Number of owners
Discussion
ingenieur said:
no doubt it's been asked / debated before on here... but why do people care about the number of previous owners a car has had? I never pay any attention to that and always the condition of the car instead.
It's mostly dealers who are fussy about low ownership, as they know it puts many customers off if theres too many for them.Beware of quick ownership changes though.
That can be a sign of a rejected car, or even a phantom owner to hide clocking.
Trevor555 said:
ingenieur said:
no doubt it's been asked / debated before on here... but why do people care about the number of previous owners a car has had? I never pay any attention to that and always the condition of the car instead.
It's mostly dealers who are fussy about low ownership, as they know it puts many customers off if theres too many for them.Beware of quick ownership changes though.
That can be a sign of a rejected car, or even a phantom owner to hide clocking.
I think it’s not only the number of owners indicating a possible problem with the car but the concern that with x number of owners there have been x number more “watch this” moments with friends of owners etc.
I’ve not used launch control once in four years of ownership - on a car with more owners there is a greater likelihood of the car having been thrashed.
I’ve not used launch control once in four years of ownership - on a car with more owners there is a greater likelihood of the car having been thrashed.
ingenieur said:
Trevor555 said:
ingenieur said:
no doubt it's been asked / debated before on here... but why do people care about the number of previous owners a car has had? I never pay any attention to that and always the condition of the car instead.
It's mostly dealers who are fussy about low ownership, as they know it puts many customers off if theres too many for them.Beware of quick ownership changes though.
That can be a sign of a rejected car, or even a phantom owner to hide clocking.
Few years back now, so maybe one of our current dealers on here can confirm?
Seem to remember Hpi just showing the last keeper change.
You can see the last V5 issued on the free RFL check on GOV.UK
All depends. Usually on condition.
‘Supercars’ and the fast changing flavours of the month cars tend to change hands frequently.
They are attractive to Toad of Toad Hall types as well as dreamers who wake up pretty quickly.
I don’t think number of owners really matters too much so long as everything you want from the car is present.
If you don’t know or care what the original owners documentation or tools looked like, who cares?
‘Supercars’ and the fast changing flavours of the month cars tend to change hands frequently.
They are attractive to Toad of Toad Hall types as well as dreamers who wake up pretty quickly.
I don’t think number of owners really matters too much so long as everything you want from the car is present.
If you don’t know or care what the original owners documentation or tools looked like, who cares?
Owners have never bothered me.
Receipts/ service history and mot history does.
My current car has been an utter garage queen it’s whole life until I got it at 7 yrs old.
37k on it at 7 yrs old.
The mileage between it’s mot tests was so low, and I thought mine was low at 5/6k a year !
I’m putting the most on it now, in 3 years ownership I’ve put about 17k on it.
Receipts/ service history and mot history does.
My current car has been an utter garage queen it’s whole life until I got it at 7 yrs old.
37k on it at 7 yrs old.
The mileage between it’s mot tests was so low, and I thought mine was low at 5/6k a year !
I’m putting the most on it now, in 3 years ownership I’ve put about 17k on it.
Number of owners hasn't bothered me per se however what I do like is for my cars to have a bit of a story and clear documented history - Often I'll do my own research and build my own history file from evidence I personally gather and collate.
I tend to find low owners makes it easier to do this.
Also, they are generally better cars with more history and in better condition. It also helps the value/appeal when you sell the car on to it's new custodian.
I tend to find low owners makes it easier to do this.
Also, they are generally better cars with more history and in better condition. It also helps the value/appeal when you sell the car on to it's new custodian.
ingenieur said:
no doubt it's been asked / debated before on here... but why do people care about the number of previous owners a car has had? I never pay any attention to that and always the condition of the car instead.
Would you buy this car?
The last person who owned it had it for barely two months and the person before just 25 days…That doesn’t sound normal to me.
Compare that with the nine years and six years of the previous two owners. It screams out to me that something expensive broke before the second owner sold it.
I’ve owned one car for two months, another car for three months and another for six months all within the last year, so I know short ownership doesn’t have to mean big issues, but it’s not a good sign when multiple owners decide to get rid of a car in a short space of time…
Personally wouldn't touch a car with loads of owners. The last car I had, a Mini JCW had 3 owners in very quick succession before me (I found this out after I bought it) and sure enough it had a boost problem that I never got to the bottom of after pouring hundreds in. Why take the risk?
Funny the one car I have had over the years had "1 owner from new" and was the worst car I have had for issues and problems, and the best car I have had that had "6 owners" before me, and was the best....view the car on its condition and history, too many variables at play to just go off the no of owners imo.
RoVoFob said:
Would you buy this car?
The last person who owned it had it for barely two months and the person before just 25 days…That doesn’t sound normal to me.
I went through a spell of buying and flipping cars after I sold my GTR. I had a bit of cash and wanted to experience different styles of cars. I had my Type R and mx5 for less than 6 months. They were fine cars in decent condition but I’d ‘done’ with them and explained this to anyone that came to look.
I think you’re daft to rule out a car just based on number of owners, if it’s a car you really want and like everything else about it the least you can do is give the seller a call and ask the question.
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