Franopolis
    vs

    Franchise opportunities compared

    CARSTAR vs MEINEKE

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    CARSTAR2025 FDDMEINEKE2025 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    CARSTAR

    $23,500 – $804,300

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    MEINEKE

    $224,898 – $1,200,818

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    CARSTAR

    Not available

    MEINEKE

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    CARSTAR

    Not available

    MEINEKE

    $20,800

    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 32

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2025 FDDs.
    • CARSTAR and MEINEKE disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (CARSTAR: 19, MEINEKE: 3). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    CARSTAR

    $23,500 – $804,300
    2025 FDD · Item 7

    MEINEKE

    $224,898 – $1,200,818
    2025 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    MEINEKE

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    MEINEKE

    $20,800
    Annual minimum royalty
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 32
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    CARSTAR

    $500
    Insurance and Marketing Fund Fee minimum
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31

    MEINEKE

    $20,000
    Initial advertising contribution
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 32

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts

    MEINEKE

    716
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 88
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    Only one year reported

    MEINEKE

    +11
    Calculated: 705 at end of 2022 → 716 at end of 2024
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    MEINEKE

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    MEINEKE

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    MEINEKE

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    CARSTAR
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — CARSTAR franchised facilities, Bottom 50% by 2024 average Gross Sales
    198 units
    other Part A
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 78
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — CARSTAR franchised facilities, Top 50% by 2024 average Gross Sales
    199 units
    other Part A
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 78
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Part B franchisee-operated facilities converting existing repair businesses; FY…
    $1,340,572
    other Part B
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80
    +16 more groups in the full report
    MEINEKE
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Meineke Centers meeting Item 19 Part A criteria
    $913,607
    other for all centers Gross Revenues
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 86
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — New franchised Meineke Center first-year ramp
    $148,140
    other 1st Quarter Average Gross Revenues
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 87
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Meineke Centers meeting Item 19 Part A criteria
    $75
    other Center count of new ramp sample
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 87

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    CARSTAR vs MEINEKE: common questions

    Which costs less to open, CARSTAR or MEINEKE?
    CARSTAR: $23,500 – $804,300 (2025 FDD · Item 7); MEINEKE: $224,898 – $1,200,818 (2025 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for CARSTAR. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Do CARSTAR and MEINEKE disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    CARSTAR has reviewed Item 19 figures for 19 location groups; MEINEKE has reviewed Item 19 figures for 3 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full CARSTAR report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full MEINEKE report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Compare CARSTAR with

    Compare MEINEKE with

    Add a third brand

    Compare up to four side by side

    Explore by brand

    Filter every published report

    FDD glossary

    Plain-language meaning of each Item