How Many Owners Is Too Many?

[fozRB25]

Exactly. I was almost put off getting my R8 when I realised it had 6 or 7 (can't remember!) previous owners... but it is only 21k miles, FSH, and almost showroom condition. So as above, buy on condition and history...

Thanks Rich, it make sense. I guess some higher end cars do tend to have more owners...

 

[AMGeed]

Thanks Rich, it make sense. I guess some higher end cars do tend to have more owners...

AMG's scratch that V8 itch, then get moved on by owners unable to cope with the cost of running and maintaining them.
That's why I go on impeccable service history and condition more than number of owners.

 

[Darrell]

Exactly. I was almost put off getting my R8 when I realised it had 6 or 7 (can't remember!) previous owners... but it is only 21k miles, FSH, and almost showroom condition. So as above, buy on condition and history...

You see a fair few for sale that need a big service because people don’t want to pay thousands for an engine out cam belt change on their Ferrari that they stick in the garage.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I prefer cars with few owners, but on a car like this 5 owners in 15 years is nothing.

More owners should mean more scrutiny on service history when buying though. Often maintenance can be skipped and skimped when moving a car on, or can sometimes be the reason for selling.

 

[del320]

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[Wearsthefoxhat]

My R129 had had 10 owners in eleven years. Each had serviced it and moved it on, one inconsiderate owner had the audacity to racked up 60k. I’ve had it eleven years now.

 

[fozRB25]

Thanks for the input guys, it’s appreciated

 

[grober]

When buying older cars a good rule of thumb is to assess the seller as closely as you assess the car.

 

[markjay]

5-6 previous for a 15-year old car is not unreasonable, but just to say that on a general note, when buying a car with higher-than-average number of previous owners, then even if the car is mint, it will be worth less, so make sure that you get it at below market value, because if you don't get-on with the car for whatever reason and want to sell it shortly after buying it, you can be sure that any future buyer will knock-off the price.

 

[Fastcar155]

Hi , number of owners generally is dependant of style of car.

Sport cars tend to have higher ownership than estate cars , salons etc.

 

[AMGeed]

Hi , number of owners generally is dependant of style of car.

Sport cars tend to have higher ownership than estate cars , salons etc.

What about AMG saloons and Estates?
It's more about the engine than body style IMO.

It's that V8. Prospective owners really have no idea on the running and maintenance costs until they actually own one. You can't run one on a shoestring like a Vauxhall or a Ford and get away with it.
Then the reality hits and the car gets moved on. Hence high ownership numbers.
Check out W204 C63 's. Possibly top of the number of owners list.

 

[Fastcar155]

What about AMG saloons and Estates?
It's more about the engine than body style IMO.

It's that V8. Prospective owners really have no idea on the running and maintenance costs until they actually own one. You can't run one on a shoestring like a Vauxhall or a Ford and get away with it.
Then the reality hits and the car gets moved on. Hence high ownership numbers.
Check out W204 C63 's. Possibly top of the number of owners list.

Hi , cannot disagree with your comments

 

[Elanman1]

There is a school of thought that minor issues tend to be rectified around the sale/purchase process. Once an owner has lived with a defect for a while it tends to stay that way until a sale, however long ownership can lead to defects building up.

 

[GrahamT]

It's worth looking at reviews for the trader on line. There appear to be some with 'unfortunate' experiences of this one as well as the usual glowing responses.

 

[pillow]

The only issue with a car having lots of owners is that it becomes difficult to gauge the history of the car.

If a car only has 1 previous owner then you can talk to them and good a good gauge on what sort of life the car has had.

If a car has 10 them obviously you can only gauge a sliver what sort of life the car has had.

As has been said, some cars scratch an itch, others you would expect would change hands less often.

However, ultimately the only indicator of how 'healthy' a car is is a thorough pre-purchase inspection.