Buying a pre-owned vehicle is daunting, especially if you don't know the process or how to inspect it mechanically. Everyone should have a mechanic friend to help them through the process. I help people in Vancouver and beyond buy used cars privately, without getting burned.
I'm Dawson March, mechanical engineer by training, former engineer at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1, and a guy who's still genuinely happiest covered in grease under an old Toyota.
Over the past year I've personally bought, fixed, and resold 20+ cars on Marketplace without taking a loss on a single one. The F1 background helps me see things others miss. The 20 flips taught me everything the textbooks don't: what curbers actually do, how private sellers price, when to walk and when to push back.
I started this service because I kept watching friends and strangers on Reddit get ready to make $10,000 mistakes that an hour of my time would prevent. Figured I should just charge for the hour.
Buying privately on Marketplace or Kijiji saves most people two to five thousand dollars over a comparable dealership car. It also exposes them to curbers posing as private sellers, hidden mechanical problems the seller "didn't know about," and listings written to sound great that fall apart in person.
Most first-time buyers don't know what they don't know. The whole process is stacked against them.
That's where I come in. I find the listings worth chasing, spot the lemons before you sign anything, and negotiate prices that almost always cover my fee and then some.
Dawson helped me buy my dream truck, a 1990 Toyota Land Cruiser listed at $10,000 on Vancouver Island.
After his inspection (a long list of small stuff but nothing scary), he told me to offer $3,500, max $4,000. I was planning on offering around $7,000. I was scared to offend the seller, and I thought that was insultingly low and was sure I'd lose the deal. He insisted, so I reluctantly put the offer out at $4,000. The seller said "okay, sure." I was floored.
Then things got complicated. The battery was dead, every parts shop in the area had closed, and I was about to be stuck on the island overnight. Dawson pulled a battery out of his own car for me. While I was installing it, I put the terminals on backwards. Dawson caught it before I connected anything. He told me later it would have fried the entire electrical system had I turned the key with reverse polarity.
With 5 minutes to make the ferry, I turn the key, and nothing happens. Risking missing his own ferry, Dawson looked in the engine bay and found a wire that I had broken while dropping the battery in. He literally held the wires together by hand while I turned the key. The truck jumped to life. We made the ferry with two minutes to spare.
Without him there I would have overpaid by thousands and probably destroyed the truck before getting it home. The Land Cruiser has served me great ever since.
From a quick second opinion on a listing to walking you through the entire process. Choose what fits.
Send me up to three listings you're considering. You'll get a detailed write-up on each: what to ask the seller, the red flags I see, what the car should actually cost, and whether it's worth a closer look in person.
I review the listings you're considering, then we get on a video call where I walk you through the entire buying process and give you advice specific to your situation. After the call, you go and buy the car on your own with confidence.
Whatever support you want, I can provide. Scales all the way up to a full buying service: I take your goals, find listings myself, handle the back-and-forth with sellers, then meet you in person for a full mechanical inspection and test drive. I handle the negotiation or coach you through it, then walk you through ICBC registration and insurance. From "I need a car" to keys in your hand, with you the whole way.
Sedans, SUVs, trucks, and a few that came home with me by accident. Twenty-plus cars sourced, inspected, repaired where needed, and resold. Never at a loss.
We all know someone with a car-buying horror story. I've had my fair share of close calls, and this story is just one of my many near misses.
I drove an hour to look at a Chevrolet that was priced well under market. The seller had it parked outside his own mechanic shop and confidently told me the only issue was a simple misfire: a slight vibration at idle, check engine light. Symptoms lined up. Price was fantastic.
When I plugged in my scan tool, no misfire codes appeared. The actual fault was a camshaft position sensor. I tested for misfire directly. There wasn't one.
The real story: the engine had been run low on oil, the timing chain had stretched, and the internals were damaged. I couldn't have been paid to take that car home.
Without a real inspection, that buyer pays a great-sounding price for a vehicle that's about to need a full engine. This is exactly what I'm here to keep from happening to you.
Send me the details: a Marketplace link, a make and model you're shopping, or just "I have no idea where to start." I'll get back to you the same day.
I respond to messages within a few hours during the day. If a listing is hot and you need eyes on it now, say so in the message and I'll prioritize it.
