Sell Your Auto Repair Shop in Minnesota
Who is buying auto repair shops in Minnesota
Named auto repair acquisitions we have recorded in Minnesota
- Service Garage of Blaine, acquired by Victory Tire & Auto (Straightaway Tire & Auto)Private-equity-backed buyer · Announced May 2026 · Blaine, MN · Source ↗
- Leighton's Garage, acquired by GreatWater 360 Auto CarePrivate-equity-backed buyer · Announced Mar 2026 · Twin Cities metro area, MN · Source ↗
- Heartland Tire (11 locations), acquired by Telle Tire & Auto CentersPrivate-equity-backed buyer · Announced Feb 2026 · Minnesota · Source ↗
- Babcock Auto Care, acquired by Victory Tire & Auto (Straightaway Tire & Auto)Private-equity-backed buyer · Announced Dec 2025 · Rochester, MN · Source ↗
- Stillwater Auto Clinic, acquired by Victory Auto Service & Glass (now Victory Tire & Auto, Straightaway Tire & Auto)Private-equity-backed buyer · Closed Jan 2025 · Oak Park Heights, MN · Source ↗
| Platform | Owner / backer | Type | Headquarters | Scale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mavis Tire Express Services | BayPine and TSG Consumer Partners (lead backers), with the Sorbaro family's West First Management; Golden Gate Capital kept a minority stake in 2021 | Private equity | White Plains, NY | More than 4,400 owned and franchised locations across the U.S. and Canada (Aug 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Sun Auto Tire & Service | Leonard Green & Partners (majority since Sep 2021); Greenbriar Equity Group stayed on as a shareholder in 2021 | Private equity | Mesa, AZ | 600 stores across 27 states (Sep 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Big Brand Tire & Service | Percheron Capital, through a single-asset continuation vehicle co-led by Blue Owl Capital, ICONIQ and Warburg Pincus (Oct 2025) | Private equity | Moorpark, CA | More than 530 locations in 15 states (Jul 2026). Sources disagree on whether that figure includes the pending Belle Tire deal. | Source ↗ |
| GreatWater 360 Auto Care | Kinderhook Industries | Private equity | Grand Rapids, MI | 174 locations across 10 states (Oct 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Dobbs Tire & Auto Centers | Audax Private Equity (growth investment, Dec 2023) | Private equity | High Ridge, MO | More than 155 locations across eight states (Jul 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Left Lane Auto | Bertram Capital (Fund V; invested Nov 2025 per Bertram, announced Dec 16, 2025) | Private equity | Champaign, IL | More than 100 locations in 22 states (Sep 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Straightaway Tire & Auto | O2 Investment Partners | Private equity | Charlotte, NC | More than 95 locations across 9 states (Jun 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Telle Tire & Auto Centers | Next Horizon Capital (investment announced Dec 2024) | Private equity | St. Louis, MO | 91 locations across six states (May 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Les Schwab Tire Centers | Meritage Group (family-owned investment firm; bought Les Schwab from the Schwab family in 2020) | Private equity | Bend, OR | More than 600 locations (Jun 2026); 15 states as of Jul 2025 | Source ↗ |
| VIP Tires & Service | John Quirk and family (family-owned) | Strategic / family-owned | Auburn, ME | 78 locations in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut (Sep 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Steve Shannon Tire & Auto Center | Shannon family (co-owned by brothers including Jesse and Herb Shannon) | Strategic / family-owned | Bloomsburg, PA | 62 retail outlets across Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey (Sep 2026) | Source ↗ |
| Main Street Auto | Founder-owned and led (founder and CEO Logan Leslie); Turning Rock Partners provided $60M of growth financing (Jul 2025) | Strategic / family-owned | Atlanta, GA | Approximately 100 locations across the southern US (Jul 2025) | Source ↗ |
| Grismer Tire & Auto Service | CenterOak Partners (majority recapitalization, Apr 2026) | Private equity | Dayton, OH | 28 locations across the Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati metro areas (Apr 2026) | Source ↗ |
Ownership verified October 6, 2026. See every platform's recent deals in the Auto Repair roll-up tracker →
How many general automotive repair shops are in Minnesota
The Census Bureau counted 1,730 general automotive repair shops in Minnesota in 2023, ranking 17th of 50 states. 62% had fewer than five employees and 97% had fewer than 20. 10 had 50 or more.
