What’s with so many car owners for for one car

[A930Rocket]

I’m thinking of getting a 2001-2006 BMW M3 to have as a fun car. As I look, I surprised how many owners there has been for some.

When I bought my ‘87 930 in 2000, I was the 3rd owner.

When I bought my 91 318is in 2009, I was the second owner.

It just makes me wonder about a 15 yo car that 5-8 owners.

Thoughts?

[aigel]

Apparently it is pretty common, especially on "toy" type cars. OWP may comment, he has said this before, that it was common. For me it would be a red flag. I'd try to buy a car from a first or second long term owner. Price is the same, why have something that's been handed around 8 times if you can get it from the guy that bought it new?

My 993 was a 1st owner car. Guy was a regular 911 buyer but skipped the 996.

G

[sc_rufctr]

I'm the third owner of my W140. It's a big old barge so not the same as something sporty.

Maybe the people that buy these sporty cars get bored and want to move on quickly.

[oldE]

My first thought was to ask Matt.

Best
Les

[JeremyD]

I wouldn't buy a 2000-2006 BMW if you gave it to me

[Dpmulvan]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

I'm the third owner of my W140. It's a big old barge so not the same as something sporty.

Maybe the people that buy these sporty cars get bored and want to move on quickly.

Or maybe the constantly break and cost a fortune to fix.

[SiberianDVM]

Originally Posted by JeremyD

I wouldn't buy a 2000-2006 BMW if you gave it to me

Yup. I had a 2006 335xi. Great driving car, when it wasn't at the dealership for something broken. Sold it back to CarMax and bought a 1999 M3 coupe. Much happier; I just put a piece of black tape over the constant CEL.

[pavulon]

A LOT of people have car ADD. Even more people are attention starved so the parade of new cars brings the feed for that vampire.

[gsxrken]

I’ve had my 03 M-Sport 540 since 2004 and 182,000 miles. Best car I’ve ever owned. Now and then it needs something small and it gets it.

[Halm]

IMHO, E46 M3’s present one image and deliver another. We had an ‘06 competition package car that was super nice. It was sneaky fast but didn’t feel or sound good getting there. It could handle, but the ride was too harsh. On the first highway trip we took in it, my wife said to sell it. It was one of 2 cars in almost 50 years together she said that about. The other was a POS 914 that broke down on her at a DE.

[GH85Carrera]

I know two different men personally that are both in their late 40s to early 50s. The are NOT car dealers, but just like a different car all the time. Bot men have had over 70 cars in their lifetimes. Just personal cars. They like something different all the time.

I am the opposite of that, and is is just alien to me. Since 1974 I have had three cars, and I still own and drive two of them! Disclaimer: I don't count my wife's cars even though my name is on the title so I am am part owner. Those are her cars, not mine.

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I’m thinking of getting a 2001-2006 BMW M3 to have as a fun car. As I look, I surprised how many owners there has been for some.

When I bought my ‘87 930 in 2000, I was the 3rd owner.

When I bought my 91 318is in 2009, I was the second owner.

It just makes me wonder about a 15 yo car that 5-8 owners.

Thoughts?

Very common in the BMW world, especially with the M series cars. It is more rare to find 1-2 owner cars by far. Low cost, high (relatively) performance and fan boy following have made them this way.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Dpmulvan

Or maybe the constantly break and cost a fortune to fix.

That's a good point but you'd think a premium car like a BMW would be durable and reliable.

Honestly I don't know why people are OK with the issues these "new" cars have.

I knew a rich accountant years ago who bought a brand new BMW SUV. The car was nice to look at and all that but for no apparent reason occasionally the engine would cut out. He took it back to the dealership multiple times but they were never able to fix it. Eventually they ended up giving him a brand new replacement of the same model.

[p911dad]

I have been lucky finding one owner cars over the years, an '84 Carrera coupe, a 1969 TR6 and a '98 993. After a while though, they all become just old cars and require steady maintenance as things expire from age, wear out etc. Our multiple owner 82 SC was the worst, especially when the engine started to let go, through-bolts snapping one by one.

[Noah930]

I'm the 7th owner of my 930 (purchased when it was 18 years-old, and now I've had it for 15 more). Amazingly, other than the stereo unit, it was otherwise stock.

And I'm the 3rd owner of my 964 (purchased when it was 30 years-old).

[widebody911]

I bought my 2003 M3 from the original owner, and a few months ago he emailed me wanting to buy the car back!

[PorscheGAL]

Talking to some guys at C&C. A lot of younger buyers use the car for Instagram, YouTube and Twitter attention then sell for something new. More cars= more followers

[shoemakj]

I have an '02 M3 that I bought in 2009 with 11,000 miles on it. I am the third owner. First owner drove it for 5,000 miles and traded it in for an M5. Second owner, a surgeon friend of mine, put the next 6,000 on it over 4 years. He preferred to drive his X5 to work in Wash DC traffic. He sold me the E46 after buying an E9x M3. I was going to sell it this spring, just because I'd like to try something different. But COVID-19 has delayed those plans.

[Arizona_928]

Prolly a few repos on them...

[Noah930]

Originally Posted by widebody911

I bought my 2003 M3 from the original owner, and a few months ago he emailed me wanting to buy the car back!

So if he bought it back, would he be the first owner? Or the third?