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Employee Benefit Plans (Tables) | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2012
Employee Benefit Plans [Abstract] |
Status of options related to Stock Plans | A summary of the status of the options related to the Stock Plans is presented below:
|  | Options Outstanding |  |  | Exercise Price Per Share |  |  | Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share |  |  | Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term |  |  | Aggregate Intrinsic Value |
|  | ($ in thousands, except per share data, term in years) |
Balance — December 31, 2011 |  |  | 2,734 |  |  | $ | 1.81 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 37.50 |  |  | $ | 17.74 |  |  |  | 4.1 |  |  | $ | 10,715 |
Exercised |  |  | (625 | ) |  |  | 1.81 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 19.23 |  |  |  | 6.33 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Forfeited |  |  | (354 | ) |  |  | 15.90 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 37.50 |  |  |  | 32.68 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Balance — December 31, 2012 |  |  | 1,755 |  |  | $ | 1.81 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 30.07 |  |  | $ | 18.67 |  |  |  | 3.4 |  |  | $ | 8,372 |
Exercisable |  |  | 1,755 |  |  | $ | 1.81 |  |  |  | - |  |  |  | 30.07 |  |  | $ | 18.67 |  |  |  | 3.4 |  |  | $ | 8,372 |
|  | Year Ended December 31, |
|  | 2012 |  |  | 2011 |  |  | 2010 |
|  | (In thousands, except per option data) |
Intrinsic Value of Options Exercised |  | $ | 7,427 |  |  | $ | 4,039 |  |  | $ | 2,235 |
Fair Value of Shares Vested |  | $ | 426 |  |  | $ | 444 |  |  | $ | 555 |
Status of non-vested restricted stock and restricted stock unit grants related to Stock Plans | A summary of the status of non-vested restricted stock and restricted stock unit grants related to the Stock Plans is presented below:
|  | Non-vested Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units |  |  | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value |
|  | (Shares in thousands) |  |  |  |
Balance — December 31, 2011 |  |  | 690 |  |  | $ | 11.91 |
Granted |  |  | 451 |  |  |  | 18.50 |
Forfeited |  |  | (10 | ) |  |  | 14.55 |
Vested |  |  | (304 | ) |  |  | 11.75 |
Balance — December 31, 2012 |  |  | 827 |  |  | $ | 15.53 |
Status of Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan | The following table sets forth the status of the SERP:
|  | Year Ended December 31, |
|  | 2012 |  |  | 2011 |
|  | (In thousands) |
Change in projected benefit obligation: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Obligation at beginning of year |  | $ | 2,392 |  |  | $ | 814 |
Service cost |  |  | 1,638 |  |  |  | 1,021 |
Interest cost |  |  | 105 |  |  |  | 49 |
Actuarial loss (gain) |  |  | 276 |  |  |  | 508 |
Obligation at end of year(1) |  | $ | 4,411 |  |  | $ | 2,392 |
Accumulated benefit obligation |  | $ | 3,420 |  |  | $ | 1,809 |
(1) Included in other long-term liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. |
Change in fair value of plan assets: |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Plan assets at beginning of year |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | — |
Plan assets at end of year |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |
Funded Status Recognized |  | $ | (4,411 | ) |  | $ | (2,392 | )
Cost components of Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan | The following table provides the cost components of the SERP:
|  | Year Ended December 31, |
|  | 2012 |  |  | 2011 |
|  | (In thousands) |
Service cost |  | $ | 1,638 |  |  | $ | 1,021 |
Interest cost |  |  | 105 |  |  |  | 49 |
Net Pension expense (benefit) |  | $ | 1,743 |  |  | $ | 1,070 |
Weighted average assumptions used to determine benefit obligation and net periodic benefit costs | The weighted average assumptions used to determine the benefit obligation and net periodic benefit costs consist of:
|  | December 31, |
|  | 2012 |  |  | 2011 |
Discount rate |  |  | 3.85 | % |  |  | 4.40 | %
Rate of compensation increase |  |  | 3.00 | % |  |  | 3.00 | %
Estimated future benefit payments | The estimated future benefit payments expected to be paid for each of the next five years and the sum of the payments expected for the next five years thereafter are:
Year Ending December 31, |  | Estimated Future Benefit Payments |
|  | (In thousands) |
2013 |  | $ | 19 |
2014 |  |  | 10 |
2015 |  |  | 10 |
2016 |  |  | 9 |
2017 |  |  | 9 |
2018 - 2022 |  |  | 2,093 |
Schedule of multi-employer plans affecting period-to-period comparability of contributions | The number of employees covered by Sonic’s multi-employer plans increased 4.1% from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 and decreased 5.1% from December 31, 2011 to December 31, 2012, affecting the period-to-period comparability of the contributions for years ended December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010.
