5 owner GT car
Discussion
I have been looking for a GT car over the past few months. I was interested in a car that had had 5 owners. I spoke to a number of dealers and people I know who would be potential purchasers of a car of this nature.
On the basis you buy this car and want to sell it in the next 2 years....
Firstly, all the dealers I spoke to said they would struggle to sell a 6 ish year old GT car when the next owner would be number 7, even if the car was in excellent condition. One very well known and respected Specialist said they would not stock it as one of the first questions prospective GT purchasers as is how may owners has the car had. Therefore, you would have a very limited market unless the car was priced much lower than the others out there.
I spoke to a number of people I know who would be potential purchasers of a GT car and all said the number of owners would put them off as it raised questions such as: Has it been a problem car.
In an already limited market, I didn't want to buy a car that come sale time, has an issue which needs explaining, limits it's market.
On the basis you buy this car and want to sell it in the next 2 years....
Firstly, all the dealers I spoke to said they would struggle to sell a 6 ish year old GT car when the next owner would be number 7, even if the car was in excellent condition. One very well known and respected Specialist said they would not stock it as one of the first questions prospective GT purchasers as is how may owners has the car had. Therefore, you would have a very limited market unless the car was priced much lower than the others out there.
I spoke to a number of people I know who would be potential purchasers of a GT car and all said the number of owners would put them off as it raised questions such as: Has it been a problem car.
In an already limited market, I didn't want to buy a car that come sale time, has an issue which needs explaining, limits it's market.
I have been looking for a GT car over the past few months. I was interested in a car that had had 5 owners. I spoke to a number of dealers and people I know who would be potential purchasers of a car of this nature.
On the basis you buy this car and want to sell it in the next 2 years....
Firstly, all the dealers I spoke to said they would struggle to sell a 6 ish year old GT car when the next owner would be number 7, even if the car was in excellent condition. One very well known and respected Specialist said they would not stock it as one of the first questions prospective GT purchasers as is how may owners has the car had. Therefore, you would have a very limited market unless the car was priced much lower than the others out there.
I spoke to a number of people I know who would be potential purchasers of a GT car and all said the number of owners would put them off as it raised questions such as: Has it been a problem car.
In an already limited market, I didn't want to buy a car that come sale time, has an issue which needs explaining, limits it's market.
On the basis you buy this car and want to sell it in the next 2 years....
Firstly, all the dealers I spoke to said they would struggle to sell a 6 ish year old GT car when the next owner would be number 7, even if the car was in excellent condition. One very well known and respected Specialist said they would not stock it as one of the first questions prospective GT purchasers as is how may owners has the car had. Therefore, you would have a very limited market unless the car was priced much lower than the others out there.
I spoke to a number of people I know who would be potential purchasers of a GT car and all said the number of owners would put them off as it raised questions such as: Has it been a problem car.
In an already limited market, I didn't want to buy a car that come sale time, has an issue which needs explaining, limits it's market.
Buy on condition. I sold my GT3 and I was the 7th owner (maybe 8th) in 13 years. If you saw the write up on 911V's site when it was for sale, you would have got the picture, correctly, that it was one of the best around and it was sold, sight unseen (until he saw a 997GT3 and bought that instead)!
Condition, condition,condition.
I just bought a 5 owner CLK55 (over neary ten years) and, again, its in superbt condition. Yet I turned down a two owner, newer, car because it was a state. Number of owners means nowt.
Condition, condition,condition.
I just bought a 5 owner CLK55 (over neary ten years) and, again, its in superbt condition. Yet I turned down a two owner, newer, car because it was a state. Number of owners means nowt.
What Richard says - condition. But expect to pay a little less than a 2 owner car with the same condition. No of owners like miles should not determine whether or not the car is a good one, but it should to an extent influence the price you pay. In a ten year old car it wouldn't even influence price for me, but in a newish one I might expect it to be very slightly cheaper, but not much.
rlw said:
Buy on condition. I sold my GT3 and I was the 7th owner (maybe 8th) in 13 years. If you saw the write up on 911V's site when it was for sale, you would have got the picture, correctly, that it was one of the best around and it was sold, sight unseen (until he saw a 997GT3 and bought that instead)!
Condition, condition,condition.
I just bought a 5 owner CLK55 (over neary ten years) and, again, its in superbt condition. Yet I turned down a two owner, newer, car because it was a state. Number of owners means nowt.
Until you try to chop it in... Condition, condition,condition.
I just bought a 5 owner CLK55 (over neary ten years) and, again, its in superbt condition. Yet I turned down a two owner, newer, car because it was a state. Number of owners means nowt.
On a GT car, number of owners means next to nothing. I previously had a 7 owner GT3 which was arguably one of the best condition GT3s I've seen. The more glamorous cars can have multiple short term owners. Quite often each new owner does a bit of additional spend / tlc on purchase. A low owner, long retention car may start to get neglected.
Of course, there are examples where it works the other way round too...therefore as someone wrote earlier, it's condition, condition, condition.
In addition, a rarer GT class car can have other things going for it. E.g. A rare colour GT3 Clubsport would be snapped up if in good condition regardless of the number of owners.
On a so so or below par car, number of owners is just another reason to walk away from it.
Of course, there are examples where it works the other way round too...therefore as someone wrote earlier, it's condition, condition, condition.
In addition, a rarer GT class car can have other things going for it. E.g. A rare colour GT3 Clubsport would be snapped up if in good condition regardless of the number of owners.
On a so so or below par car, number of owners is just another reason to walk away from it.
Obviously the number of owners does count for something, but buy it on condition first and foremost. It may just be random that the car has a few more owners than normal. But really check it over, take it for a test drive, quiz the current owner carefully, perhaps go to the expense of getting it inspected. If it all checks out ok, then the number of owners "should" be irrelevant. By the way, I wouldn't plan on keeping it a short time, since you might compound peoples' suspicions when you come to sell.
