I never planned to sell cars. Twenty years in tech — finished as a CIO. A few more running restaurants and Cobs Bread franchises. Then my wife and I packed it all up and moved to the Comox Valley to be closer to family.
Four years ago I walked into this industry as an outsider. That turned out to be exactly the right way to come in.
Because here's what you learn fast from the outside: the traditional way of buying a vehicle isn't designed around the buyer.
That's not a knock on dealerships or the people in them — most of us are genuinely trying to do right by the person across the desk, and the dealership I work at is one of the good ones. It's about how the floor-up model is structured. You walk in, you get whichever salesperson is "up." That person is judged on deals closed this month. You might only overlap for thirty days before the next sale takes priority, and after you drive off the lot the math pulls attention to whoever walks in next — not to a phone call with you.
Nobody's fault — that's just how the model works. But it's not the version of the job I want to run.
What I'd rather do
When you buy a vehicle through me, I'm trying to build something different: a personal relationship that lasts past the paperwork. Not because a CRM reminder told me to. Because that's just how I'm wired — 20 years in tech taught me the value of a real follow-up, hospitality taught me that the moment after the meal is where loyalty is earned, and four years in cars has shown me that the people who come back and bring their friends aren't the ones who got the cheapest deal. They're the ones who felt someone was actually in their corner.
So when you work with me, you get three things that aren't a given in this industry:
One — I'll be straight with you about what I don't know. I'll research it. I'll come back with the answer. I won't make it up to get you off the lot.
Two — I'll tell you if the vehicle you're looking at is the wrong one for how you actually live. Sometimes the right move is to walk away from the one you drove up in. That's not a loss — that's the only reason you'd trust me the second time.
Three — I'll follow up after you drive away. Not a form letter. Not a birthday card. An actual conversation — because we have one now, and if you bought something through me it just gives us something else to chat about.
Why Better Drive exists
BetterDrive.ca is the version of my job I want to run. It's not a separate company from the dealership — I still work at Comox Valley Toyota, and the inventory you see here is our inventory. What's different is the funnel. Instead of walking in off the street and getting whoever's "up," you come in already talking to me. You've already read how I think. You already know who you're dealing with before you walk in the door.
That changes everything. When you arrive, we're not in a showroom stance. We're two people who've already started a conversation — and we're just picking up where we left off.
The promise
I'll keep this short: Buy your next vehicle with someone on your side.
That's the wedge. It's not a slogan — it's a filter I run every decision through. Every vehicle I pick to feature. Every post I write here. Every follow-up I send. The question is always: If it was my own family buying this car, would I still make the same call?
If I ever stop running my work through that filter, please — write me. Tell me. I'll take it seriously.
What's next
This Journal is where I'll put the stuff that takes more than a text message to explain. Buyer's guides specific to Vancouver Island. The questions I'd want someone to ask me before they sign anything. What I actually think about the inventory on my lot this week. The occasional rant about something in the industry that bugs me.
If you're in the market — or even if you're just a year out — poke around. Get to know how I think. When you're ready, we'll talk.
Until then.