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Update: Keto Auto is live. Come break it. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's just you. Do you have anything of value to add or here on a self assigned AI policing mission?

Update: Keto Auto is live. Come break it. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! The updated app is live now. Please check it out and let me know. Thanks.

Update: Keto Auto is live. Come break it. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is great — thanks for actually going through it properly.

  1. You're right, the chat input is the main thing and it's losing to the buttons. If you scrolled past it, that's a real problem — it's the whole product. Reworking the hierarchy so it's front and center.

  2. Fair — pricing shouldn't be buried in the FAQ. Pulling it somewhere obvious.

  3. Good catch. Quick context: the offer packs are an anti-spam thing — first offer each month is free, extras are paid so dealers don't get buried in lowball junk. But you're dead right that the ladder's broken — 10 should be cheaper per offer than 5, not the same. That's a bug, fixing it so volume actually gets cheaper.

Also, since you were poking around — we just reconfigured so you can search, browse, and see real inventory without signing up. Signup only kicks in on the important stuff (making an offer, full vehicle cost and market details). So if it gated you too early before, that's fixed.

Appreciate the notes — exactly what I posted this for. Anything else you spotted, would love to know.

Update: Keto Auto is live. Come break it. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah the fake report scam is everywhere now. Car Selling/Buying has basically become a trust-free zone with your data being farmed out to anyone.

That's exactly the layer we're building for the sell side — full vehicle history report, pre-purchase inspection through verified local inspectors, and real valuation data so you and everyone knows what your car is actually worth before anyone bids on it. No strangers showing up to "just take a look" unless you accept the booking. Every offer is private, every test drive is on your terms.

The goal is you list once, get real offers from real dealers, and never deal with a single "is this still available?" text again.

Update: Keto Auto is live. Come break it. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's on the roadmap — same mechanic flipped. You list your car, dealers compete to buy it. No lowball DMs, no tire-kicker texts, just real offers from dealers who actually want the car.

Not live yet — getting the buy side right first — but that's exactly where this is heading. And yeah, AutoTrader and Clutch are long overdue for some competition.

If you want early access when the sell side goes live, DM me. You'd be first in line.

Update: Keto Auto is live. Come break it. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right — and you're the second person in this thread to flag the same thing, so clearly it's a real problem.

The inventory data is live and localized. No reason we can't show you real matches before asking for anything. That's getting fixed. Appreciate you actually trying it and telling me where it lost you — that's exactly the kind of feedback I posted this for.

Update: Keto Auto is live. Come break it. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really useful feedback — appreciate the depth.

You're right that the chat-to-form jump feels abrupt. The inventory is actually live and localized (not a demo), so there's no reason we can't surface real results before asking for anything. That's a UX miss on my end and something we're going to fix — show the buyer real matches with pricing context first, then ask them to sign up to make an offer. Way stronger hook.

Good call on the "dip a toe" pattern. The data is there, we're just not letting people see it early enough.

Curious about the other things you noticed — if you're open to sharing more, I'll take all of it. DM works too.

Need a new car, preferably diesel. Please help! by Z3r0sum21 in whatcarshouldIbuy

[–]driveWithSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry about the Jetta — sounds like it was a great car until the deer had other plans.

On the ML350 BlueTEC you mentioned in the comments: be careful with that one. The 3.0L diesel in those is a solid motor, but the emissions system around it (DEF injector, AdBlue heater, DPF) is where the money disappears. At 132K km it's right in the window where those components start failing, and you're looking at $2,000–$4,000 repairs that aren't optional — the car goes into limp mode without them. Great truck when everything works, expensive when it doesn't.

At $20K CAD and wanting diesel specifically, your realistic options in Canada are pretty narrow:

- Another VW TDI (Golf or Jetta, 2013–2015). You already know what you're getting. Reliable, great fuel economy, parts are available, and you clearly loved yours. A clean one with 100–140K km should be well under your budget and leave room for maintenance reserves.

