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Jaguar - One previous owner - tonio

Can't agree with HJ. If an advert says "One previous owner" I would expect to see only one previous owner on the V5C, not two.

Jaguar - One previous owner - Cyd

The V5 shows KEEPERS, not owners

Jaguar - One previous owner - 72 dudes

Can't agree with HJ. If an advert says "One previous owner" I would expect to see only one previous owner on the V5C, not two.

Depends who the selling party is.

If it's a private individual "one previous owner" means there was an owner before the person selling it, so a total of 2 owners/keepers.

If it's at a franchised dealer for example, the car has no current owner, so "one previous owner" means just 1 owner/keeper.

Jaguar - One previous owner - pd

Not this one again. It is the DVLA who set the terminology and advertising companies just follow it.

If you put any car onto ebay, Autotrader etc. using the registration number then if you are the second owner it will put "Previous Keepers: 1" or words to that effect. If it is one owner it will say "0".

This is not down to the person/company advertising the car - it happens automatically when you load the advert up.

It is technically correct. If a car has had one previous keeper then the current one is indeed the current keeper, not a previous. Note that the registered keeper isn't necessarily the same as the owner at that point.

Jaguar - One previous owner - pd

Can't agree with HJ. If an advert says "One previous owner" I would expect to see only one previous owner on the V5C, not two.

Depends who the selling party is.

If it's a private individual "one previous owner" means there was an owner before the person selling it, so a total of 2 owners/keepers.

If it's at a franchised dealer for example, the car has no current owner, so "one previous owner" means just 1 owner/keeper.

Nope, it makes no difference as the car never goes into the selling dealer's name. One previous keeper always means one previous + current whoever is selling.

Obviously a car will nearly always have more owners than keepers - even a new one will have passed from manufacturer, to importer, to a dealer, maybe to another dealer who eventually sells it etc.

Jaguar - One previous owner - FoxyJukebox

What buyers need to know is the condition of the car. If the previous owner had been "rentacar" or some such-I would steer clear-wouldn't anyone?

Jaguar - One previous owner - bathtub tom

If the previous owner had been "rentacar" or some such-I would steer clear-wouldn't anyone?

No!

My current car was ex-rental. It had done 8K miles in eight months, so I guess it wasn't used for short trips to the shops. As an ex-rental car it had probably also been thrashed, meaning it had ben properly run-in.

Jaguar - One previous owner - John F

What buyers need to know is the condition of the car. If the previous owner had been "rentacar" or some such-I would steer clear-wouldn't anyone?

Not necessarily. Probably the best value (and most expensive) car we ever had was a 1994 Passat Est 2.0GL auto, bought 'nearly new ex rental' for £13000 at 4,500m. My records show it lasted us about ten years of intensive school-run/French hols family use and had done 242,000 when sold. Utterly reliable, easily serviced by me, never even needed to change the cambelt. It had probably been first driven cautiously by overseas tourists and thus nicely run in. 5.6p per mile capital/depreciation cost not bad even for 20yrs ago.

Jaguar - One previous owner - catsdad
Re rental cars, our 99 Astra was one such, bought from good old Trade Sales when six months old. We still have it but plan to sell/scrap it soon depending on impending MoT outcome. It's also only done 53,000 with no serious issues. Most days it did very short journeys despite what doom mongers tell you about the effect of such use on cars. Did have annual sevice though.
Jaguar - One previous owner - RT
Re rental cars, our 99 Astra was one such, bought from good old Trade Sales when six months old. We still have it but plan to sell/scrap it soon depending on impending MoT outcome. It's also only done 53,000 with no serious issues. Most days it did very short journeys despite what doom mongers tell you about the effect of such use on cars. Did have annual sevice though.

The '98-04 Astra-G was one of Vauxhall's finest - went downhill after that.

Many of the manufacturers "factory-approved cars" have come back in at 6 months from rental companies - because of the way these cars are leased to the rental companies, the manufacturers get first choice - any they don't want then go out to auction and some will appear at franchised dealers but not "factory-approved" and the others at car supermarkets and small independent outlets.

There's nothing magical about "management" cars - many have just many different drivers as rental cars as they swap cars to suit business and private purposes.

Jaguar - One previous owner - tonio

The only around this is to see the V5C before purchase.

Jaguar - One previous owner - steelghost

I'd second this - our last car was an i30 which we bought at £10k / 6 months old, having done nearly 12k at that point. We sold it 5 years later - other than tyres and routine servicing, it had been flawlessly reliable, comfortable and pretty economical, too.

Jaguar - One previous owner - oldroverboy.

Ditto,

Since my former employer went bang in 2005 I have had to buy my cars retail and have had zero issues with any of the ex-fleet/management/hire cars as against the final 2 rover 45's and the 75 which were my last employee purchases.

Just bought an ex demo Kia venga. Cracking deal, perfect condition, and £9000 against £14000 retail new, still got 6 and a quarter years warranty. Main dealer, full size steel spare and servicing pack included.