996 Carrera 4S - Question?

Hi Folks, After months of searching for the right 996 C4S I have found one that i really like but have one question. Its a late 2002 model with 50K and FSH. The only prob I have is that it has 7 owners in total. Should this be something to worry about? The car runs perfectly fine and the bodywork is spot on too. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks :thumbs:

Not really, if the history is ok and the service book is all stamped and everything is right with the car. If you are buying from a dealer you will also have an element of protection that should also reassure you. Mine has had four owners the first being Porsche themselves, if you saw it you would think that its brand new instead of nearly seven years old. I have been led to believe that these top cars usually have more owners than most. Also at least if its still great after these owners have had their fun then you should be pretty safe in the knowledge that what was weak would have failed long ago. Would I buy it ? probably if it really was mint and all original and good, also try to get some warranty if possible.Mike

I agree with the above. I bought my car from an OPC and it has 5 owners in under 6 years. These cars do change hands regularly. I guess people who buy Porsches from new or nearly new can afford the depreciation. On the upside they can also afford the maintenance. All of the necessary stamps were available in the service history book so I had no reason not to buy.

Cheers for the swift replies! What sort of a price would you say would be a good price from a private buyer? With FSH (some Porsche and some specialist), Ex condition all round. New tyres, good brakes, recent clutch etc..... Thanks :thumb:

Depends on spec, but 25-28 at the moment. Prices have risen a bit in recent months.

Buy on overall condition and it sounds like the service history is complete, be sure there's nothing dubious about the service history ie on Page 4 the Vehicle Identification sticker is as it should be etc... Number of previous owners with 911's have a tendency to be on the high side in some cases for reasons mentioned earlier on this thread. I wouldn't be particularly that bothered with a high number of owners so long as everything else adds up to your own expectations. Sometimes various options can sell a car quicker as opposed to commanding a higher sale price. Colour regime also has a bearing on price. So - is it manual/tip? What options are fitted and what colour is it, just out of interest! Hope you find the right motor - great model is the C4S :thumb:

Bought my 73k C4S in May '09 from Northway Porsche, 5 previous owners with a full history. Haven't had any probs at all (hang on whilst I touch wood!!). Paid £24,750 and am very happy with it. Has a good spec list too. Go for it and enjoy!

There are often circumstances which cause a higher number of owners than there actually were. My 996T's first "owner" had it for 1 day - it was a speculative purchase when there were long delivery times. Then there was a transfer between husband and wife to effect a cherished registration transfer. I got a DVLA V888 report for mine - one of the best £5's I have ever spent. I got a detailed report, and copies of all the V5's back to the first registration. DPA? Pah!

Richard The DVLA V888 report sounds like a great idea - I'd like to build up as much documented history about my car as possible as I think it really helps when selling. Can I ask, are the bits you mention (V5s etc) all obtainable via filling in this V888 form and paying the DVLA 5 quid? Is the form just one of those available from the Post Office? Thanks

Yes - you get everything just by filling in the form and sending off a fiver! Mine was 20+ pages - all the V5C's with all the registration changes. You can download the form from here: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Diol1/DoItOnline/DG_10016794 Where it says 'reason you want the info' just say that as the current owner you would like to trace the car's history and locations. Worked for me.

Downloaded. Printed. Completed. Posted (well in an envelope). Shame you can't do it all online. Cheers Richard :thumb:

Likewise. Thanks Richard. OP, sorry to hijack thread. As you were...