You called the dealers and they told you they'd lowball you if it had too many owners so that's the fact of it. Of course they'll lowball you because it's an unpopular colour, because one service was a bit late and because of well most anything they can think of when they're trying to prise the keys from your clammy hand for the least amount of money they can manage.
Naturally when the next guy is buying suddenly owners don't count it's a rare colour and nobody cares about a slightly overdue service.
However, I maintain that a long owned car is potentially better looked after for example mine's coming up to 6 years with me, two owners before then in the first three years or so. It always goes to the same OPC on the dot of time so they know the car intimately I'm told the same guy works on it even. When something goes awry like the suspension getting a bit of a handful I know that as a keeper I might just as well get it done sooner and yield the enjoyment earlier as I did. If I was a shorttermer I might think it'll do until the spring when I'm dumping it. After all I'll never get that 3.5k suspension money back.
So to me yes owner count is a problem but with a very new car a year or two old I guess less so since they won't have had any issues to kick down the road. You'll still always get screwed trade in time though.
SM
Naturally when the next guy is buying suddenly owners don't count it's a rare colour and nobody cares about a slightly overdue service.
However, I maintain that a long owned car is potentially better looked after for example mine's coming up to 6 years with me, two owners before then in the first three years or so. It always goes to the same OPC on the dot of time so they know the car intimately I'm told the same guy works on it even. When something goes awry like the suspension getting a bit of a handful I know that as a keeper I might just as well get it done sooner and yield the enjoyment earlier as I did. If I was a shorttermer I might think it'll do until the spring when I'm dumping it. After all I'll never get that 3.5k suspension money back.
So to me yes owner count is a problem but with a very new car a year or two old I guess less so since they won't have had any issues to kick down the road. You'll still always get screwed trade in time though.
SM
rlw said:
But you bought at a lower price anyway...........
........and its a car, not a pension scheme..........
I doubt a dealer would pass on the whole saving he achieved via lowball to the purchaser and what's so wrong with making sure you buy right? Sure it's not a pension but it's smart to watch out for gotchas where they represent a few k in a couple of years. Why wouldn't you?........and its a car, not a pension scheme..........
SM
Low ball them when you buy it and then keep it longer term. These cars are toys - boys get bored with their toys quickly. I have to say I'm more concerned by someone selling a car after a very short period of ownership than the number of owners. It is an excuse to buy it cheap though and the biggest saving will be by you not the person you ultimately sell it to as it will become less of an issue as the car gets older and is worth less.
When I bought my GT3 it had had 5 or 6 owners in the 4 years since it was new. I did find it a little offputting but these cars do seem to be something on people's wish list and then they tick it off and move it on or find it a bit difficult to live with perhaps. However, it was the best condition one I had seen and the benefit of chopping owners a couple of times in the last year or so was that it had had a PPI at each owner change plus my own which I organised so it had been checked over 3 times in the last 5k miles or so! The car has been faultless in the 3 years since and still drives the best of all the ones I tried, so I'm confident it wasn't a case of people quickly getting out of a problem car! I expect if I tried to sell it someone would make comment about the number of owners, but I don't expect to sell it for a long time (maybe one day I'll be too old to enjoy it?) and by that time I'll have knocked the average down to one owner every 2 or 3 years and noone will think it unusual!
As above, buy on condition, condition, condition. Don't let a car with a higher number of owners put you off but at least be aware that it could be worth slightly less when it comes time to sell it on.
As above, buy on condition, condition, condition. Don't let a car with a higher number of owners put you off but at least be aware that it could be worth slightly less when it comes time to sell it on.
jcelee said:
Low ball them when you buy it and then keep it longer term. These cars are toys - boys get bored with their toys quickly. I have to say I'm more concerned by someone selling a car after a very short period of ownership than the number of owners. It is an excuse to buy it cheap though and the biggest saving will be by you not the person you ultimately sell it to as it will become less of an issue as the car gets older and is worth less.
This ^ if the condition is good and the service history is complete and the price is right. The longer you keep it the less it will be an issue, but don't expect to sell it on for the same price as an equivalent 1 or 2 owner car. If you are looking for a keeper/long term investment then I'd probably skip it. But otherwise could be great value if the seller is realistic on pricing.
People get out of GT3 ownership for many reasons.
Some move further up the food chain - my ex-Gt3 was owned by a guy who had chopped in for an RS, 6 months later that was back on the forecourt and he was in a 4.0 RS (lucky man).
I think others may find them just a bit too sparse/extreme.
Me - well my wife wouldn't even sit in it, because it was red
so it got moved on because it might as well have been a single seater and I just wasn't using it enough.
Nothing wrong with the car and I would still love to have it now but it already has 3 owners in 2 years so from that perspective I can see how they can accumulate owners at a rate.
Of course it may also be a duffer!!!
Some move further up the food chain - my ex-Gt3 was owned by a guy who had chopped in for an RS, 6 months later that was back on the forecourt and he was in a 4.0 RS (lucky man).
I think others may find them just a bit too sparse/extreme.
Me - well my wife wouldn't even sit in it, because it was red
so it got moved on because it might as well have been a single seater and I just wasn't using it enough.Nothing wrong with the car and I would still love to have it now but it already has 3 owners in 2 years so from that perspective I can see how they can accumulate owners at a rate.
Of course it may also be a duffer!!!
thegoose said:
uktrailmonster said:
The longer you keep it the less it will be an issue
uktrailmonster said:
If you are looking for a keeper/long term investment then I'd probably skip it.
Contradictory, no?Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff