Orange County Express Car Wash, Real Estate Included

$1.3M

Revenue

$660K

SDE

21.2x

Multiple

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Full Editorial Writeup

An exceptional opportunity awaits in the heart of Orange County, California. This express car wash, expected to be fully operational within a few months, is a high-margin asset that combines automotive services with valuable real estate. It is currently structured for passive management, with an absentee-owner model generating an impressive annual net profit of $660,000 from a revenue of $1,320,000. The business property resides in a high-traffic corridor, making the most of the region's year-round car-wash demand and affluent demographic. It boasts a high-capacity "Long Tunnel" system designed for maximum throughput and efficiency, perfectly capturing the constant flow of OC traffic. The asking price for this venture is $14,000,000, which includes both the business and the real estate. The property itself has been appraised at approximately $10,000,000, according to seller disclosure. A down payment of $4,200,000 (30%) is required, and the deal is SBA Pre-Qualified, offering streamlined financing for qualified buyers. This acquisition is a turnkey opportunity for those looking to diversify their portfolio with a high-revenue business and significant real estate footprint. The sale comes with full support and training for a smooth transition into this profitable venture. Contact Joey Kim for detailed prospectus and confidential inquiries. Secure your position in the thriving OC automotive market. Please call 213-255-1478.

Why we like it

Express car washes are a proven recession-resistant model with high gross margins, low labor, and membership-driven recurring revenue that smooths cash flow. A cheap frequent purchase like a $10 to $20 wash holds up when discretionary spending contracts, which is exactly the durability profile we want.
Roughly $10,000,000 of the $14,000,000 ask is hard real estate in a high-traffic Orange County corridor with an affluent customer base. That gives a buyer meaningful downside protection and collateral value independent of how the operation performs day to day.
The deal is SBA pre-qualified, which lets a qualified buyer control a $14,000,000 asset with $4,200,000 down. Leverage on a real-estate-heavy, cash-flowing operation is attractive if the underlying earnings are real and the property appraisal holds.
Structured for absentee, manager-run operation, which fits a portfolio buyer who wants a semi-passive hard asset rather than a full-time job. Express tunnels are among the most automatable service businesses once ramp is complete.

How to improve it

Aggressively build the unlimited-wash membership base in the first 90 days with sign-up promotions and on-site attendants converting single-wash customers. Membership revenue is the entire game in express washing because it turns a weather-dependent business into a predictable subscription base.
Layer in dynamic pricing and premium wash tiers with ceramic and hot-wax add-ons to lift average ticket. The affluent OC demographic supports upsell tiers that most operators leave on the table.
Install and optimize the point-of-sale and RFID/LPR access system to reduce staffing at the pay stations and enforce the absentee model. Automating entry and payment is what makes this genuinely manager-run versus attendant-dependent.
Run a local geo-targeted marketing push with commuters in the corridor, tied to the daily traffic flow the listing cites. Fill the tunnel during off-peak hours to raise utilization on an asset that is largely fixed cost.
Negotiate volume pricing on chemicals, water reclamation, and utilities, since these are the primary variable costs in a tunnel wash. Water reclamation upgrades also protect margin against California utility and drought surcharges.
Establish a real KPI dashboard tracking cars per day, membership churn, capture rate, and revenue per car. The seller has provided almost no operating history, so instrumenting the business from day one is essential to prove and defend the numbers.

Diligence notes

The listing says the wash is expected to be fully operational within a few months, which strongly implies the $660,000 net profit is projected, not historical. Demand trailing twelve months of actual bank statements, merchant processing records, and membership counts, and treat any pre-operational figure as unproven until verified.
At $14,000,000 on $660,000 of cash flow the blended multiple is 21x, extreme for a car wash and only justified if you back out the real estate. Get an independent appraisal of the property because the entire deal rests on the claim that roughly $10,000,000 of value is the land and building, not the operation.
Confirm the true years in business, ramp curve, and whether the $1,320,000 revenue figure reflects a stabilized run rate or an annualized projection from partial months. A brand-new express wash can take 18 to 36 months to hit mature membership levels, so the timing of stabilization changes the return materially.
Verify the SBA pre-qualification terms, including whether the operating-business portion supports the loan given limited operating history and the size of the real estate component. Also confirm environmental and water-reclamation compliance, since California car washes carry meaningful regulatory and utility cost exposure.
Scrutinize the absentee-owner claim by identifying the actual on-site management structure, staffing costs, and whether those wages are fully loaded into the $660,000 figure. Understated labor or owner-substitute costs are the most common way car wash cash flow gets inflated.

Source

Originally listed on BizBen. View original listing →