Quick Verdict · who it fits
Dealer Specialties International fits owner-operators looking for an emerging automotive concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$17K - $45K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$10K
System size (Item 20)
21
Years in business
31+ yrs
Company-owned units
48
Item 3 litigation
3 suits
Model Dealer Specialties International's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
•No exclusive territory✓No bankruptcy disclosed•3 Item 3 cases
Data extracted from the 2025 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
69
Total units open
0
Units opened last year
6
Units closed last year
-6
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2025 filing.
5
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
4
Questions to ask
How Dealer Specialties International ranks against 60 Automotive peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
3rd pct · of 60 peers
Franchise fee
11th pct · of 60 peers
System size
27th pct · of 60 peers
Automotive industry averages
Avg investment
$319K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$34K
Avg system size
196
Franchises analyzed
60
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dealer Specialties International | Disclosed | $10K | $17K - $45K | — | 21 |
| Ideal Automotive DealerSimilar price | None | $45K | $3K - $24K | — | 3 |
| Jiffy LubeBiggest system | None | $18K | — | 4% | 2,083 |
| Systemforward AmericaTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $118K - $191K | 7% | 309 |
Not sure Dealer Specialties International is the one?
Answer five questions and get matched against 2,000+ analyzed FDDs — including every Automotive brand we cover. Free, no account needed.
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
Mavis never acquired Big O Tires. It bought NTB and Tire Kingdom from TBC in 2023 and closed on Midas in June 2025. Big O is still a wholly-owned TBC subsidiary, and its FDD issued June 30, 2025 reports a $2,824,712.79 average across 457 stores.
Brand Analysis
Byrider franchise costs run $947,000 to $1,577,500 per the 2026 FDD, and most of that money never touches the building. It funds the loans you make to your own customers. Here's the full breakdown, including real Item 19 earnings by quartile.
Brand Analysis
Big O Tires runs 461 franchised stores and zero company-owned, charges a 3.5% to 5.0% royalty matrix, and does disclose Item 19: an average of $2,824,712.79 across 457 stores. It is a TBC brand, not a Mavis one. Here is what the FDD supports.
Dealer Specialties International requires a $10,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $17,400–$44,900, per the most recent FDD on file.
Dealer Specialties International franchises are sold by Dealer Specialties International, Inc., the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
Yes. Dealer Specialties International discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
As of their 2025 FDD, Dealer Specialties International has 21 total locations. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
No. Dealer Specialties International does not grant exclusive territory rights under Item 12. The franchisor retains the right to operate or grant additional units inside or adjacent to your trade area.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt