Too many owners lower value??

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5 November 2002
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Looking at a real nice 02 with 4 owners. Thats a lot, in my book.

Does a certain number of owners turn the rest of you off? Does it lower the "value" of the car?

In this case he DOES have the maintenance records from the previous owners, but many times that is not the case.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
 
I think the maintenance records make up for the multiple owners, also I would review the carfax or autocheck to see time of ownership since many individuals own the car for a very short period of time.
 
Tough to say at what number do buyers get turned off,but I strongly feel that a one owner car is the most desirable.
 
IMO:

4 owners is definitely a turn-off, but it is not sufficient to guarantee that the car is a bad choice. It is preferable to go with as few owners as possible, and thus why so many people brag about their car being a one-owner vehicle.

I think it will definitely play a role in leveraging a deal; it would be a bargaining chip.

However, it may still be a great car for whatever reason. Unlikely with 4 owners, but still possible.
 
Looking at a real nice 02 with 4 owners. Thats a lot, in my book.

Does a certain number of owners turn the rest of you off? Does it lower the "value" of the car?

In this case he DOES have the maintenance records from the previous owners, but many times that is not the case.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Wouldn't bother me as long as all the maintenance records are there and its been well taken care of.
 
IMO:
I think it will definitely play a role in leveraging a deal; it would be a bargaining chip. However, it may still be a great car for whatever reason. Unlikely with 4 owners, but still possible.

I am not too sure about that....if it is a sound deal and the car checks out it could have 15 owners and that would not change the condition of the vehicle.
The reasons for the changes in ownership could be very innocent indeed and may boil down to lifestyle changes, loss of a job etc.....these IMO do not make it a bad choice. As far as the maintenance records go....an '02 with low miles would have what....a couple oil changes and maybe the air filter right??? Also not that big an issue for me on a low mile car.
 
i'd rather have a car that has had 4 good owners than one that's had 1 bad owner.

make sure the maintenance and everything else lines up..... then, inspect the car. if you know the history, then who cares how many people have owned it?
 
i'd rather have a car that has had 4 good owners than one that's had 1 bad owner.

make sure the maintenance and everything else lines up..... then, inspect the car. if you know the history, then who cares how many people have owned it?

How can you be sure of the history after 4 owners:confused: I am answering my own ? I just realized that in the highly unlikely event that the car remained in the same town and had work done at 1 or 2 deallerships then it is possible.The chances of getting complete documentation of service dwindles with each change of region and also gets sketchy if owners use independant shops that may not store records.
 
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I am the 4th owner of my car and I have records back to the first owner. I don't think that the number of owners is significant as long as the service is up to date. These cars are primarily used as luxury items instead of daily use vehicles. This is why I think they tend to have more owners. Bottom line is get a Pre Purchase inspection by a reputable NSX tech and get the maintenence history.

On the other hand, if previous owners only held title for a very short period of time, then I might wonder if there is something wrong with the car.
 
personally it not an issue as long as you have records.

look at it like this.

you can have one owner not take care of the car for 30K miles

or you can have 4 owners, 3 of which took great care of the car. 20K miles...

which one would you choose? :wink:

when it comes to the nsx, record is a good thing to have.

happy motoring'

Rob :smile:
 
Do alittle leg work and find/call the previous owners. It's piece of mind IMHO. I can't tell you how many previous owners I've called in my day.
 
I don't get turned off by a car that had multiple previous owners. I flip cars every 6 mos or so, not because the car is weak but you wanted to try out something different. As a flipper myself, I understand why people just keeps dumping the car. I'd make sure though that the car goes through the inspection process (PPI) and check carfax before buying...
 
People put too much emphasis on a car's value (multiple owners, mileage, etc.). It's getting impossible to find a near virgin NSX these days. So buy the NSX that's right for you, drive the hell out of it because IT WILL depreciate.
 
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