Sound Familiar?
The Equipment Would Print Money. The Cash Is Stuck Under the Hood.
Right now there's a piece of equipment that would print money in your shop — an ADAS calibration system, a second alignment rack, the EV-rated lift the cars filling your lot already need — and it'd earn back its cost in months. But the bank wants three years of tax returns to think about it, so the calibration work you could be doing goes to the shop down the street for $3K–$5K a month. A bay sits half-used. The tech you'd hire stays unhired. None of that is a demand problem — the cars are in the lot and the work's there. It's capital stuck between the equipment that earns and the cash to buy it.
If every piece of equipment that pays for itself were funded the week you decided — how many more bays would be earning by now?
Bobby’s Take
Auto repair shops print money when they have the right equipment. A $95K ADAS machine that books $200K in new revenue the first year is a no-brainer — and the bank that wants three years of returns and treats your lifts as depreciating junk will never see it. They fund the equipment that earns, with the equipment as collateral, and they don't need a business plan to do it. So picture the bays you'd run if equipment cost never decided which work you could take — how much more is the shop billing?
Bobby Friel, Founder, Basecamp Funding · 20+ years in banking and finance
The Real Challenges
The Real Challenges Shops Face — and How Funding Solves Each One
| What it costs you | What solves it | Typical range | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idle or under-equipped bays | A failed lift or missing tool is lost bay revenue daily. | Equipment financing | $250K–$5M | 3–7 days |
| ADAS & EV readiness | Shops without ADAS/EV tooling lose customers now. | Equipment financing | $250K–$5M | Days |
| Shop expansion | More bays or a new location needs equipment and buildout. | Working capital + equipment | $250K–$20M+ | Days–weeks |
| Technician hiring | New techs carry payroll ~60 days before revenue ramps. | Working capital | $250K–$5M | 1–3 days |
| Parts working stock | In-house inventory for jobs ties up cash. | Line of credit | $250K–$5M | Days |
| Slow weeks / seasonality | Fixed costs don't stop in a soft stretch. | Line of credit | $250K–$5M | Days |
| Shop acquisition | Buying another shop or location. | Revenue-based acquisition financing | $250K–$20M+ | 2–4 weeks |
Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
Garage liability and shop coverage across 29 states → InsuranceService365.com.
The Numbers That Matter
Why Shop Equipment ROI Is Measured in Weeks, Not Years
$200K–$500K
Shop equipment investment over the life of the business.
Automotive Management Institute
20%+
Annual growth in the ADAS calibration market — shops without it are losing customers now.
McKinsey Automotive Aftermarket Report
$400–$800
The average repair order — making equipment ROI measurable in weeks, not years.
Auto Care Association
Capital Stacking
One File. Every Bay Equipped and Earning.
Expanding a shop is never just the lifts. It's the bays built out, the ADAS and alignment equipment to fill them, the diagnostic subscriptions, and the techs you hire and train before the revenue ramps. A bank treats it as one loan against depreciating gear and drags its feet. A marketplace structures each piece with the lender who underwrites it best — equipment financing for the lifts and ADAS, working capital for the buildout and the new techs, a line for the ramp — then stacks them into the number the expansion actually needs. Open every bay earning, not half-equipped and waiting on cash.
Funded for the equipment, the bays, and the techs — not rationed bay by bay.
How a $600K shop expansion gets funded
Equipment line caps short? The remainder stacks — for the full structure, see commercial financing.
Shops We've Funded
We've Funded Shops Like Yours
Representative scenarios — illustrative, anonymized figures, not specific client transactions.
Start Here
Find Your Structure in 60 Seconds
Move the slider for your estimated range, then answer three quick questions to lock it in. No documents to start. Soft-pull review — no score impact.
What Happens When You Start
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
What a shop owner hears every week
“A bay you can't fully use is the most expensive thing in your shop — overhead with no output. Fund the equipment that fills it, and the bay starts paying you back.”
Bobby Friel · Founder, Basecamp Funding
Why Us
Why Shops Fund With Us Instead of Their Bank
The Real Cost
Where Could This Shop Be Right Now?
The bays you can't fill never show up on a term sheet — but every week they sit dark, the cost compounds. If capital set how many bays you could run instead of capping it — where would this shop be a year from now?
