SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MINNESOTA
CAR-X franchise in Minnesota: what the public record shows
Franchisees of CAR-X in Minnesota have taken 7 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $275,857). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. CAR-X has too few seasoned resolved loans nationally for a national ratio. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 3 franchised outlets in Minnesota (fiscal 2025) — about 0.05 per 100k residents.
Loans in MN
7
Charged off (all years)
1 of 7
Loss ratio in MN
—
Loss ratio nationally
—
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MN. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
1,915
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
33.1
national 30.2
Versus the country
+10%
denser
Every business in CAR-X's industry operating in Minnesota — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$1,120
Minnesota, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,002
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+12%
costlier to staff
What CAR-X's industry actually pays workers in Minnesota, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is independent of the FDD: a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | 9 |
| 2024 | 3 | 9 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 |
| System | Loans in MN | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MN | Units in MN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Napa Auto Parts | 29 | 1 of 26 | — | — |
| Honest-1 | 23 | 0 of 15 | — | 16 |
| Precision Tune Auto Care | 19 | 5 of 16 | — | 8 |
| Tires Plus | 17 | 0 of 14 | — | — |
| Amoco (Gas Station) | 12 | 2 of 11 | — | — |
| Maaco | 10 | 2 of 9 | — | — |
| Mac Tools | 10 | 0 of 6 | — | — |
| Matco Tools | 9 | 2 of 8 | — | — |
| All Tune and Lube | 8 | 3 of 8 | — | — |
| Valvoline Instant Oil Change | 8 | 0 of 6 | — | — |
| Meineke | 7 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| World Fuel Services | 7 | 0 of 2 | — | — |
Other systems in CAR-X's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Minnesota. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing CAR-X’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.