| Employees | Establishments | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 5 | 1,069 | 62% |
| 5 to 9 | 467 | 27% |
| 10 to 19 | 149 | 9% |
| 20 to 49 | 35 | 2% |
| 50 or more | 10 | 1% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 ↗ (NAICS 811111). An establishment is a single physical location, so an owner with three locations counts three times.
What an auto repair shop in Minnesota is worth
Auto repair shops typically sell for 3x-6x EBITDA, or 1.5x-3.5x SDE for smaller owner-operated auto repair shops, with most deals in the $200K - $3M range. These are industry-wide benchmarks, reviewed July 2026, not an appraisal of your shop.
What buyers pay more for
- +Fleet/commercial accounts
- +Specialty services
- +Multiple bays
- +Strong customer base
What buyers discount
- -Owner as primary mechanic
- -Single location
- -No specialty services
- -Declining area
How selling through DealSeam works
A confidential conversation
We learn about your shop and what you want from a sale. Nothing is listed publicly.
Introductions where there is a fit
Where a qualified buyer fits your shop, we introduce you, and only after you approve it.
You decide
You choose whether to go further, on your own timeline. Sellers pay nothing; the buyer pays our fee if a deal closes.
Selling an auto repair shop in Minnesota: common questions
How much is an auto repair shop in Minnesota worth?
Auto repair shops typically sell for 3x-6x EBITDA, or 1.5x-3.5x SDE for smaller owner-operated auto repair shops, with most deals in the $200K - $3M range. Buyers tend to pay more for fleet/commercial accounts, specialty services, multiple bays and strong customer base, and less where they see owner as primary mechanic, single location, no specialty services and declining area. These are industry-wide ranges, not an appraisal of your shop.
Who is buying auto repair shops in Minnesota?
Recent named deals in Minnesota include Service Garage of Blaine (acquired by Victory Tire & Auto, May 2026), Leighton's Garage (acquired by GreatWater 360 Auto Care, Mar 2026) and Heartland Tire (acquired by Telle Tire & Auto Centers, Feb 2026). Nationally, the largest groups consolidating auto repair shops include Mavis Tire Express Services (BayPine and TSG Consumer Partners, with the Sorbaro family's West First Management), Sun Auto Tire & Service (Leonard Green & Partners) and Big Brand Tire & Service (Percheron Capital, through a single-asset continuation vehicle co-led by Blue Owl Capital, ICONIQ and Warburg Pincus); 10 of the 13 platforms we track are private-equity-backed.
How many general automotive repair shops are there in Minnesota?
The Census Bureau's County Business Patterns counted 1,730 general automotive repair shops in Minnesota in 2023, ranking 17th of 50 states. 62% had fewer than five employees, 97% had fewer than 20, and 10 had 50 or more.
Does it cost anything to sell through DealSeam?
No. Sellers pay nothing. When a deal closes, the buyer pays DealSeam's fee. There is no listing fee and no retainer.
Will my employees or customers find out I'm thinking about selling?
No. Nothing is listed publicly, and your details go to a buyer only after you approve that introduction.
Selling another kind of business in Minnesota?
Selling an auto repair shop in another state?
Thinking about selling your auto repair shop?
DealSeam works confidentially with owners to understand their options and, where there's a fit, introduces them to qualified buyers, at no cost to sellers.
Talk to us about your Minnesota shop
Tell us how to reach you and we'll start a confidential, no-obligation conversation.
Sources
Valuation multiples are DealSeam's industry benchmarks, reviewed July 2026. Establishment counts are from the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 (NAICS 811111). Platform ownership comes from each platform's own or press sources, verified October 6, 2026. Named acquisitions are the deals we have recorded from public announcements, each linked to its source; they are not every deal in the state. Ownership in this sector changes often. None of this is investment, legal or tax advice.