Car buyer's broker in Victoria & Vancouver Island — ClearCut Auto
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Car buyer's broker · Victoria, BC

A car buyer's broker for Victoria who puts the mainland's inventory on your side of the water.

On the Island, the ferry sits between you and most of the province's inventory, and the local stores price accordingly. ClearCut Auto Inc. is a licensed, fee-only car buyer's broker: I take your specification to every store that has the vehicle, in Greater Victoria, up-Island or across the water, negotiate the price, and on the managed packages handle the dealership in person, wherever it is. I have been coming to Victoria my whole life. I do not need an excuse to make the crossing.

A car buyer's broker represents the buyer, not the dealership. In British Columbia that is a licensed activity: the broker-agent works for the person buying the vehicle, sources and negotiates on their behalf, and takes no payment from the selling side.

ClearCut Auto Inc. holds VSA Broker-Agent Licence B70016 and is fee-only. You pay a flat fee, from $250 to $5,000 plus GST depending on the package; no dealership or lender pays ClearCut anything. The licence covers all of British Columbia, and for Concierge and Reserve the ferry is my problem, not yours.

Buying a car in Victoria

Why buying in Victoria works better when the ferry is someone else's problem.

Four things about the Island market that a buyer sitting in one showroom never sees.

01 · The territory

Greater Victoria has the Island's largest cluster of stores, and it is still small.

Most brands have one or two franchised stores in Greater Victoria. The next is Nanaimo, and after that the mainland. Island buyers often assume the ferry ends the search; the stores assume the same thing, and the price reflects it.

Choice is leverage. On the Island you have to reach for it.
02 · The mainland

The same vehicle is for sale in five cities across the water.

Surrey, Langley, Richmond, Burnaby and Vancouver between them hold more of most brands' inventory than the whole Island. Each store carries its own overhead and its own number. Taking one specification to all of them and comparing the all-in price is most of what negotiation is.

Settle the price, the fees and the products first. The payment follows.
03 · In person, then delivered

On the managed packages, I am at the dealership. On Reserve, the vehicle rides the ferry to you.

For ClearCut Concierge and ClearCut Reserve I attend in person: the finance office, the products, the paperwork, at whichever store the vehicle comes from. On Reserve the vehicle is delivered to your door on the Island, so a mainland price never means a mainland day. Advisory packages are by phone, text or email, whichever suits you.

You never have to sit across from a salesperson. That is the point.
04 · The all-in number

Three taxes can apply, and the sticker is not the price.

GST applies to every vehicle purchase, BC PST climbs with the vehicle price, and a federal luxury tax may apply above the federal threshold. Every price in our free tools is shown all-in for BC so you can compare real numbers before you talk to anyone.

Ask for the all-in number, not the sticker.
Seven packages

Pick how much of it you want handled.

ClearCut Clarity
$250 + GST
A second opinion before you sign

We review the price and deal structure you have been offered, check the financing terms and any add-ons, and give you a clear summary of anything to fix before you sign.

Details →
ClearCut Strategy
$500 + GST
Coaching before you negotiate

Fair-price expectations for the vehicle you have chosen, what should and should not appear on the dealer's quote, and a negotiation game plan: what to say, when to push, when to walk.

Details →
ClearCut Discovery
$750 + GST
Help choosing the vehicle, plus coaching

A needs assessment and a shortlist tailored to your budget, market and pricing analysis on the recommended vehicles, and a negotiation game plan so you can close the deal yourself.

Details →
ClearCut Negotiation
$1,250 + GST
We negotiate the price for you

You tell us the vehicle; we negotiate the purchase price directly with the dealership, with fair-price benchmarking and financing-rate guidance. We hand off once the price is locked and you handle the finance office.

Details →
ClearCut Complete
$2,000 + GST
We find the vehicle and negotiate the price

Needs assessment, shortlist and sourcing the right vehicle, then we negotiate the purchase price directly with the dealership. We hand off once the price is locked and you handle the finance office.

Details →
Step one

A free call.

We go over the vehicle, or the shortlist, what you want out of it and which package fits. No charge, no obligation, and I will tell you honestly what I think I can do before you pay anything.

Step two

Sign and pay from your phone.

The Client Service Agreement is sent and signed through DocuSign and the fee is paid through Stripe. Work starts the day both are done.

Step three

It gets handled.

Coaching, negotiation or the whole thing through the finance office, depending on the package. On Concierge and Reserve, I am the one at the dealership, on the Island or wherever the vehicle is.

Common questions

Buying with a broker in Victoria.

Do you come to the dealership with me in Victoria?

For ClearCut Concierge and ClearCut Reserve, yes: I handle the dealership in person, through the finance office and the paperwork, at whichever store the vehicle ends up coming from. For Negotiation and Complete, the purchase price is negotiated directly with the dealership on your behalf and you take over at the finance office. Clarity, Strategy and Discovery are advisory packages delivered by phone, text or email, whichever suits you.

If the vehicle comes from the mainland, how does it get to the Island?

On ClearCut Reserve, it is delivered to your door; that is what Reserve is. On ClearCut Concierge, your responsibilities are arranging insurance and picking the vehicle up from the dealership, so we agree on the first call whether the right store is an Island one or a mainland one before any work starts.

Does buying on the mainland change registration or insurance?

No. Where the vehicle is bought does not change where it is registered, insured or serviced. ICBC coverage is arranged through an Autoplan broker; ClearCut Auto Inc. does not advise on insurance.

Which areas do you cover?

Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Sidney and Nanaimo on this page, and the rest of Vancouver Island the same way. ClearCut Auto Inc. is based in South Surrey and licensed for all of British Columbia; for Concierge and Reserve, distance is not a factor.

What does a car buyer's broker cost?

A flat fee, from $250 to $5,000 plus GST depending on the package, paid through Stripe. ClearCut Auto Inc. receives nothing from any dealership or lender. The fee is for the representation, never for the vehicle itself.

Are you licensed?

Yes. ClearCut Auto Inc. holds VSA Broker-Agent Licence B70016 from the Vehicle Sales Authority of British Columbia and represents buyers only.

Do you work with new and used vehicles?

Both. The package decides the scope, not the vehicle. Every price in the free tools on this site is shown all-in for BC, with GST, PST and any federal luxury tax already applied.

LicensedVSA Broker-Agent Licence B70016. ClearCut Auto Inc. represents buyers only.
Fee-onlyPaid by you, and only you. No compensation from any dealer or lender.
LocalServing Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Sidney and Nanaimo. Based in South Surrey, licensed for all of BC.

Buying in Victoria, Saanich, Langford or up-Island?

Start with the free call. Tell me the vehicle, or tell me you have no idea yet; either works.

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