FORM 3
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
OMB APPROVAL
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OMB Number: 3235-0104
Expires: December 31, 2001
Estimated average burden
hours per response .... 0.5
INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
Filed pursuant to section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or
Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C> <C>
(Print or Type Responses)
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* 2. Date of Event Re- 4. Issuer Name and Ticker or
quiring Statement Trading Symbol
Price Thomas A. (Month/Day/Year) Sonic Automotive, Inc. ("SAH")
- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------
(Last) (First) (Middle) 01/00 5. Relationship of Reporting 6. If Amendment, Date of
------------------- Person(s) to Issuer Original (Month/Day/Year)
601 Brannan Street 3. IRS or Social Se- (Check all applicable) ----------------------------
- -------------------------------------- curity Number of _x_ Director __10% Owner
(Street) Reporting Person _x_ Officer (give __Other 7. Individual or Joint/Group
(Voluntary) title below)(specify below) Filing (Check Applicable Line)
San Francisco CA 94107 Vice Chairman-Board of _x_ Form filed by One Reporting
- -------------------------------------- Directors Person
(City) (State) (Zip) ----------------------- __ Form filed by More than One
Reporting Person
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Table I - Non Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
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<S> <C> <C> <C>
1. Title of Security 2. Amount of Securities 3. Ownership 4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial
(Instr. 4) Beneficially Owned Form: Direct Ownership (Instr. 5)
(Instr. 4) (D) or Indirect
(I) (Instr. 5)
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Class A Common Stock 1,784,393 I By Self as Trustee for
The Price Trust
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Class A Common Stock 20,000 D
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Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially
owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see
Instruction 5(b)(v).
POTENTIAL PERSONS WHO ARE TO RESPOND TO THE COLLECTION OF INFORMATION
CONTAINED IN THIS FORM ARE NOT REQUIRED TO RESPOND UNLESS THE FORM DISPLAYS A
CURRENTLY VALID OMB NUMBER.
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FORM 3 (continued)
Table II-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
(e.g. puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
1. Title of Derivative Security 2. Date Exer- 3. Title and Amount of Securities 4. Conver- 5. Owner- 6. Nature of Indirect
(Instr. 4) cisable and Underlying Derivative Security sion or ship Beneficial Ownership
Expiration (Instr. 4) Exercise Form of (Instr. 5)
Date Price of Deriv-
(Month/Day/ Deri- ative
Year) vative Security:
------------------------------------------------ Security Direct
Date Expira- Title Amount (D) or
Exer- tion or Indirect
cisable Date Number (I)
of Shares (Instr. 5)
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Explanation of Responses:
/s/ Thomas A. Price 1/06/00
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** Signature of Reporting Date
Person
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal
Violations.
See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space is insufficient, See Instruction 6 for procedure.
Potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained
in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently
valid OMB Number.
