Texas Auto Center

What Texas Auto Center does

Texas Auto Center is a privately held Buy Here Pay Here (BHPH) used car dealership founded in 1997 by Robert Blankenship and operating two retail showrooms in Austin and San Marcos, Texas. The company sells pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs typically seven model years old or newer, with each vehicle passing a 124-point inspection and sold with a 24-month/24,000-mile limited warranty.

The core product is the in-house financing program delivered through a captive lender, Colonial Auto Finance, which approves customers based on current income and ability to repay rather than credit history. This enables the dealership to serve subprime, no-credit, and credit-rebuilding consumers who are typically declined by traditional lenders. Supporting products include a trade-in service usable as down payment, a credit-builder program that reports on-time payments to major credit bureaus, bilingual English/Spanish service, and a mobile app for online payments through the Repay platform.

Texas Auto Center generates revenue primarily from one-time used vehicle sales and from interest and fees on installment loans originated through the BHPH program. Down payments typically range from 10% to 20% of purchase price, with promotional minimums as low as $300-$500, and approval decisions are returned within approximately 30 minutes. The company operates with 11-50 employees, no external institutional capital, and a multi-channel marketing approach spanning its website, blog, mobile app, social media, and physical dealership signage targeting Central Texas consumers.

Name

Texas Auto Center

Legal name

Texas Auto Center LLC

Website

https://texasautocenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Texas Auto Center is a privately held Buy Here Pay Here used car dealership with two Central Texas locations (Austin and San Marcos) that sells pre-owned vehicles and provides in-house financing through Colonial Auto Finance to subprime and credit-rebuilding consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Used Car Dealership (Buy Here Pay Here)

NAICS

Used Car Dealers (44112), Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441)

SIC

Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

New & Used Auto Purchase Loans (FSAKADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Vehicle Protection & Add-on Product Financing (Warranties, GAP, Service Plans) (FSAKADAL), Auto Loan Servicing & Collections (FSAKADAK)

Keywords

• Buy here pay here
• Used car dealership
• In-house auto financing
• Bad credit car loans
• Pre-owned vehicle sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Used Vehicle Sales: One-time sale of pre-owned vehicles including cars, trucks, and SUVs. Revenue generated from the purchase price of vehicles sold to customers.
2. Buy Here Pay Here Financing: In-house financing through Colonial Auto Finance. Revenue generated from interest payments and financing fees on installment loans. Focuses on customers with poor or no credit history.
3. Trade-In Services: Accepts vehicle trade-ins which can be used as down payment toward new purchase, reducing financing amount.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Texas Auto Center is a Buy Here Pay Here (BHPH) used car dealership operating two Central Texas locations in Austin and San Marcos. It sells pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs and underwrites financing in-house through Colonial Auto Finance for customers with bad credit, no credit, or those rebuilding credit, with a 30-minute approval process and flexible down payments. Every vehicle is covered by a 24-month/24,000-mile limited warranty and a 124-point inspection, and on-time payments are reported to credit bureaus to help customers rebuild credit.

Product overview

Texas Auto Center operates as a Buy Here Pay Here used car dealership with two Central Texas locations (Austin and San Marcos). The core offering combines pre-owned vehicle sales with in-house financing through the BHPH program, allowing customers with credit challenges to purchase vehicles. The product portfolio centers on the BHPH financing program and used vehicle inventory (cars, trucks, SUVs from brands like Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Jeep), supported by the 24-month/24,000-mile limited warranty, trade-in services, and a credit builder program that reports payments to credit bureaus. Additional services include Spanish-language support and a mobile app for convenient payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Used Vehicle Inventory

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-minute approval process
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Better Business Bureau (BBB)minorOthersTexas Auto Center maintains BBB accreditation, displaying the BBB logo on their website as a trust signal for customers.
• National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA)minorOthersTexas Auto Center is a member of NIADA, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association, which provides industry resources and certification.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Group 1 Automotive:
• CarMax: CarMax is the largest used car retailer in the U.S. with 240+ stores and a national digital platform. While CarMax does not specialize in BHPH, it is the dominant no-haggle used car incumbent that Texas Auto Center indirectly competes with for budget-conscious used vehicle buyers in the Austin market.
• AutoNation: AutoNation is one of the largest U.S. automotive dealer groups with 250+ stores across multiple states. Its used car operations and in-house financing (including subprime) compete for budget-conscious buyers in Texas markets, though it is a broad multi-brand incumbent rather than a BHPH specialist.
• Carvana: Carvana is the leading online used car retailer with national delivery, in-house financing (including subprime), and a no-haggle model. While not BHPH-specialist, it competes for the same credit-challenged and convenience-oriented buyer in Austin/San Marcos with a fundamentally different (digital-first) delivery model.
• Lithia Motors: Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD) is the largest U.S. automotive retailer with 300+ stores and an aggressive acquisition strategy. Its Driveway online used car platform and growing Texas presence (including Austin) make it a meaningful adjacent competitor for both inventory and subprime financing share.

Direct peers

• DriveTime: DriveTime is one of the largest BHPH-focused used car dealers in the U.S. with 140+ stores nationwide. Directly comparable on BHPH model, subprime in-house financing, and credit-challenged customer segment, with a deeper technology stack and broader geographic footprint.
• America's Car-Mart: America's Car-Mart (NASDAQ: CRMT) is the largest dedicated Buy Here Pay Here used car dealer in the U.S., operating 150+ stores across the South and Midwest. It is the closest direct comparable: identical BHPH model, in-house financing, focus on credit-challenged borrowers, similar inventory profile. Notably, multiple Texas Auto Center management contacts use car-mart.com email addresses, suggesting a potential operational affiliation or acquisition relationship.
• J.D. Byrider: J.D. Byrider is a BHPH franchise network operating 150+ locations across the U.S. with a credit-challenged customer focus and in-house financing model. Directly comparable on BHPH mechanics, subprime underwriting, and warranty add-ons, though distributed via franchise rather than corporate stores.

Emerging players

• Vroom: Vroom is an online used car retailer offering vehicle sales and financing (including to subprime borrowers) with national delivery. It targets a similar budget-conscious buyer to Texas Auto Center via a pure online model, but with a more limited operational footprint and ongoing financial restructuring risk.

Regional players

• Lone Star Auto Sales (regional TX BHPH): A Texas-based BHPH dealer network with multiple locations in the Lone Star State. Comparable in business model (in-house financing, subprime focus) and regional positioning, though with a different geographic mix than Texas Auto Center's Central Texas concentration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TexasAutoCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/texasautocentersanmarcos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/texas-auto-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas Auto Center