|  | EIN/Pension Plan Number |  |  | Pension Protection Act Zone Status |  |  | FIP/RP Status |  |  | Sonic Contributions |  |  | Surcharge Imposed |  |  | Collective- Bargaining Agreement Expiration Date(1) |
Pension Fund |  |  | 2012 |  |  | 2011 |  |  | Pending/ Implemented |  |  | Year Ended December 31, |  |  |
|  |  |  |  | 2012 |  |  | 2011 |  |  | 2010 |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | (In thousands) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
AI Pension Plan |  |  | 94-1133245 |  |  |  | Red |  |  |  | Red |  |  |  | RP Implemented |  |  | $ | 120 |  |  | $ | 120 |  |  | $ | 117 |  |  |  | Yes |  |  |  | Between September 30, 2012 and August 31, 2014 |
(1) | Collective bargaining agreement expiration dates vary by union and dealership. Dates shown represent the range of the earliest and latest stated expirations for our union employees.

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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the assumptions used to determine for pension plans and/or other employee benefit plans the benefit obligation and net benefit cost, including assumed discount rates, rate increase in compensation increase, and expected long-term rates of return on plan assets. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (k) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915506&loc=d3e1928-114920 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of one or more of the entity's defined benefit pension plans or one or more other defined benefit postretirement plans, separately for pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans including the entity's schedule of fair value of plan assets for defined benefit or other postretirement plans. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 158 -Paragraph 4, 7, 16, 20, 21 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915506&loc=d3e2417-114920 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 55 -Paragraph 17 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21916443&loc=d3e4179-114921 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915506&loc=d3e1928-114920 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 132R -Paragraph 5 -Subparagraph d -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915506&loc=d3e2410-114920 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915506&loc=d3e2439-114920 Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) -Number 132R -Paragraph 5, 6, 7 -LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy. + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of benefits expected to be paid by pension plans and/or other employee benefit plans in each of the next five fiscal years and in the aggregate for the five fiscal years thereafter. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (f) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915506&loc=d3e1928-114920 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the quantitative and qualitative information related to multiemployer plans in which the employer participates. A multiemployer plan is a pension or postretirement benefit plan to which two or more unrelated employers contribute where assets contributed by one participating employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 80 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2235144 + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the components of net benefit costs for pension plans and/or other employee benefit plans including service cost, interest cost, expected return on plan assets, gain (loss), prior service cost or credit, transition asset or obligation, and gain (loss) recognized due to settlements or curtailments. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 715 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (h) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=21915506&loc=d3e1928-114920 + Details
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- Definition Disclosure of the number and weighted-average grant date fair value for restricted stock and restricted stock units that were outstanding at the beginning and end of the year, and the number of restricted stock and restricted stock units that were granted, vested, or forfeited during the year. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Tabular disclosure of the number and weighted-average exercise prices (or conversion ratios) for share options (or share units) that were outstanding at the beginning and end of the year, vested and expected to vest, exercisable or convertible at the end of the year, and the number of share options or share units that were granted, exercised or converted, forfeited, and expired during the year. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 718 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -Subparagraph (c)(1) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6415400&loc=d3e5070-113901 + Details
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