Hey there, I’m Tom, the guy behind DriveBye. If you’d told me a few years ago I’d be running a business to help folks in Des Plaines and northwest suburbs sell their cars without breaking a sweat, I’d have laughed. DriveBye wasn’t some grand plan cooked up in a boardroom—it started with a buddy, a beat-up SUV, and a favor that snowballed into something bigger than I ever imagined.

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I’ve been in the car world for over 25 years, fixing, selling, and geeking out over everything from sedans to pickups. I’ve always loved helping people navigate the automotive maze—whether it’s figuring out why their engine’s making that weird noise or getting a fair deal. One Saturday a couple of years back, my friend Mike from Schaumburg called me up, sounding stressed. He needed to sell his old Honda Pilot to make room for a new family car, but the thought of dealing with it was giving him a headache. “Tom,” he said, “I went to a dealer, and they offered me peanuts. And listing it online? I don’t have time to meet strangers in parking lots or haggle over texts. Help me out, man!”

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I could hear the frustration in his voice—Mike’s a busy dad with two kids and a full-time job. So, I told him, “Relax, I got this.” I swung by his place, gave the Pilot a good wash and detail, snapped some decent photos, and listed it on a couple of platforms. I handled all the calls, weeded out the lowballers, and set up a test drive with a buyer I vetted first. A week later, Mike had a check in his hand for way more than the dealer offered, and he didn’t have to lift a finger. He was over the moon, and I’ll admit, it felt pretty good to make that happen.

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Then something funny happened. Mike told his coworker in Palatine, Lisa, about it. Lisa had a Toyota Camry she’d been meaning to sell but was nervous about meeting buyers alone. She called me, and I did the same thing for her—cleaned it up, listed it, negotiated, and closed the deal. Lisa told her neighbor, who told their cousin in Hoffman Estates, and before I knew it, my phone was buzzing with friends, friends of friends, and even a random guy from Arlington Heights who heard about me at a kid’s soccer game. They all had the same problem: selling a car felt like a part-time job they didn’t sign up for, and they were tired of getting ripped off or feeling unsafe.

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One day, over burgers at the local Culver’s, Mike looked at me and said, “Tom, you’re sitting on a goldmine. Why don’t you make this a real thing?” I brushed it off at first—I mean, I was just helping out, right? But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I’d seen firsthand how miserable the car-selling process could be. Dealerships lowball you, private sales are a hassle, and the whole thing eats up time you don’t have when you’re juggling work, kids, or just trying to enjoy a quiet weekend in the suburbs.

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So, I took the leap and started DriveBye. The name came from that feeling of waving goodbye to your car—and all the stress that comes with selling it. My goal was simple: make it so easy for folks in northwest Chicago that they could sell their car for top dollar without dealing with a single shady buyer, sketchy test drive, or stack of paperwork. I built a service that handles everything—cleaning, repairs, professional photos, listings, negotiations, you name it. We even verify buyers to keep things safe, so you never have to worry about who’s showing up at your driveway.

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What started as a favor for Mike has turned into a trusted way for busy people like you—parents, professionals, grandparents—to sell your car without the headache. Whether you’re in Schaumburg, Palatine, or Hoffman Estates, DriveBye’s here to get you more money, save you time, and keep the process stress-free. I’m still that guy who loves helping people, but now I’m doing it for the whole community, one car at a time.

Ready to sell your car the DriveBye way? Drop us a line, and let’s make it happen!