Structure Your Capital Plan →Tax Strategy
Section 179 + 100% Bonus Depreciation on Your Equipment
If last year was strong and you’re about to write a check to the IRS — stop. Acquire qualifying equipment with as little as 10% down, finance the rest, and write off the full purchase price in year one. Section 179 covers it up to the annual cap; 100% bonus depreciation — made permanent in 2025, with no cap and no income limit — carries the rest.
At the top bracket, that first-year deduction can return meaningful tax savings — and for an established business with strong cash flow, it’s the difference between writing a check to the IRS and putting the same money into your own equipment. Your CPA models the exact numbers for your bracket and structure.
Worked scenario · top bracket · illustrative
You financed the machine and put down a fraction of its price — but you deduct the full price in year one. The write-off is bigger than your down payment, and the equipment keeps working the whole time.
Scales with your numbers
Illustrative only. Actual savings depend on your tax bracket, entity type, state conformity, and CPA guidance. Section 179 and bonus depreciation are elections your CPA makes for your situation; above the Section 179 cap, 100% bonus depreciation carries the balance.
Terms reflect credit, revenue, time in business, and each lender. Every file is unique — see what the desk structures for yours in the 60-second qualifier.
Bobby’s Take
“If you're paying cash for an ADAS machine or a row of lifts, run the Section 179 numbers first. Finance it, deduct it, and keep your cash to hire and expand.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
Avoid These
5 Funding Mistakes That Cost Auto Shops the Most
The calibration and EV work is already in your lot. Every job you can't do goes down the street — and trains your customers to go there. The equipment pays for itself in months; not having it costs you the customer.
A lift that fails inspection takes a bay dark at real daily cost. A line set up ahead of time turns the repair into a phone call, not lost throughput.
A merchant cash advance is the most expensive money there is. Equipment financing — with the equipment as collateral and Section 179 on top — funds just as fast at a fraction of the cost.
If you don't know which bays earn, you can't see which equipment to fund next. Bay economics tell you exactly where the next dollar of equipment pays back.
Scan tools, subscriptions, and software add up across bays. Fund the full tooling cost, not just the hardware, so a new capability doesn't create a cash gap.
Put It to Work
Use Your Capital For
01ADAS calibration systemsSee howLess“What's the calibration work worth that you're turning away every month?”
Equipment financing; the system earns back its cost in months, Section 179 year one.
Structure this02Lifts & bay equipmentSee howLess“What's a half-equipped bay earning versus a fully equipped one?”
Equipment financing, the equipment as collateral.
Structure this03EV / hybrid toolingSee howLess“How many EVs are already in your lot you can't fully service?”
Equipment financing for EV-rated lifts and HV diagnostics.
Structure this04Paint booths & body equipmentSee howLess“What collision overflow are you turning away for lack of a booth?”
Equipment financing for the booth and prep.
Structure this05Diagnostic & scan toolsSee howLess“What jobs walk because you don't have the scanner the newer cars need?”
Equipment or working capital for the tooling.
Structure this06Shop expansionSee howLess“How many more bays would you run if the buildout were funded with the equipment?”
Working capital plus equipment.
Structure this07Technician hiringSee howLess“What throughput are you missing for the techs you haven't hired because payroll leads revenue by 60 days?”
Working capital for the hire and ramp.
Structure this08Parts working stockSee howLess“How much cash is tied up in the parts you keep on hand for jobs?”
A line of credit for the working stock.
Structure this09Acquire another shopSee howLess“What shop or location would you buy if capital weren't a quarter away?”
Revenue-based acquisition financing.
Structure this10Ride out a slow stretchSee howLess“What does a soft month do to a shop carrying fixed bay overhead?”
A line that costs nothing until drawn.
Structure this11Pay off an MCASee howLess“What would your cash look like without the MCA taking a cut?”
Consolidate into a fixed payment; rate-review later — get funded now, optimize later.
Structure this12Buy your buildingSee howLess“When the lease comes up, are you signing again or buying the shop?”
Owner-occupied CRE.
Structure thisFunding by the Size of the Need
Funded at Every Stage
One application, multiple lenders — and a file read on repair-order revenue funds in days, whether the need is $250K or $20M+.