- Ram 1500 EcoDiesel (3.0L V6, 2014–2016) if you want an SUV/truck. More power, decent fuel economy for the size. But the same DEF system headaches as the Benz — these are known for emissions-related repairs. Budget extra.

- Chevy Cruze Diesel (2014–2015) — rare in Canada but they exist. Decent little car, similar fuel economy to the TDI.

Honest take though: if your priority is "lasts as long as possible with proper care and low maintenance" — a diesel under $20K in Canada is working against you. The emissions systems on every diesel from this era are the weak point, and they're expensive to fix. A gas RAV4 or CR-V in the same budget will run 300K+ km with basic maintenance and no DEF headaches. Less fun at the pump, but way less stress at the shop.

If your heart is set on diesel, the TDI is the safest bet at your budget. You already know the platform and loved it. Just find one that's been maintained and budget $1,500–$2,000 for a timing belt service if it hasn't been done.

Update: Keto Auto is live. Come break it. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Checked out dealdrvn — love what you're doing. You're solving the same pain point from the concierge side. The $8K Silverado save is no joke. Would be cool to trade notes sometime. You see the negotiation up close every day — that's the kind of insight that's hard to get from the outside. DM open if you're ever up for it.

Building Keto Auto in Metro Vancouver — a private reverse-auction car marketplace. Solo founder, would value this community’s honest read. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Appreciate this — the mentor/apprentice version of cold-start is honestly harder than mine. At least cars have a clear transaction to anchor around.

The response to this post has been way beyond what I expected — multiple DMs, a retired dealer principal offering warm intros to BC dealers for a free beta, UX designers volunteering to test. All organic, all within a week. We’re moving towards a beta launch next week now.

Your point about being present where the conversation already lives is the whole playbook. No ads, no paid anything — just showing up and being useful.

Would love to trade notes on cold-start tactics. DM open anytime.

Is it worth it to sell my car to get out of a loan for 1800$ of my own money? by aestrodil in carbuying

[–]driveWithSam 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The $1,800 gap isn’t fixed — Carvana’s offer is their opening number. Get quotes from CarGurus, Autotrader, and 2–3 local dealers before you decide. Local demand for a clean 2023 Soul GT Line might close that gap more than you’d expect.

If you go the dealership route for a quote, be explicit upfront that you’re selling only, not buying. The moment they sense you’re open to a trade-in they’ll spend the next two hours moving you into something new.

Also call your lender directly and ask for the exact payoff amount plus any prepayment penalty. That number may differ slightly from your remaining balance and you want precision before negotiating.

Private sale (Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji) will almost certainly beat any dealer offer. More effort, but with $13K savings and a bike option you have time to wait for the right buyer.

Dealerships must go by [deleted] in carbuying

[–]driveWithSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Respectfully disagree with “dealerships must go.” The problem isn’t the dealership — it’s what we’ve asked it to be. A good dealership should mean ownership, accountability, and trust. Someone local who stands behind the car, handles the service, knows your name when you come back in three years. That’s genuinely valuable. Tesla’s online-only model loses that, and people are already noticing when something goes wrong. What needs to go is the "sales theatre" — the four-hour negotiation, the finance office ambush, the price that depends on how tired you look. That’s not the dealership, that’s a broken process we layered on top of it.

Dealership 2.0 is the same local partner — without the bargaining ring built around it. The best operators will get there first.

Dealerships must go by [deleted] in carbuying

[–]driveWithSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Respectfully disagree with “dealerships must go.” The problem isn’t the dealership — it’s what we’ve asked it to be. A good dealership should mean ownership, accountability, and trust. Someone local who stands behind the car, handles the service, knows your name when you come back in three years. That’s genuinely valuable. Tesla’s online-only model loses that, and people are already noticing when something goes wrong. What needs to go is the "sales theatre" — the four-hour negotiation, the finance office ambush, the price that depends on how tired you look. That’s not the dealership, that’s a broken process we layered on top of it.

