CARY, N.C. -

Come February, Mark O’Neil will embark on the next chapter of his life after an automotive career dotted with high-level executive positions at some of the most well-known names in the business, including Cox Automotive, Dealertrack and CarMax.

During a conversation with Auto Remarketing late on Monday afternoon, O’Neil confirmed that he will retire on Feb. 1 from his current position as chief operating officer of Cox Automotive; a position he took in March 2016.

"I turned 60 this year, and that's really a reflective moment," O'Neil told Auto Remarketing. "I feel like it's a great time in terms of where Cox Automotive is and its transition into the next generation of automotive."

News of O'Neil's retirement was first reported by Automotive News. 

O’Neil’s automotive career has spanned nearly three decades. O’Neil was president and chief executive officer of Dealertrack, which Cox Automotive purchased back in 2015. That’s when he became the president of the Cox Automotive Software Group.

O’Neil also was a co-founder of CarMax, among other areas of auto experience.

“Mark is an automotive industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience integrating and operating a wide range of companies, and he has done it effectively,” Cox Automotive president Sandy Schwartz said in news release when O’Neil became Cox Automotive COO.

O’Neil certainly holds one of the most important roles at Cox Automotive; a company with a portfolio that includes auctions, classifieds listings, vehicle research/pricing guide, inventory management, websites, software and transportation.

“I’ve had long discussions with the senior leadership of Cox Enterprises about the importance of building a global company,” O’Neil told Auto Remarketing soon after becoming COO.

Back when O’Neil started in the automotive business, dealerships handed potential buyers paper brochures that highlighted vehicles, documents had to be faxed back and forth between the store and finance company, and the entire process took nearly an entire day in some cases. Now with online shopping and iPads, delivery sometimes can be completed in less time than it takes to enjoy dinner at a linen-napkin restaurant.

In comments from O’Neil shared ahead of his speech last year at the Automotive Forum in New York, he said that clicking a button to buy a car is not only the route that the auto industry wants to go, it’s also the route it should go.

“Click to buy is definitely where we want and need to go in automotive,” O’Neil said in the comments shared in a news release. “Success in retail can only be achieved by giving consumers options that enable the buying experience that they want.”

After February, O’Neil likely can do whatever he wants, too; maybe even purchase a vehicle.

Senior editor Joe Overby contributed to this report.

Editor’s note: O’Neil elaborated further about his decision and automotive career in the episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast below.