Is 8 owners in 9 years too many?
Discussion
I am thinking about scratching the 911 itch and have been looking at a 2010 997.2:
The car has below average mileage, is reasonably well specced, appears to be pretty clean to me and has been serviced at OPC throughout it”s life with the exception of the last service which was done by a reputable specialist.
Everything appears good, but I stopped myself from signing on the dotted line when I learnt that it had 8 previous owners in its lifetime. Now I know the perceived wisdom with Porsche is to go on how well it has been looked after, but a new owner every year seems to set alarm bells ringing for me. The seller assured me this is quite usual for a Porsche, but then he would say that.
So am I right to be paranoid and walk away or should I accept that Porsches can realistically change hands this many times and it is perfectly normal?
The car has below average mileage, is reasonably well specced, appears to be pretty clean to me and has been serviced at OPC throughout it”s life with the exception of the last service which was done by a reputable specialist.
Everything appears good, but I stopped myself from signing on the dotted line when I learnt that it had 8 previous owners in its lifetime. Now I know the perceived wisdom with Porsche is to go on how well it has been looked after, but a new owner every year seems to set alarm bells ringing for me. The seller assured me this is quite usual for a Porsche, but then he would say that.
So am I right to be paranoid and walk away or should I accept that Porsches can realistically change hands this many times and it is perfectly normal?
Use to be normal in gt cars as people buy and don’t get on with them.
But these days imo for a normal car it seems odd, would put me off, as it’s a great car so why so many owners.
Also why take it out the OPC network when it’s had a full OPC history.
You could get a 111 OPC inspection and ask the owner to add a warranty.
But these days imo for a normal car it seems odd, would put me off, as it’s a great car so why so many owners.
Also why take it out the OPC network when it’s had a full OPC history.
You could get a 111 OPC inspection and ask the owner to add a warranty.
g7jhp said:
I'd agree if it was a Golf, but it's a 911.
Lots of people buy them coming from modern comfortable cars and then can't live with the road noise, the odd rattle, attention, mpg and decide they can get something luxurious with newer tech.
Best to get it checked by a reputable indie.
I could understand if this applied to one or two of its owners, but seemingly nobody keeping it for longer than a year has me concerned.Lots of people buy them coming from modern comfortable cars and then can't live with the road noise, the odd rattle, attention, mpg and decide they can get something luxurious with newer tech.
Best to get it checked by a reputable indie.
I just don’t know if the concern is warranted or not.
There would be a stigma attached to such a high number of owners, which should be reflected in a lower value, as you would encounter the same issue when you come to sell, because there will be a perception that previous owners haven't liked or gelled with the car.
Obviously it would have been sold by Porsche from new, but it would be interesting to know the nature of each subsequent sale.
If it was retailed by an OPC every time, then it would have been brought up to Porsche Approved standard for each sale, so that could be argued to be a bonus.
However, if it has been the subject of a mix of private and trade sales, then that is a lot less attractive.
Obviously it would have been sold by Porsche from new, but it would be interesting to know the nature of each subsequent sale.
If it was retailed by an OPC every time, then it would have been brought up to Porsche Approved standard for each sale, so that could be argued to be a bonus.
However, if it has been the subject of a mix of private and trade sales, then that is a lot less attractive.
Edited by Koln-RS on Saturday 6th July 18:04
Koln-RS said:
There would be a stigma attached to such a high number of owners, which should be reflected in a lower value, as you would encounter the same issue when you come to sell, because there will be a perception that previous owners haven't liked or gelled with the car.
Obviously it would have been sold by Porsche from new, but it would be interesting to know the nature of each subsequent sale.
If it was retailed by an OPC every time, then it would have been brought up to Porsche Approved standard for each sale, so that could be argued to be a bonus.
However, if it has been the subject of a mix of private and trade sales, then that is a lot less attractive.
I think the price does probably reflect this aspect of the car, because everything else is pretty appealing, I.e. the spec, the mileage, the condition (that I can see, although I am not a professional).Obviously it would have been sold by Porsche from new, but it would be interesting to know the nature of each subsequent sale.
If it was retailed by an OPC every time, then it would have been brought up to Porsche Approved standard for each sale, so that could be argued to be a bonus.
However, if it has been the subject of a mix of private and trade sales, then that is a lot less attractive.
Edited by Koln-RS on Saturday 6th July 18:04
As I say I know the perceived wisdom with Porsche brand is that they can change owners more frequently, but this seems like a lot. Plus as you intimate the number of owners would almost certainly be used as a massive stick to beat me with unless I were to keep the car 10 years, which given I have never kept a car more than 3 years is unlikely
Even the best examples of the best 911 variants often do few miles and are traded in for the new big, new thing. This is most acute and noticeable at the brand new end in the GT cars, but it happens across the range as it also does through the life of these cars. It's perfectly possible to like a car (and look, after it) whisky at the same time looking for its replacement.
My ex-996 had 11 owners in 14 years (including me). To be honest, I didn’t notice/check when I bought it but all of the research suggested this was normal.
What I did, to alleviate the obvious questions when I came to sell, was get some information from DVLA on when the ownership changed hands. They hide behind GDPR but then you get to speak to someone half-sensible they can provide you with this information. Just dates, no names or anything else.