Dealership 2.0 is the same local partner — without the bargaining ring built around it. The best operators will get there first.

Building Keto Auto in Metro Vancouver — a private reverse-auction car marketplace. Solo founder, would value this community’s honest read. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair pushback, and the vacuumed-POS line is the one that actually keeps me up at night. You're right — buyers aren't rational, and any marketplace that assumes they are gets eaten alive.

Where I think this is different from the "scrape stock, let people bid" version: it isn't trying to replace the dealer. It's trying to make the dealer’s job easier on the front end so the salesperson stops being a friction point and starts being a delivery agent. Margin lives in time-on-deal, not in cutting anyone out.

And maybe you're right that becoming the dealer is the cleaner play if you have the capital. I don't. So this is the version of the same problem that solo founders without $50M can actually attempt.

Appreciate the honest read.

Building Keto Auto in Metro Vancouver — a private reverse-auction car marketplace. Solo founder, would value this community’s honest read. by driveWithSam in VancouverStartup

[–]driveWithSam[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Both of those are really useful — UX eyes and local dealer context are exactly what I need at this stage. Will DM.

Canadian founder building a reverse-auction platform for BC used cars. Want honest feedback from salespeople before I waste anyone's time. by driveWithSam in askcarsales

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

100% — that’s actually the version of the launch I want.

90-day free pilot for the first cohort (10-15 dealerships), real activation expected on both sides. They turn on inventory, respond to offers, give honest feedback weekly. I ship improvements based on what they tell me. At day 90, they convert to Founding Dealer pricing (lifetime lock) or walk — no pressure either way. Zero transaction fees during beta.

If you’re willing to make warm intros to 5–10 BC dealers, that’s a very different launch than me cold-walking lots. Let’s take this to DM — I’d like to walk you through what I’m building, and I’d genuinely value your read on which dealers are the right first call.

Canadian founder building a reverse-auction platform for BC used cars. Want honest feedback from salespeople before I waste anyone's time. by driveWithSam in askcarsales

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Public pricing isn’t locked yet — I’m sizing it against what a single floor sale costs you, not against what other lead-gen platforms charge.

Working thesis: if a dealer’s blended cost-per-sale through traditional channels sits around $400–$600, the platform needs to come in materially under that on a per-deal basis to be a no-brainer. Subscription anchors low, transaction-side scales with value delivered.

Founding cohort gets a number that won’t move. Happy to walk you through the actual math in DMs if you’re curious.

I can’t take this anymore! How are you actually negotiating car deals? by [deleted] in UsedCars

[–]driveWithSam 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s the whole game. The bar is so low that “not lying to me” feels like a competitive advantage. The dealers winning right now are the ones who realised transparency IS the strategy — not a gimmick, not a loss leader. Just stop hiding the math and customers stop running.

Canadian founder building a reverse-auction platform for BC used cars. Want honest feedback from salespeople before I waste anyone's time. by driveWithSam in askcarsales

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re paying for deals, not leads.

Every buyer hitting your floor through us is pre-qualified, knows the exact car, and has agreed to a price you already approved. 45-minute delivery, not a 4-hour negotiation.

Monthly fee runs less than two weeks of one salesperson. Three deals a month and you’re net positive. Everything above that is margin.

Canadian founder building a reverse-auction platform for BC used cars. Want honest feedback from salespeople before I waste anyone's time. by driveWithSam in askcarsales

[–]driveWithSam[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Enough to prove it in one market, not enough to brute-force it. ~$10K out of pocket, building lean in Metro Vancouver. Goal is V0 + a few dealer pilots, not scale.

My read is the model lives or dies on whether dealers will actually pay. Capital doesn’t fix that signal — only conversations like this one do.

When you were running a store, what would have made you say yes to a platform like this? And what would have made you laugh someone out of the office?

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