefits of the plan. In certain circumstances, an employer can be assessed withdrawal liability for a partial withdrawal from a multi-employer pension plan. In addition, if the financial condition of the AI Pension Plan were to continue to deteriorate to the point that the Plan is forced to terminate and be assumed by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, the participating

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employers could be subject to assessments by the PBGC to cover the participating employers’ assessed share of the unfunded vested benefits. If any of these adverse events were to occur in the future, it could result in a substantial withdrawal liability assessment that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

A change in historical experience and/or assumptions used to estimate reserves could have a material impact on our earnings.

As described in Item 7 under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies” in our Current Report on Form 8-K furnished to the SEC on August 21, 2009, our estimates for finance, insurance and service contracts and insurance reserves are based on historical experience. Differences between actual results and our historical experiences and/or our assumptions could have a material impact on our earnings in the period of the change and in periods subsequent to the change.

A further impairment of our goodwill could have a material adverse impact on our earnings.

Pursuant to applicable accounting pronouncements, we test goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. We describe the process for testing goodwill more thoroughly in our Current Report on Form 8-K furnished to the SEC on August 21, 2009 in Item 7 under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Use of Estimates and Critical Accounting Policies.” If we determine that the amount of our goodwill is impaired at any point in time, we are required to reduce goodwill on our balance sheet. Based on the results of our step one test as of December 31, 2008, we were required to complete step two of the impairment evaluation. We recorded an estimated goodwill impairment charge in continuing operations of $787.9 million at December 31, 2008 and a $9.5 million charge related to franchises held for sale in discontinued operations. An estimate was recorded because we had not finalized the valuation of certain assets and liabilities that are necessary for us to complete our evaluation. During the first quarter of 2009, we completed the valuation of these certain assets and liabilities. Based on the completion of our evaluation of the goodwill impairment in the first quarter of 2009, no adjustment to the estimate that was recorded at December 31, 2008 was required. As of June 30, 2009, our balance sheet reflected a carrying amount of approximately $474.7 million in goodwill (including goodwill classified as assets held for sale). If goodwill is further impaired based on a future impairment test, we will record another non-cash impairment charge that may also have a material adverse effect on our earnings for the period in which the impairment of goodwill occurs.

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CONCURRENT OFFERING OF COMMON STOCK

Concurrent with this offering, we are offering 9,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or a total of 10,350,000 shares of our Class A common stock if the underwriters for the concurrent Class A common stock offering exercise their option to purchase additional shares with respect to that offering in full) in an underwritten public offering pursuant to a separate prospectus supplement.

We expect to raise approximately $86.3 million in net proceeds from the concurrent Class A common stock offering (based upon the public offering price of $10.10 per share for that offering), resulting in total net proceeds of approximately $231.3 million from both this offering and the concurrent Class A common stock offering, in each case after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ options to purchase additional securities with respect to either offering. However, amounts sold in each offering may increase or decrease based on market conditions relating to the particular securities. See “Use of Proceeds.”

This prospectus supplement shall not be deemed an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Class A common stock offered in the concurrent Class A common stock offering. This offering is not contingent upon the concurrent Class A common stock offering being completed, and the concurrent Class A common stock offering is not contingent upon this offering being completed. We cannot assure you that we will complete the concurrent Class A common stock offering.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate the net proceeds from this offering and the concurrent Class A common stock offering, after deducting estimated offering expenses and the underwriters’ discounts and commissions, will be approximately $145.0 million and $86.3 million (based upon the public offering price of $10.10 per share for that offering), respectively. We intend to use the net proceeds to repay outstanding indebtedness, including all or a portion of the $160 million aggregate principal amount outstanding of our 4.25% Convertible Notes that mature on November 30, 2015, and the $85.6 million principal amount outstanding of our 6.00% Convertible Notes that mature on May 15, 2012 and were issued on May 7, 2009 in private placements to replace our 5.25% Convertible Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009. Pursuant to the terms of our 2006 Credit Facility, we are required to use any proceeds from the offerings that we are not able to use to repay the 4.25% Convertible Notes and 6.00% Convertible Notes to repay borrowings under our 2006 Credit Facility that matures on February 17, 2010 (including amounts outstanding under our Revolving Credit Sub-Facility, the used vehicle floor plan sub-facility and the new vehicle floor plan sub-facility thereunder, which were approximately $35.0 million, $93.5 million and $250.7 million, respectively, on September 10, 2009). These facilities bear interest at 30-day LIBOR plus 3.50% for the Revolving Credit Sub-Facility, 30-day LIBOR plus 2.00% for the used vehicle floor plan sub-facility and 30-day LIBOR plus 1.75% for the new vehicle floor plan sub-facility. Any proceeds that remain after the repayment, repurchase or redemption of debt would be used for general corporate purposes, including working capital.

Although we intend to repay all of our outstanding 4.25% Convertible Notes, we do not have the right to redeem them at this time. In addition, in order to redeem our 6.00% Convertible Notes, we will be required to follow the 30-day notice and redemption procedures set forth in the related indenture. Because of these limitations, we will be required to undertake certain actions in order to repay this outstanding indebtedness and will not, as a result, be able to immediately apply the net proceeds to repay our outstanding indebtedness. However, pursuant to unsolicited reverse inquiries from holders of our 4.25% Convertible Notes, we expect to repurchase approximately $125 million of our 4.25% Convertible Notes near par shortly after the closing of this offering and the concurrent Class A common stock offering. We intend to undertake actions to repay the indebtedness set forth above as soon as practicable before the end of the current fiscal year. During the period of time from the issuance of the notes in this offering and the Class A common stock in the concurrent Class A common stock offering until we are able to apply the net proceeds to repay outstanding indebtedness, the notes and our other indebtedness will remain outstanding and the net proceeds of this offering and the concurrent Class A common stock offering will be held by U.S. Bank National Association, the trustee under our indentures, pursuant to an escrow securities account agreement.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our cash and capitalization as of June 30, 2009:

This allocation of the use of net proceeds is illustrative of our intent with respect to the net proceeds from this and our concurrent Class A common stock offering. Neither of the offerings is contingent upon the closing of the other and we may not be able to use the net proceeds as we intend. See “Use of Proceeds.” This table should be read in conjunction with the unaudited consolidated financial statements (including the notes thereto) incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.