number of owners....

[Rags]

Should I really worry about the number of previous owners...

The car I am interested in has 5 including the current owner(one of which was also the garage where he bought it).

Rags

[exdos]

Personally, I'd prefer an older car with the fewest number of previous owners.

My reasoning is this: Everyone has their own particular driving style, and some owners will cause more wear on certain items than others. Therefore, the more drivers the car has had the more scope there is for above average wear of a greater number of parts. Also, if the car has been passed on several times, then a previous owner might have been prepared to overlook a problem he knew about and not get it fixed because he preferred not to spend to get the problem fixed because he was selling.

OTOH a high mileage car with only one or two owners (such as Roger E's) would be a very good buy at a relatively low price, despite the high mileage, because Roger was fastidious about maintenance since he needed the car to get him to work and because he spent so much time in the car, he wouldn't be prepared to put up with litlle niggles and rattles etc. so he'd get any problem fixed ASAP.

[Rags]

Thats a great response.


yeah I can see all of that being true.

Let me break it down to the particular case, as I think perhaps the number owners isn't SO bad...

The car I am looking at has 55k on the clock and the current owner has had the car since )ctober 2004. He has spent lots of money on the car, new tyres, refurbed wheels, new brakes, new air con components etc. So he has spent money when required basically as well as doing things that he may not have needed to do.

The car itself is pretty honest and has one or two parking dings(easily rectifiable) and the usual stone chips.

So the money I have offered him has taken into account the respray of the bonnet and removal of parking dings.

The owners is a downside but two of the owners have been garages, with one being owned by a BMW dealer.

So its only had 3 private owners as a result.

The reason I am umming and arring about this car, is that for less than £15k I will end up with a non stone chipped and very tidy example........

hmmmm

[BEN]

that is a great point about rogers car john!

by the sounds of it rags the car is a bargain, at less than £15k, as long as its checked out properly, i would spend the money and take it to a BMW dealer and put your mind at rest about any issues there may be!

then you can have one too!

[David1975]

I have just had an offer accepted on GSi's car from the forum. i had BMW do a check on the car first and found it very useful. it cost me £180 but hightlighted some work which needed doing and therefore was able to make an offer based on all the facts.

I would certailny recomend you getting this check done.

Good luck

[exdos]

As always, use your own judgement.

I've never been landed with a bad car yet and I've bought a couple of dozen.

[vanman]

Mine has 7 previous but I bought it for well below £15k!! Again two appeared to be under BMW ownership.


Even if it has a warranty get it checked first - BMW dont always pay!!

If all checks out and it is keenly priced - go for it!

Good luck!