My '96 C2 has 30,500 miles and had five prior owners. The maintenance records are complete and pristine, and there is no damage or abuse that can be found on the car which is basically flawless. The PPI I got said the car is well-maintained and has no issues whatsoever save some curb scrapes on the underside of the front bumper cover.

So here's my question: Given all that, why would the relatively large number of POs matter, especially as to resale value? Clearly these guys parked the car driving it only occassionally, and then tired of it before selling to another with the same story. "Unused" does not equal "abused."

What am I missing?

 

Obviously number of owners doesn't prove anything, but a potential scenario is that a frequently sold car is a dog, with each owner discovering this and selling it promptly. I don't necessarily subscribe to this concern, but paranoid buyers might.

 

You're not missing anything. I too don't understand the fetishization of the "one-owner car." People use number of owners as shorthand for how the car was maintained. But the more you think about it the less that makes sense. Lots of one-owner cars are poorly maintained, and lots of multiple-owner cars are wonderfully maintained (like mine, a four-owner car before I bought it).

 

My car is mint. I am the fifth owner, and paid top dollar for it.

 

In my twisted mind, multiple owners can represent both positive and negative. Beyond the 'pushing the dog along' concern, one could reason that owners may have left issues unaddressed because they were selling the car. On the flip side, if the new owners of a particular car had thorough PPI's done prior to the purchase, any outstanding issues would have been caught. In my limited experience, PPI's uncover items missed by a car's owner. Also, there's the factor of 'I just got a new (to me) Porsche; I want to make it perfect' that I'm sure most of us on this board can relate to. So, I don't see multiple owners as a positive or a negative, so long as the car passes a very thorough PPI>

 

I don't think a large number of POs itself is an issue...but it does bring with it some possible issues that a single owner car would not. If a car had (4) POs...then there are (4) people that for one reason or another...wanted to get rid of the car. Obviously, all reasons could be comletely valid in terms of car issues...but there are (4) POs that needed to: keep up with records/receipts, be keen on proper service, repairs, exterior care, be good/smart drivers...particularly on a 6-speed.

Having said all that...a good PPI will identify many issues if they exist...so a properly checked car is the the most important thing. You asked "does it matter...?" I say it definitely matters...but not necessarily in a bad way.

My story - I bought my car when it was 2.5 years old and 23,100 miles. It had (3) POs...which was a major concern to me. Turns out...it was bought/traded by all POs at the local Porsche dealer (except when I bought it) by the same sales guy...so they had all records since new. The sales guy (a friend of mine) contacted the first (2) POs and they were happy to talk to me about their time with the car...in fact I couldn't get them off the phone...they loved the car! So I typed out detailed notes on all my conversations with all the POs and have them in the cars file. I felt good about them and the car...and all the records matched up...so I bought it from the 3rd owner.

 

A "one-owner" car sounds great a resale time, but in my actual experience it doesn't make too much difference in actual condition. Each new owner will probably do a round of fixing, replenishing, and perfecting. Unless a car had some strange, undiagnosable condition, and gets kicked like a can down the road (very, very unlikely in a Porsche), multiple owners is not a negative.

 

Maintenance history is much more important than # of POs. I'll take a car w/ good books/ repair receipts but multiple POs over and 1-2 PO with thin records.

 

bragging rights

 

I'd rather have 5 prior owners than the one that was a putz and didn't do a thing...

 

It only takes one owner to abuse a car.

Maintainence records is the key to resale.