RICHMOND, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
CarMax, Inc. (NYSE:KMX) today affirmed that, despite the
continuation of difficult economic conditions, credit remains widely
available for qualifying customers at its used car superstores. These
financing options are offered through CarMax Auto Finance (CAF) and
the company's third-party lenders, a group of leading financial
institutions.
CarMax is still able to provide financing for a wide variety of
customer credit profiles. "Our ability to finance qualifying customers
has not significantly changed," said Tom Folliard, CarMax president
and CEO. "In fact, we believe our financing is a key competitive
advantage in this environment where many other automotive retailers
may have fewer financing options."
"Due to the integrity and transparency of the CarMax car-buying
process, our third-party lenders continue to have greater confidence
in CarMax and have recently reaffirmed their willingness to provide
more financing for CarMax customers," said Folliard.
CAF and all of its third-party lenders benefit from the unique
CarMax sales model which mitigates the financing risks often
associated with used car lending. These risks are related to
understanding the value of the vehicle and trusting in the accuracy,
quality and completeness of the information provided to the lender.
The Unique CarMax Finance Process
Just like the CarMax buying experience, the CarMax finance process
is unique. "We remain proud to provide consumers with what we believe
is the most user-friendly car financing process in the industry," said
Folliard. "CarMax sales consultants do not receive a commission on the
financing, and they do not hand off customers to a commission-paid
finance manager. Instead, the CarMax sales consultant helps customers
find the financing option that fits their budget and walks them
through the entire sales process."
At CarMax, customers see all offers made available to them
directly on the computer screen, and where multiple offers exist,
customers may choose the offer that best suits their needs. CarMax
also provides a three-day payoff option, which gives customers up to
three business days to replace the financing with cash or an
alternative-lending source, free of penalty or interest.
About CarMax
CarMax, a Fortune 500 company, and one of the Fortune 2008 "100
Best Companies to Work For," is the nation's largest retailer of used
cars. Headquartered in Richmond, Va., we currently operate 99 used car
superstores in 46 markets. The CarMax consumer offer is structured
around four customer benefits: low, no-haggle prices; a broad
selection; high quality vehicles; and customer-friendly service.
During the twelve months ended February 29, 2008, we retailed 377,244
used cars and sold 222,406 wholesale vehicles at our in-store
auctions. For more information, access the CarMax website at
www.carmax.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
We caution readers that the statements contained in this release
about our future business plans, operations, opportunities or
prospects, including without limitation any statements or factors
regarding expected sales, margins or earnings, are forward-looking
statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking
statements are based upon management's current knowledge and
assumptions about future events and involve risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated
results. Among the factors that could cause actual results and
outcomes to differ materially from those contained in the
forward-looking statements are the following:
-- Changes in the general U.S. or regional U.S. economy.
-- Changes in the availability or cost of capital and working
capital financing, including the availability or cost of
long-term financing to support our geographic growth and the
availability or cost of financing auto loan receivables.
-- Changes in consumer credit availability related to our
third-party financing providers.
-- Changes in the competitive landscape within our industry.
-- Significant changes in retail prices for used and new
vehicles.
-- A reduction in the availability of or access to sources of
inventory.
-- Factors related to the regulatory environment in which we
operate.
-- The loss of key employees from our store, regional or
corporate management teams.
-- The failure of key information systems.
-- The effect of new accounting requirements or changes to U.S.
generally accepted accounting principles.
-- Security breaches or other events that result in the
misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of
confidential customer information.
-- The effect of various litigation matters.
-- Our inability to acquire or lease suitable real estate at
favorable terms.
-- The occurrence of severe weather events.
-- Factors related to the seasonal fluctuations in our business.
-- Factors related to the geographic concentration of our
superstores.
-- The occurrence of certain other material events.
For more details on factors that could affect expectations, see
our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 29,
2008, and our quarterly or current reports as filed with or furnished
to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our filings are publicly
available on our investor information home page at
investor.carmax.com. Requests for information may also be made to the
Investor Relations Department by email to
investor_relations@carmax.com or by calling 1-804-747-0422 ext. 4489.
We disclaim any intent or obligation to update our forward-looking
statements.
Source: CarMax, Inc.