one owner or five
Discussion
There is a lot of emphasis put on one owner cars, why, every time a car changes hands the new owner cherishes the car with renewed vigour during the honeymoon period, any faults are repaired, its gets little add ons, polished, serviced, etc etc. So what is the big attraction of a complacent one owner relationship, just a thought.
Sportscars have always changed hands more than normal cars, TVRs seem to change hands more than most sportscars for whatever reason.
This is probably due to people finding it isn't what they wanted, they are bored with it, too expensive to run or they grew up.
It could however also have been that they got rid of it because it was more trouble than it was worth. Whether as owners we choose to accept it or not "some" of these cars are bad ones, it isn't always the car's fault, some owners make them into bad ones by being tight and abusing them.
For the last reason I would rather buy a car had has been owned for a longer periods, if the owners have run it for years it could not have been that bad a car or they would have got shot of it.
I have owned my Chim for over 5 years, had it been unreliable or cost a fortune to run I would have got shot of it years ago. The growing up thing hasn't been an issue so far
This is probably due to people finding it isn't what they wanted, they are bored with it, too expensive to run or they grew up.
It could however also have been that they got rid of it because it was more trouble than it was worth. Whether as owners we choose to accept it or not "some" of these cars are bad ones, it isn't always the car's fault, some owners make them into bad ones by being tight and abusing them.
For the last reason I would rather buy a car had has been owned for a longer periods, if the owners have run it for years it could not have been that bad a car or they would have got shot of it.
I have owned my Chim for over 5 years, had it been unreliable or cost a fortune to run I would have got shot of it years ago. The growing up thing hasn't been an issue so far
I have no idea how many previous owners my car has. When I saw it, I knew it was the one I was going to buy. The others just didn't quite seem to be the same. Checked it out making sure it was good and bought on condition. Far more important things to worry about before how many different people have sat in the drivers seat..
tvrbob said:
I've always used this as an indication of reliability. If you buy a second hand car and find that it is unreliable and susceptible to developing faults then you soon grow tired of it and move it on.
I think that's the general view as well. Certainly one I tend to have in the back of my mind. If a car has been good, then most people will hang on to it as long as possible.... But of course with TVR and other cars, there are many reasons (often cost) why people will get rid of it quickly.
Jasandjules said:
tvrbob said:
I've always used this as an indication of reliability. If you buy a second hand car and find that it is unreliable and susceptible to developing faults then you soon grow tired of it and move it on.
I think that's the general view as well. Certainly one I tend to have in the back of my mind. If a car has been good, then most people will hang on to it as long as possible.... But of course with TVR and other cars, there are many reasons (often cost) why people will get rid of it quickly.Generally, a one owner car is preferred for several reasons:
1) The 1st owner could afford to spend a significant amount of money buying the car and therefore more likely to have invested in appropriate servicing and care.
2) The 1st owner's 'benchmark' condition is brand new, whereas subsequent owners may have a lower expectation.
3) If the car was plagued by problems, it would have probably been sold on.
4) If the car has had several owners and each has not kept the car for long, it may mean that less money has been spent ("I wont do X,Y, Z because I'm planning on selling it in 6 months").
There are obviously scenarios where the above won't apply - perhaps when someone buys and spends a significant amount on a car intending to keep and then has a change in circumstances. Suspect this the exception to the norm though.
However, as always it comes back to buying on condition. Whilst I would be put off by a lot of owners, I wouldn't be phased at all by a lowish number of previous owners.
Incidentally, mine has had one previous owner - and this combined with the spec/condition was a real plus for me.
1) The 1st owner could afford to spend a significant amount of money buying the car and therefore more likely to have invested in appropriate servicing and care.
2) The 1st owner's 'benchmark' condition is brand new, whereas subsequent owners may have a lower expectation.
3) If the car was plagued by problems, it would have probably been sold on.
4) If the car has had several owners and each has not kept the car for long, it may mean that less money has been spent ("I wont do X,Y, Z because I'm planning on selling it in 6 months").
There are obviously scenarios where the above won't apply - perhaps when someone buys and spends a significant amount on a car intending to keep and then has a change in circumstances. Suspect this the exception to the norm though.
However, as always it comes back to buying on condition. Whilst I would be put off by a lot of owners, I wouldn't be phased at all by a lowish number of previous owners.
Incidentally, mine has had one previous owner - and this combined with the spec/condition was a real plus for me.
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