2002 996TT with about 16,500 miles... no accidents, looks nice but 5 owners (according to car fax)? Should I walk away and not even spend money for a PPI? and why or why not?

 

It causes pause. I would be very, very skeptical, and walk. Unless of course you have time for curiousity sake. I would investigate the owner trail, starting with the last one. But only out of curiousity.

 

I would be a bit concerned, however keep in mind that in some states the dealers are referenced as an owner in the carfax, so maybe this car in reality only had 2-3 "real" owners, check the ownership length/mileage for each owner, this should be a good indicator

 

Yes, check out the owner trail. Carfax is not always very accurate. I bought my car from the original owner yet the Carfax showed two owners. He moved to a different state and when he registered it there that showed up as a new owner. Also, "no accidents" isn't always accurate on Carfax as well. Due diligence with a thorough PPI should be followed.

 

My thoughts as well. Good luck

 

Agreed, in addition to car fax, purchase car proof, which i believe searches more data bases than car fax.

 

Cars that were leased may show two owners when there was only one. Car should be in good shape cosmetically with that many miles. But, was annual maintenance performed?