Number of owners

[daveskerr82]

Good evening!

Been a lurker on here for a good few years and I finally thought I would sign up to ask for some assistance.

I have been looking at used 987s for while now but due to a recent work promotion last week after a tough year I have decided to take this search more seriously!
There is a car advertised locally to me and I have been in contact today with the seller asking various questions and one thing that came up is that the car is a 55 plate but has had 5 previous owners. Should this be of concern or is it usual for for boxsters to change hands so frequently?

Any car that I decide to purchase will have an independent inspection carried out but would the high number of owners in a short space of time put anybody off???

David

[khushy]

Hi - its a car like any other - of course it matters - unless you are a selling dealer or pipe smoker of course LOL

If it feels wrong, it is and there are hunderds on the market too.

Khushy

[carsarecool]

Plenty of choice out there, so if it worries you at all, it will worry someone else when time comes to sell it - so I'd move on.

Unless it is a good spec & price....

[daveskerr82]

Thats the problem, it does seem to be a good spec and price, and its local!

David

[thegoose]

If the car's nice, has been well cared for, passes an inspection, and you like it, the last thing you will be worried about is the number on a piece of paper in the kitchen drawer when you're enjoying yourself driving it.

One owner a year isn't all that many either. I have quite a few clients that regularly change cars more often than that and it doesn't affect the quality of the car. If they've bought it off me and looked ater it I'm always happy to have it back, be that 3 months or 3 years later.

Having said all that, if you're interested in an incredible specification Boxster in great condition with very few owners (1 or 2 previous I think) then please get in touch

[daveskerr82]

Should I investigate this or not:

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

Hate the wheels, a set of the same wheels in silver are available from the dealer.


Thanks

David

[daveskerr82]

Should I investigate this or not:

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

Hate the wheels, a set of the same wheels in silver are available from the dealer.


Thanks

David

[GT Two]

thegoose said:

If the car's nice, has been well cared for, passes an inspection, and you like it, the last thing you will be worried about is the number on a piece of paper in the kitchen drawer when you're enjoying yourself driving it.

One owner a year isn't all that many either. I have quite a few clients that regularly change cars more often than that and it doesn't affect the quality of the car. If they've bought it off me and looked ater it I'm always happy to have it back, be that 3 months or 3 years later.

Having said all that, if you're interested in an incredible specification Boxster in great condition with very few owners (1 or 2 previous I think) then please get in touch

You have made me feel better Marcus.

Looking at a 996 C4s and if it passes inspection I will be mostly happy to buy. It has had 7 previous owners on a 2002 car, apparently 2 on the log were something to do with being exported to teh Isle of Man!?

Anyway if the car is good one, I will buy and enjoy.

[thegoose]

GT Two said:

It has had 7 previous owners on a 2002 car, apparently 2 on the log were something to do with being exported to teh Isle of Man!?

That usually sounds like a story (aka cherished plates) but could be true. I sold an Audi A8 W12 to a client in September 2009 and took it back off him a few months later (he's Chinese and over here as as student and is enjoying trying as many cars as possible whilst he's here as they're SO much cheaper than at home).

Anyway, I next sold it to a chap on the IOM - it had lots of road tax on it so I registered to ourselves so that I could cash it in and the customer wasn't bothered as it didn't affect it once over there.

He then had a medical problem that made him re-evaluate his life so he wanted to buy a boat, which necessitated selling the car. It had only done another 2,000 miles or so and the IOM MOT people had insisted on a new set of tyres in order to register it (there were very slight signs of perishin that you almost needed a microscope to see) - £1200 in an almost non-competitive market. He contacted me about it, said how much he wanted and I agreed to buy it. He sent his dad on the boat to Liverpool, where I met him with my cheque book and he returned as a foot passenger. I re-registered the car to ourselves so that it would be ready to go once a buyer was found - this didn't add an owner in this case but it would have done if another dealer had bought it instead.

As it turned out a lawyer from Paris bought the car, but registered it in the UK (he has family and a base here) and then cashed the tax in...

I'd be happy to have the car back any time - it'll be 6 owners (it was 2 previous when I first had it, 2 of whom were business partners who shared it) but incredible spec and a lovely car (any recent Parisian scuffs & dents not withstanding). I guarantee that not one of the 3 people I sold it to gave a second thought to the number on the logbook whilst they used and enjoyed it.

[996ttalot]

Also to add there are many times when the number of owners has been increased on the V5 by the DVLA because of change of address or plate - it shouldn't happen, but it does. Again depending on how far back it goes 7 owners might actually be 6 for example.

