Number of owners a car has had in its life..

[rmk600]

I am looking at a 2003 Cobra on here that seems to have been maintained well and has under 50k miles, but the carfax report showed 7 owners. That kinda concerns me. I am just curious to hear any different experiences or insight into this issue. Thanks.

 

[03terminator77]

I'm the 3rd owner of my car and its in showroom condition with only 16K miles when I bought it...no issues whatsoever so far..

 

[JustaGT]

I dont necerssarily think it matters too much. How long did they realistically own the car being its a 2003 has under 50k miles and there were 6 other owners?

Sounds like a bunch of people that wanted to afford it but couldn't. If it's in good condition, drives good and a good price. Go for it!

 

[magstang1]

Proud to be the first owner of mine. I know this helps you in no way, but it seems like there are very few of us left. My guess would be that those seven people probably didn't own it long enough to mess anything up.

 

[rmk600]

Thanks for the responses guys. I agree.

 

[mu22stang]

Buying a used car there is always a risk, but being a careful buyer will help reduce that risk significantly. Don't buy the car without driving it - cruise around, go over bumps, do some basic parking lot manuevers, go over crowns and angle driveways, highway drive it, listen for rattles, creaks and gorans, but most of all, floor it. Look under, over, inside, and around every single nook and cranny. Check your fluids for coloration, consistency, and cleanliness. The interior especially will give you an indication of how the owners treated the car. But once again, you'll learn more in the drive, than anything.

 

[evil04svtcobra]

2nd owner here.... 7 is strange!

 

[antiv6]

im the second owner as well, i probably wouldn't buy a car with that many owners

 

[03COBRA-88]

2nd owner here. Read the carfax carefully, because 3-4 of those owners could have just been dealers that bought the car and sold it. How long did each owner have the car for?

 

[Sniperdog]

but you could have a one owner car and still have problems.,. but sounds a lil fishy :shrug:

 

[XJRGUY]

I am looking at a 2003 Cobra on here that seems to have been maintained well and has under 50k miles, but the carfax report showed 7 owners. That kinda concerns me. I am just curious to hear any different experiences or insight into this issue. Thanks.

Some cars also have multiple owners due to minor registration issues.

People get married/divorced, put cars that are paid off up as collateral for loans.

All of those things DON'T actually change who physically owns the car other than the paperwork, and those things/registration changes do show up on a car fax.
:beer:

 

[03COBRA-88]

but you could have a one owner car and still have problems.,. but sounds a lil fishy :shrug:

True. I would just check out the car top to bottom and go over everything. It really shows most of the time if the car has been beaten to death.

 

[Sniperdog]

true dat

 

[rmk600]

A lot of awesome stuff that is helpful. Thanks again!

 

[0Cobra3]

im the 4th owner on my car and i love it the first 2 owners had it for years and the guy i bought it from the 3rd owner only had it for 1 month he couldnt afford his first payment because he lost his job so its understandable

 

[ChameleonCobra]

I'm not sure why but some of these 03/04 Cobra's change hands frequently. I am the second owner of mine and hope to a have it for a long time!

 

[68gtscode]

Given the nature of our cars and how a lot are driven, I'd say there is an excellent chance someone beat the car you're looking at somewhere along the way! I'm anal retentive and didn't want to risk getting a car that had been abused. I looked for a while, and finally found a prestine car in my color with 3,000 miles. I had a good feeling about the owner, who bought the car new. He was a mature enthusiast with a nice family, and seemed to take great care of his stuff. He took pictures of the car in the showroom, and wanted to keep one when I bought the car- I could tell he liked it a great deal. I know I'm making some big generalizations, but I'd look for a car with more certain history if you can afford it. Good luck,

Matt

 

[03cobra#694]

7 seems like a real lot.Original owner here.I really hate buying used vehicles unless I know the vehicle and owner.jmo.

 

[MBoyle1]

original hear 7 is a lot ( every year)

 

[Ghoust]

original here as well. Inspect the car before buying and you are good to go.