multiple owners
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 229
Likes: 16
From: New Providence Pennsylvania
Exactly, I just bought a C6Z that Carfax identified as having 6 previous owners and only 15K on the clock. After doing some digging I believe 3 of those were dealers buying the car at auctions and basically I a the 3rd actual owner/driver.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 312
Likes: 49
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,938
Likes: 498
From: Fords, NJ
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,932
Likes: 1,509
From: Here, There and Everywhere
I bought my car with 10k on the odometer. It had 4 previous owners. The guy I purchased it from, bought the car just so he had a car for the "Corvettes for Cancer" event in Charlotte. After the event, he sold the car to me. He owned it less than a month! Basically, you can't judge a car by how many owners it's had. It's much more important as to how the car has been cared for and maintained by all previous owners. Some guys buy a Corvette and then realize it's not as comfortable as their last BMW,Jaguar or Mercedes and they sell it after driving it a few hundred or thousand miles. Then there's that "one owner" car that's been modded to extremes, run down the track, beat on endlessly and put back to stock for resale purposes. The guy then advertises it as "one owner/all original". Condition is everything and if you look closely at things, before your purchase, you will find that "perfect" car for you.
Last edited by MAD Matt; Mar 20, 2017 at 06:42 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,185
Likes: 641
From: Garland TX
I'm the 6th owner on my Z, but it has been a great Corvette nonetheless. I bought mine as a 4th vehicle so needless to say it doesn't get driven much. I've averaged roughly 4-5k miles a year. Multiple owners shouldn't necessarily scare you off.
Last edited by Not4spd; Mar 20, 2017 at 07:33 PM.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 3,473
Likes: 691
From: West Virginia
Different experience here. Bought my '98 new in '97 as a daily driver to replace a breathed on Mustang. My commuter car for 4 years or so, then got offered a too good to pass up early out package, since when it's been very much the secondary vehicle. About 75k on it now. As many have said, condition is the important factor, not number of owners.
Plus IMO, don't be put off by lack of records. I do all my own routine maintenance and have never bothered to record everything I have done. GM's records would show everything they did (while under warranty), but apart from a couple of later dealer visits. the more recent history would be a blank page.
Plus IMO, don't be put off by lack of records. I do all my own routine maintenance and have never bothered to record everything I have done. GM's records would show everything they did (while under warranty), but apart from a couple of later dealer visits. the more recent history would be a blank page.
Last edited by jackthelad; Jun 5, 2019 at 03:16 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,515
Likes: 96
From: PA
C5 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Plus IMO, don't be put off by lack of records. I do all my own routine maintenance and have never bothered to record everything I have done. GM's records would show everything they did (while under warranty), but apart from a couple of later dealer visits. the more recent history would be a blank page.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,682
Likes: 144
From: Memphis Tennessee
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,043
Likes: 329
An everyday use vehicle would seem sketchy with a lot of owners. Corvettes not so much as they are usually not primary transportation and as such, not something that every owner will keep over time. Also, people usually buy Corvettes with an intentionality that may improve likelihood of good care. Understanding what a Corvette is in the car world really helped to direct me to the details others have addressed when I bought mine.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 420
Likes: 23
From: Newton, Wisconsin
I am the third owner, my '02 had ~10K miles when I purchased it in Dec '05, now has 26K, just about 1K a year. It is my daily driver from May to November but I drive 4 miles each way to work = ~1k miles / year. We rarely do long drives preferring to fly, then there's my wife's Tahoe, my Norton, the motor home, boat and ATV that also get drive time. When all miles are added up its still only about 10K/year.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 904
Likes: 296
From: Sacramento, California
I was the 4th owner when I bought my 02Z even though it only had 8.8k miles. Some people buy Vettes as investments and don't drive them which is great for people like me looking for clean almost new 17 year old car. Keep in mind dealers also become "owners" while they sell the car, so a car that's only had 2 true owners may 4 on the Carfax because of the dealers.
Steve
Steve
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 4,004
Likes: 3,929
From: Philadelphia PA (Birthplace of the USA, UNESCO World Heritage City)
It'a very common for sports collector cars like to have a high number of owners. Watch this video:
The number of owners has no effect on the quality of the car, if anything I would want a higher number of owners as with each new owner the car has items taken care of, rather than a long time potentially complacent owner. Reasons people sell sports cars: often these types of cars are bought with loans and people quickly realize that's not the smartest decision, also many sports car owners like to "change it up" every couple years and get a different sports car.
Also the Carfax or Autocheck would show any reported history such as title or salvage issues along with detailed inspection of the car.
I am the 8th owner of my C5Z with 58,000 miles, and I looked at countless C5Z's over the course of a year, many with a low # of owners but not as clean/well maintained. Car has been excellent the past 2 years I've owned it. So go with the best car; the # of owners means nothing.
The number of owners has no effect on the quality of the car, if anything I would want a higher number of owners as with each new owner the car has items taken care of, rather than a long time potentially complacent owner. Reasons people sell sports cars: often these types of cars are bought with loans and people quickly realize that's not the smartest decision, also many sports car owners like to "change it up" every couple years and get a different sports car.
Also the Carfax or Autocheck would show any reported history such as title or salvage issues along with detailed inspection of the car.
I am the 8th owner of my C5Z with 58,000 miles, and I looked at countless C5Z's over the course of a year, many with a low # of owners but not as clean/well maintained. Car has been excellent the past 2 years I've owned it. So go with the best car; the # of owners means nothing.
Last edited by ArmchairArchitect; Jun 6, 2019 at 10:03 AM.