Buy on condition and service record.

[bridey0]

What would u rather have, a car thats been maintained properly regardless of costs and had more than average owners or a 1 or 2 owner car that's been scrimped on with maintenance??!
No brainer IMO

[khushy]

thegoose said:

If the car's nice, has been well cared for, passes an inspection, and you like it, the last thing you will be worried about is the number on a piece of paper in the kitchen drawer when you're enjoying yourself driving it.

One owner a year isn't all that many either. I have quite a few clients that regularly change cars more often than that and it doesn't affect the quality of the car. If they've bought it off me and looked ater it I'm always happy to have it back, be that 3 months or 3 years later.

Having said all that, if you're interested in an incredible specification Boxster in great condition with very few owners (1 or 2 previous I think) then please get in touch

^Shameless^ but predictable dealer quotation!

it DOES matter - but maybe the normal rules of dodgy numbers of owners doesnt apply to the royal Porsche marque.

Other normal rules dont seem to apply either apparrently - like errrrrrrrr DRIVING IT!

LMAO

Edited by khushy on Tuesday 20th December 07:23

[khushy]

996ttalot said:

Buy on condition and service record.

If its a keeper - maybe I would agree - but if its just another fun car - no dealer I have evercome accross uses these rules.

[daveskerr82]

Any comments on the car I've posted?

David

[kingstondc5]

khushy]it DOES matter - but maybe the normal rules of dodgy numbers of owners doesnt apply to the royal Porsche marque.[footnote]Edited by khushy on Tuesday 20th December 07:23[/footnote said:

Why does it matter on how many owners its had as long as its been maintained, no overrevs etc?

What happens if it goes from 'collection' to 'collection' not gathering up any mileage?

[rlw]

What would you rather have?

A car owned by one person for the last ten years who hasn't got a clue how to drive it or care for it and only gets it serviced because he has too and then avoids doing all the advisories

or

A car owned by a succession of enthusiasts over the last ten years which has been driven well, cared for properly and serviced annually with all advisory work being done, and additional work and upgrades over normal.

How is that one owner car better exactly? What guarantee does one owner give if that one owner is a complete ?

[monthefish]

I don't think it matters at all.

The boxster is the kind of car that is bought as a plaything. It's not especially practical as a road car, and it's too refined to be a dedicated track machine so it's probably more likely than most cars to change hands regularly once the 'itch had been scratched' and they realise it isn't much use for anything other than just driving.

thegoose said:

One owner a year isn't all that many either.

If the last couple of owners had only owned it for short periods (<6 months) I'd maybe be a bit concerned there is some underlying issues, but other than that, I wouldn't let it concern me at all.

[kingston12]

rlw said:

How is that one owner car better exactly? What guarantee does one owner give if that one owner is a complete ?

The only question it raies for me is why did the owners keep selling it on? Were there recurring problems that casued them to want to get shot of it, or was it a succession of enthusiasts who were looking to get into a Boxster for a year before moving onto something else.

Unfortunately, this is a question that you are unlikely to get an answer to.

Although the Boxster gets little respect on here compared to the higher end Porsches, out in the real world it is still quite a high end car for most people, so I can imagine it being a car that people buy to experience for a short time before getting the 3-series estate or RAV-4.

[nickfrog]

Condition, condition, condition. The rest is of very little importance, although it does affect some people's perception of the value of a car as they may need reassurance and feel that a 1 owner car is necessarily better. So a car with more owners is worth a little less than the equivalent 1 or 2 owners' car, which is very good news if you're buying and you keep the car a long time as the length of ownership of the last owner is more relevant to those who understand these things.

[Actus Reus]

What Nick says - enthusiasts tend to change their cars more often than somebody that buys a car to get about in. The Boxster tends towards being more for enthusiasts than it does 'normal' punters, so they change hands a bit more regularly. If it's in good condition, go for it I say.

ETA: re: the car posted, decent spec, though I also hate those rims. How bad are the stone chips? Are the seats standard, and unheated? Heated sports seats are fairly desirable in a Box, especially so if you live somewhere cold can I infer you live in or near Scotland?). Overall I think that's a decent spec, in a dull colour with horrible alloys. Price I won't comment on as haven't been following the Boxster market. Consider speaking to your local Porsche dealer, as they'll give you a two year warranty with the purchase, and that's perhaps something you might fancy for peace of mind... Just my 2c. They're great cars, they really are...new Boxster due to be launched in a few months though.

Edited by Actus Reus on Tuesday 20th December 10:42