Why I built this

I’m [Name]. I built AutoRadian. It’s just me.

I spend my days working somewhere that’s put me right in the middle of a trust problem — different sides, different interests, and it’s rarely clear who’s actually being straight with who. Doesn’t matter which side it’s coming from. I’ve spent years watching that play out, and it made me care a lot about transparency — actually having it, not just saying you do.

Then the actual, dumb, specific thing happened: I went looking for a 2019 Ford Fiesta hatchback, stick shift. That’s it, that’s all I wanted. Instead every site kept showing me sedans. Automatics. Cars from 2007. “Similar” results, over and over, because some algorithm decided that was close enough. It wasn’t close enough. It drove me nuts.

And it clicked — same problem, smaller stakes. You ask for one clear thing, and something else gets put in front of you anyway. I didn’t want to build another one of those.

So I didn’t. No paid placement. You search for a car, you get that car, not whatever a dealer paid to put in front of you. $12 to list for 60 days, $5 to renew — no bundled-up “premium package” nonsense designed to confuse you into spending more.

We’re new. There aren’t a ton of listings yet — I’m not going to pretend otherwise. So if you like what this is trying to be, tell a friend. That’s genuinely how a thing like this gets off the ground.

And hey — if you don’t have any friends, ask Tom. My first friend on MySpace. I miss you so much it hurts sometimes.

— [Name]