Is 4 previous owners too many?
- Thread starter crigisback
- Start date
4 previous and the current one !!! that could be 5 quite a few in 5 years, out of 5 owners none of them have liked it / enjoyed ownership enough to keep it for a while!!! 1st owner could have kept it 3 years from new and that means the other 3 / 4 have moved it on mighty quick. It could have been pre reg'd so if it was 4 recorded owners this means in reality only 3 human beings plus a garage for sales figure reasons - or test drive car It does seem a lot of owners though....
You need to be digging for clues - repossession ! cash owed outstanding, insurance repaired /fell out of love etc etc
If price is right and you are satisfied that everything is good then don't let it be too much of an off putter - cause if you own it for the next 10 years then it will only have had 5 owners in 15 years
Good luck with whatever your decision is
and enjoy.....
Not sure on the ownership. It has been traded to a seat dealer by a guy who has bought a BMW that is all I really know.. The dealer just said they offered the best money over the px value at bmw
You could have 5 owners who cherished the car. You could have 1 owner on a car and he thrashed it to pieces every time it was driven. Who knows?!
Dealer told me my fr tdi only had 2 previous owners, once I picked it up and paid and left I saw the v5 said 5 previous owners. Needless to say I was livid as it impacts a fair bit on the cars value, but given the nature of the small time dodgy dealer I knew complaining wasn't going to get me anywhere - Autocity Glasgow by the way, avoid imo.
Suffice to say the car has intermittent issues that are a nightmare to diagnose let alone fix, and will probably be expensive in the long run.
Personally I would be very wary and as a rule in the past, anymore than 3 owners and I wouldn't even consider the car. I feel my attitude has been proven right by the lemon I currently own.
Suffice to say the car has intermittent issues that are a nightmare to diagnose let alone fix, and will probably be expensive in the long run.
Personally I would be very wary and as a rule in the past, anymore than 3 owners and I wouldn't even consider the car. I feel my attitude has been proven right by the lemon I currently own.
Amount of owners not always a true reflection of usage. For instance, ex hire cars. Will have one owner , not always obvious as a hire company, ( finance company etc ) but loads of drivers. How many on here have ragged the ar#e off a holiday rental?
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Wouldn't worry too much. Owner counts easily get cocked up just takes an admin error or someone ticking the wrong box on the V5. You could also unwittingly buy a so called 1 owner car which turns out to be ex-rental so its had lots of people abusing it. Buy on condition instead
My old leon was ex hire car, owned by europcar.
My first car, the Clio, was an ex-demonstrator. My dad bought it and it went into his name, it was then transferred to me when I passed my test. That meant there was two owners on the log book but they were at the same home address.
My first car, the Clio, was an ex-demonstrator. My dad bought it and it went into his name, it was then transferred to me when I passed my test. That meant there was two owners on the log book but they were at the same home address.
No stickers on it nope. It is black tho, got it about 5 months ago. They had another FR at the same time, think it was black too.
Re: the v5 - guess I was too trusting, but having bought from dealers before, seeing the v5 isn't something I ever recall doing. Lesson learned.
Some fair points about the number of owners, an ex rental could be a nightmare with 1 previous, but with higher numbers you should pay less as the risk is more obvious.
Re: the v5 - guess I was too trusting, but having bought from dealers before, seeing the v5 isn't something I ever recall doing. Lesson learned.
Some fair points about the number of owners, an ex rental could be a nightmare with 1 previous, but with higher numbers you should pay less as the risk is more obvious.
Depends on the mileage / condition of the interior / exterior mate. And of course the price.
Might be that the previous couldn't afford insurance or running costs.
You've had a couple of Leon's now mate, so if feels/ drives ok should be ok mate.
Might be that the previous couldn't afford insurance or running costs.
You've had a couple of Leon's now mate, so if feels/ drives ok should be ok mate.
Be wary as you would buying any car ,have a real good look round it and take as long a test drive as you need on different roads not just 200 yards up the road and back like some dealers make you do ,and if the slightest thing doesn't seem right walk away. I bought a Mitsubishi lancer 3owners in 3 years and it had hidden accident damage that didn't show up on hpi and it didn't feel quite right when driving enthusiastically i got rid after 10 months.
It could be spot on and just too expensive to run for the previous owners , good luck lt us know what you decide
It could be spot on and just too expensive to run for the previous owners , good luck lt us know what you decide
Personally used to change my car every 6 months to a year(frightened to the money wasted) so not unheard of I guess.
My advice give it a really good check over even pay an expert to to do it for you and make sure it has a water tight warranty and History. They are extremely expensive when they go wrong as I know and mine was brand new.
My advice give it a really good check over even pay an expert to to do it for you and make sure it has a water tight warranty and History. They are extremely expensive when they go wrong as I know and mine was brand new.
If you can get hold of an MOT certificate number you can actually look up previous failures. mileage etc https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history-vehicle might give you a clue as to why it has changed hands quite often
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