How It Works
From Qualifier to Funded in Five Steps
No paperwork avalanche. No bank lobby. No guessing.
Qualify
A few questions about the business, right here. No documents to start.
Application
A soft credit pull and a quick document review to pre-underwrite the file.
Matched to the Right Lenders
The specialist lenders who fund your business - the right lender on each piece.
One Advisor, Real Term Sheets
Your advisor brings back real term sheets, not estimates, and walks the structure.
Structured & Funded
Accept the structure that fits, sign digitally - funded in days, not months.
For the application, have ready
Under two years in business, or the returns show a loss? We can structure on bank statements alone.
Full Transparency
What Kills Your Qualification — and What Doesn't
Most lenders won't tell you this up front. We will.
By Shop Type
Financing by Shop Type
Every kind of shop — click yours for tailored options. Independent, collision, transmission, tire, EV, diesel, and more.
Distribute parts rather than install them? That's a different model — auto-parts distribution is funded against inventory depth and a delivery fleet. The hand-off at the end points you to the Wholesale hub.
Recommended Products
The Products Shops Fund With
Matched to how a shop actually earns — and stacked into the full number when one isn't enough.
Equipment Financing
Lifts, ADAS, alignment racks, scan tools, paint booths; the equipment secures the loan, Section 179 year one.
Working Capital
Buildouts, technician hiring, slow-week bridges, parts stock.
Business Line of Credit
A standing line for emergencies, parts working stock, and seasonality.
Term Loans
One lump sum for expansion or a new location.
Business Acquisition
Buy another shop or a multi-location group, revenue-based.
Revenue-Based Financing
Funding that flexes with your repair-order revenue.
FAQs
Auto Repair Financing — Questions Shop Owners Ask
Equipment financing for lifts, ADAS, and tools; working capital for buildouts, hiring, and slow weeks; a line of credit for parts stock and emergencies; term loans and acquisition financing for expansion. Most shops use a mix, stacked into one structure.
Equipment funds in days; an emergency lift or tool can move as fast as same day. A larger expansion stack typically funds in days to a couple of weeks.
Monthly revenue, time in business, and cash-flow stability. Credit is one factor — revenue-first underwriting means strong repair-order volume can offset a thinner profile.
Yes. The equipment serves as collateral, it's Section 179 deductible, and the ROI is measurable in weeks — exactly the kind of investment these lenders fund fast.
Yes. With 6+ months operating and steady deposits, the equipment secures the loan; newer shops may see a down payment.
Yes. A revenue-based capital stack funds the buildout, equipment, and ramp together — no business plan required.
This hub funds repair shops on bay equipment and shop working capital. If you wholesale or distribute parts to shops, see our auto-parts distribution financing at /industries/wholesale/auto-parts — built for inventory depth and delivery fleets.
No. A soft-pull review has zero impact on your FICO. A hard pull only happens if you choose to move forward with a specific lender's offer.
The Operator's Guide
Auto Repair Financing, the Way Bay Economics Actually Work
Why banks misread a shop
Look — your bank sees depreciating equipment and a thin-margin shop, and stops there. It doesn't grasp that the right machine fills a bay that's otherwise pure overhead, or that a repair order turns equipment into revenue in weeks. The lenders here see it your way, and they fund the equipment that earns — with the equipment itself as collateral, no business plan required.
The mistake I see most is turning away ADAS and EV work because the tooling felt out of reach, or putting a lift on an MCA because it was quick. Both cost more than financing the equipment the right way. Fund it, deduct it under Section 179, and keep the work — and the cash — in your shop.
Every kind of shop, funded around the bay
Independent shops, collision and auto body, transmission, tire and alignment, EV and hybrid, diesel, quick lube, detailing, towing, fleet maintenance, mobile mechanics — we fund every kind of shop. Equipment financing for lifts, ADAS, paint booths, and scan tools. Working capital for buildouts and techs. A line for parts stock and slow weeks. Revenue-based capital stacks for expansion and acquisitions. The capital matched to the bay, then stacked into the full number. If you distribute parts rather than install them, that's our auto-parts distribution financing at /industries/wholesale/auto-parts.
If there's equipment that would earn, a bay to add, or a shop to buy — start the review. A few minutes, soft-pull, no score impact. Most shop owners hear back within hours.
