no of owners/length of ownership

[homerjay]

how much attention to you pay to such info when buying a used cars?

would you be deterred by a car that only been owned by the current owner for a couple of weeks/months?

would you be concerned by a car thats had multi owners in quick succession?

[Whitean3]

Doesn't really bother me too much- all dependent on the car of course. For me, it's always based on condition and good history. That said, every car I have purchased (only 3) has been a 1 owner from new... varying from 2-6 years old. I would normally look at cars 3-5 years old that have done the bulk of their depreciation.

[BCP007]

Hi Chaps im new to the forums although have utilised Pistonheads for trade advertising and generally reading any news !!I am involved in the motor business ( please go easy with me !) , so thought i could contribute some helpful comments from considerable experience...generally One or Two Owner vehicles (some ex-demo plus one owner) are more ' sought ' after by both main dealers and independants as they are more of a selling point when it comes to remarketing so perceived as being more desirable to the end user/next buyer. Of course the age of the car is relevant and the type, model etc. If a one year old car has had 3 owners, the overall condition generally reflects this, the slang in the trade would be the car has had ' 3 honeymoons ' ! It is always the case 99% of the time that a 3 + year old car which has only had one owner/keeper has been cared for much better that one with 3/4 owners ( i.e a new owner every 12 months !!) However i guess this is logic ! Of course there are variations as I am assuming private owners rather than lease/company owned etc etc these naturally are different as a One owner ( accident exchange in the V5) vehicle thats been used as a courtesy/loan car is the worst example and I would say in 99% cases a 3 plus owner car privately owned throughout its life would be a much cleaner straighter example than one of these...but again pretty logical really

I am slightly prejudice as I am speaking with all my experience from dealing with the more prestige brands i.e Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes, Porsche etc. Its fair to say when a supercar/high performance is first registered it invariably can change hands quite frequently in the early stages of its life as clients get bored, have other cars on order, change in circumstances/requirements, speculative purchases etc

Without doubt a low ownership vehicle is considered more saleable and is appraised as such, of course this needs to be supported by the right service history, mileage etc. This applies to classics also. We do come across high owner, low mileage examples that can be very nice cars but as a rule we prefer an average mileage car with minimal owners rather than a 5 owner low mileage example !! p.s a sports/prestige vehicle with over 5 owners is significantly devalued and or hard to remarket.

Hope this is useful !

[Gad-Westy]

I never pay any attention to number of previous owners unless it is alarmingly high.

[homerjay]

define honeymoons?

thrown from pillar to post?

or

affectionally caressed?

[spurs-442]

My Focus had 4 owners since new (May 2006) When I first read through the history of the car, I was told that the first owner was in fact the dealership where I was purchasing from (the name under the number plate was infact the same dealer). so really 3 "owners" since 2006 - which was fine for me.

So far, my car has been fine

[8400rpm]

My best so far is a CRX that I had, the V5 noted that it had 14 previous owners.

[BCP007]

homerjay, perhaps lovingly caressed for the each of the owners first few dates then after the 'just got' period ragged from pillar to post, of course depending on the type of vehicle !!

[E21_Ross]

a car that has been kept for many, many years is more likely to have been cared for well. my E21 was in the same hands for 18 years, before moving to his daughters hands for another 4 years. it shows it's been cared for.

if it's been owned for weeks. i'd thinkg "they've found a problem and want shot"

[300bhp/ton]

homerjay said:

how much attention to you pay to such info when buying a used cars?

would you be deterred by a car that only been owned by the current owner for a couple of weeks/months?

would you be concerned by a car thats had multi owners in quick succession?

Would depend on the car, the price and the condition.

Personally I often think people place far too much on number of owners or service history, neither actually prove anything.

[monthefish]

homerjay said:

how much attention to you pay to such info when buying a used cars?

would you be deterred by a car that only been owned by the current owner for a couple of weeks/months?

would you be concerned by a car thats had multi owners in quick succession?

1. A bit, but the car itself is more important.

2. I'd want to know why, but not overly concerned...


3. ...unless it had multi owners in quick succession.