Aug. 17, 2017—Car Guys Collision Repair has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Gunder’s Auto Repair in Lakeland, Fla.
Dave Mitchell, the president of Car Guys Collision Repair who appeared in FenderBender's August issue, said the deal will officially close on Sept. 15. In addition to another acquisition Mitchell made on Friday, this becomes Car Guys’ thirteenth location in central Florida.
Mitchell said he and Gunder had been working on a deal over the past five months. Gunder’s Auto Repair made the deal public on Aug. 15 on its Facebook page.
Mitchell said the deal is notable because Car Guys is very DRP-heavy, while Gunder’s Auto Repair is openly anti-DRP. Ray Gunder, owner of the shop, had levied around 40 lawsuits against State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Travelers and GEICO back in 2013.
“It’s an interesting story, with him getting out and us coming in,” said Mitchell. “We’re two different faces and models of collision repair.”
“But there are also lots of similarities, because we want high quality and happy customers,” he continued. “What’s strange about that store is that most hops that are not DRP friendly, they don’t have much work. Insurance can strong-arm them—that didn’t work with Ray. Through his loyal customer base and service and attention to detail, customers have continued to come back regardless of insurance companies have said.”
