Background Basis of Accounting (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Nov. 30, 2023
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Background	Business. CarMax, Inc. (“we,” “our,” “us,” “CarMax” and “the company”), including its wholly owned subsidiaries, is the nation’s largest retailer of used vehicles. We operate in two reportable segments: CarMax Sales Operations and CarMax Auto Finance (“CAF”). Our CarMax Sales Operations segment consists of all aspects of our auto merchandising and service operations, excluding financing provided by CAF. Our CAF segment consists solely of our own finance operation that provides financing to customers buying retail vehicles from CarMax. On June 1, 2021, we completed the acquisition of Edmunds Holding Company (“Edmunds”), which does not meet the quantitative thresholds to be considered a reportable segment. See Note 16 for additional information on our reportable segments. We deliver an unrivaled customer experience by offering a broad selection of quality used vehicles and related products and services at competitive, no-haggle prices using a customer-friendly sales process. Our omni-channel platform, which gives us the largest addressable market in the used car industry, empowers our retail customers to buy a car on their terms – online, in-store or an integrated combination of both. We offer customers a range of related products and services, including the appraisal and purchase of vehicles directly from consumers; the financing of retail vehicle purchases through CAF and third-party finance providers; the sale of extended protection plan (“EPP”) products, which include extended service plans (“ESPs”) and guaranteed asset protection (“GAP”); and vehicle repair service. Vehicles purchased through the appraisal process that do not meet our retail standards are sold to licensed dealers through on-site or virtual wholesale auctions.
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates. The accompanying interim unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of CarMax and our wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. These interim unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, such interim consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments considered necessary to present fairly the financial position and the results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year. The accounting policies followed in the presentation of our interim financial results are consistent with those included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023 (the “2023 Annual Report”), with the exception of those related to recent accounting pronouncements adopted in the current fiscal year. These interim unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and footnotes included in our 2023 Annual Report.
Use of Estimates	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation. Amounts and percentages may not total due to rounding.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Effective in Future Periods In October 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting pronouncement (ASU 2023-06) related to disclosure or presentation requirements for various subtopics in the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification (“Codification”). The amendments in the update are intended to align the requirements in the Codification with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (“SEC”) regulations and facilitate the application of GAAP for all entities. The effective date for each amendment is the date on which the SEC removal of the related disclosure requirement from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K becomes effective, or if the SEC has not removed the requirements by June 30, 2027, this amendment will be removed from the Codification and will not become effective for any entity. Early adoption is prohibited. We do not expect this update to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. In November 2023, the FASB issued an accounting pronouncement (ASU 2023-07) related to the disclosure of incremental segment information on an annual and interim basis. This update is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and requires retrospective application to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. We plan to adopt this pronouncement beginning with our fiscal year ended February 28, 2025, and we do not expect it to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements. In December 2023, the FASB issued an accounting pronouncement (ASU 2023-09) related to income tax disclosures. The amendments in this update are intended to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures primarily through changes to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. This update is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, though early adoption is permitted. We plan to adopt this pronouncement for our fiscal year beginning March 1, 2025, and we do not expect it to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Background Basis of Accounting (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Nov. 30, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Business. CarMax, Inc. (“we,” “our,” “us,” “CarMax” and “the company”), including its wholly owned subsidiaries, is the nation’s largest retailer of used vehicles. We operate in two reportable segments: CarMax Sales Operations and CarMax Auto Finance (“CAF”). Our CarMax Sales Operations segment consists of all aspects of our auto merchandising and service operations, excluding financing provided by CAF. Our CAF segment consists solely of our own finance operation that provides financing to customers buying retail vehicles from CarMax. On June 1, 2021, we completed the acquisition of Edmunds Holding Company (“Edmunds”), which does not meet the quantitative thresholds to be considered a reportable segment. See Note 16 for additional information on our reportable segments.

We deliver an unrivaled customer experience by offering a broad selection of quality used vehicles and related products and services at competitive, no-haggle prices using a customer-friendly sales process. Our omni-channel platform, which gives us the largest addressable market in the used car industry, empowers our retail customers to buy a car on their terms – online, in-store or an integrated combination of both. We offer customers a range of related products and services, including the appraisal and purchase of vehicles directly from consumers; the financing of retail vehicle purchases through CAF and third-party finance providers; the sale of extended protection plan (“EPP”) products, which include extended service plans (“ESPs”) and guaranteed asset protection (“GAP”); and vehicle repair service. Vehicles purchased through the appraisal process that do not meet our retail standards are sold to licensed dealers through on-site or virtual wholesale auctions.

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation and Use of Estimates. The accompanying interim unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of CarMax and our wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. These interim unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, such interim consolidated financial statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments considered necessary to present fairly the financial position and the results of operations and cash flows for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year.

The accounting policies followed in the presentation of our interim financial results are consistent with those included in the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2023 (the “2023 Annual Report”), with the exception of those related to recent accounting pronouncements adopted in the current fiscal year. These interim unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and footnotes included in our 2023 Annual Report.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year’s presentation. Amounts and percentages may not total due to rounding.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Effective in Future Periods

In October 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting pronouncement (ASU 2023-06) related to disclosure or presentation requirements for various subtopics in the FASB’s Accounting Standards Codification (“Codification”). The amendments in the update are intended to align the requirements in the Codification with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (“SEC”) regulations and facilitate the application of GAAP for all entities. The effective date for each amendment is the date on which the SEC removal of the related disclosure requirement from Regulation S-X or Regulation S-K becomes effective, or if the SEC has not removed the requirements by June 30, 2027, this amendment will be removed from the Codification and will not become effective for any entity. Early adoption is prohibited. We do not expect this update to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In November 2023, the FASB issued an accounting pronouncement (ASU 2023-07) related to the disclosure of incremental segment information on an annual and interim basis. This update is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2023, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, and requires retrospective application to all prior periods presented in the financial statements. We plan to adopt this pronouncement beginning with our fiscal year ended February 28, 2025, and we do not expect it to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

In December 2023, the FASB issued an accounting pronouncement (ASU 2023-09) related to income tax disclosures. The amendments in this update are intended to enhance the transparency and decision usefulness of income tax disclosures primarily through changes to the rate reconciliation and income taxes paid information. This update is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2024, though early adoption is permitted. We plan to adopt this pronouncement for our fiscal year beginning March 1, 2025, and we do not expect it to have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.