What I found on mine was that it had 7 owners in the first 3 years (and 3 in the first year), so I was happier that in the remaining 11 years there had been only 4 more owners. Basically, the headline stats on your car may sound a bit concerning to you, but the devil is in the detail.
It wouldn’t put me off if the car was in suitable condition.
What I did, to alleviate the obvious questions when I came to sell, was get some information from DVLA on when the ownership changed hands. They hide behind GDPR but then you get to speak to someone half-sensible they can provide you with this information. Just dates, no names or anything else.
What I found on mine was that it had 7 owners in the first 3 years (and 3 in the first year), so I was happier that in the remaining 11 years there had been only 4 more owners. Basically, the headline stats on your car may sound a bit concerning to you, but the devil is in the detail.
It wouldn’t put me off if the car was in suitable condition.
If lower by a margin than similar spec / condition cars could be worth it. If say £5k lower than similar car / miles etc then that would compensate.
Point above about when you sell, next owner will be number 10 is a thought worth consideration though.
Personally, I'd pay a little more and get what I was more comfortable with. It'll always be in the back of your mind...I speak from experience here
Point above about when you sell, next owner will be number 10 is a thought worth consideration though.
Personally, I'd pay a little more and get what I was more comfortable with. It'll always be in the back of your mind...I speak from experience here
This wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. My first Porsche, a Boxster 987S, had had 10 previous owners. The car was immaculate, had a full history and was as tight as a drum. Buy on condition and get a decent inspection and you should be fine. Yes, there may be some people who have concerns when you come to sell it but if they know their cars and recognise it’s a good one then someone will buy it.
Having spent many years buying cars from the public and selling them to dealers I've heard the words so many times with high ownership cars.
"Sorry, not for me"
"Shame it's so many owners"
"Sorry, don't do any good with high owner cars"
"It'd have to be cheap"
Sorry to be negative, but it will put many buyers off.
"Sorry, not for me"
"Shame it's so many owners"
"Sorry, don't do any good with high owner cars"
"It'd have to be cheap"
Sorry to be negative, but it will put many buyers off.
throt said:
Lemon would spring to mind.
jmo, buddy.
So you’re suggesting seven punters have bought this car and missed something so fundamentally wrong that they’ve sold it on as soon as possible? And each time it’s been sold on with this defect not a single person, whether trade or private, has picked up on it? And not a single person has given the car a thorough inspection before the purchase or rectified the fault once spotted? That all sounds rather unlikely. jmo, buddy.
This is the problem with Forums. Ask what appears to be a simple enquiry and you get a multitude of conflicting answers.
Trust your gut, not your head.
I am on my second Porsche.
I can assure you it is not unusual, as many have said here, to have that number of owners. It's a Porsche 'thing'
Many people who buy a Porsche are not necessarily enthusiasts. Some are of course.
As long as it's history is genuine, do not worry about the number of owners.
This really is not unusual, and for the record I am not a Salesman.
Trust your gut, not your head.
I am on my second Porsche.
I can assure you it is not unusual, as many have said here, to have that number of owners. It's a Porsche 'thing'
Many people who buy a Porsche are not necessarily enthusiasts. Some are of course.
As long as it's history is genuine, do not worry about the number of owners.
This really is not unusual, and for the record I am not a Salesman.
Caymanwhite said:
This is the problem with Forums. Ask what appears to be a simple enquiry and you get a multitude of conflicting answers.
Trust your gut, not your head.
I am on my second Porsche.
I can assure you it is not unusual, as many have said here, to have that number of owners. It's a Porsche 'thing'
Many people who buy a Porsche are not necessarily enthusiasts. Some are of course.
As long as it's history is genuine, do not worry about the number of owners.
This really is not unusual, and for the record I am not a Salesman.
+1Trust your gut, not your head.
I am on my second Porsche.
I can assure you it is not unusual, as many have said here, to have that number of owners. It's a Porsche 'thing'
Many people who buy a Porsche are not necessarily enthusiasts. Some are of course.
As long as it's history is genuine, do not worry about the number of owners.
This really is not unusual, and for the record I am not a Salesman.
Porsches, Defenders, M3's, M4's, supercars, etc....
For many buyers they're scratching that itch.
And after the first year of ownership the may not fancy paying for the next years insurance, or the expensive service that's due, or simply the itch has been scratched.
And some feel they can't leave a nice car anywhere without the worry of it being damaged.
It really doesn't always point to a faulty car.
But sadly 8/9 owners does make them hard work to sell, most dealers would rather wait, or pay more, for one with lower owners.
And for the record I'm not a salesman either lol.
But I've bought hundreds of cars from people and listened to their reasons for selling them.
And I would bid lower for the high owner cars, or simply just pass.
Edited by Trevor555 on Monday 8th July 18:18
As with some comments above, focus on the condition. I bought my 2010 997.2 c2s, last year, with just 22k miles, from an OPC, as Porsche Approved. I’m the ninth owner! The car is mint and has been faultless. It now has 29k and is still mint. The number of owners will make it harder to sell to some, but the condition will make it easier to sell to others.
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