(car) squad goals

Innovative national auto dealership drives into Houston area with massive inventory and online shopping

CarSquad helps you score those wheels.

Houstonians in search of new wheels will soon have a new option, thanks to a national chain steering into town.

Florida-based CarSquad will open its first Houston outpost near Katy at the northwest intersection of I-10 and Highway 99, the company announced. The 15-acre site is slated to open in early 2023.

CarSquad’s Katy location will feature a large sales floor, detailing floor, and test drive area (occupying more than 21,000 square feet) and an inventory lot that can accommodate up to 1,500 vehicles, which makes it one of the largest car dealership stores in the Houston area.

How does CarSquad work? Interested customers can buy, sell, or trade pre-owned vehicles online, or in-person with the help of sales experts. Shoppers can peruse the Katy and Texas inventory as well cars and trucks available in all five CarSquad locations in Florida. The company promises “five-star customer service,” low prices, and reasonable financing as hallmarks of the brand.

The new CarSquad brand is a sister company of Off Lease Only, a high-volume, pre-owned car dealership group in Florida that has sold more than 350,000 cars over 18 years, according to press materials.

“Harnessing the success of Off Lease Only in Florida, it was central to our strategic plan to expand geographically. The Texas market for used vehicles was the driving factor to open the first store in Houston,” said Lee Wilson, CEO of Off Lease Only, in a statement. “Without Jim Smith Sr. and Smithco Development, this expansion to a prime location in the heart of Katy would not have been possible. Our local partnerships with Smithco and Spirit Realty Capital were instrumental to CarSquad’s opening.”

Interested potential customers can get Katy location updates online.

This Week's Hot Headlines

Austin restaurant chain bowls over River Oaks and more popular stories

Photo by Becca Wright

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including restaurant openings and a major acquisition for MFAH. Plus, where to celebrate New Year's Eve in Houston. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the best Christmas weekend events.

1. Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

2. Houston's only Michelin-recognized Tex-Mex restaurant now open in Bellaire. It didn’t take Sambrooks Hospitality Group long to turn Mandito’s into Candente. First announced in September, the restaurant’s second location officially opened December 22.

3. 25 Houston restaurants celebrating New Year's Eve with caviar, bubbles, and more. Houston restaurants are ringing in the new year with indulgent menus featuring caviar, lobster, and steak, along with plenty of bubbly.

4. Houston museum acquires historic Masonic lodge property for new greenspace. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has acquired a prime parcel to expand its campus in the Museum District.

Holland Lodge masonic building The building at 4911 will be torn down for the new greenspace. Holland Lodge No. 1, A.F. & A.M./Facebook

5. Houston's richest residents, best suburbs, and more top city news in 2025. As 2025 comes to a close, we're looking back at the stories that defined Houston this year. These are the City Life stories that captured Houston's attention.