"One Owner"

[Bruce Nunnally]

I was looking at this 2009 STS on ebay that is a local offering from Dallas.

The text says one owner:

This 2009 One Owner V8 Luxury Performance STS is an early financial lease return. It is powered by a responsive 320 hp @6400rpm, 315 ft-lbs. @4400 rpm, 4.6 Liter Northstar V-8 engine mated to a super smooth shifting automatic transmission.

Pretty car, good miles, interesting price.

The VIN link shows:

Vehicle Ownership History Vehicle Ownership History

The number of owners is estimated by CARFAX Owner One Vehicle History

Year purchased 2008

Type of owner Rental

Estimated length of ownership 8 months

Owned in the following states/provinces California

Estimated miles driven per year ---

Last reported odometer reading 12,577

So yes, technically one owner, but the owner was a RENTAL COMPANY.

[BostonETC97]

I'll gladly buy a pre-owned car, just not a rental! Even if the maintenance is performed, I'm just not comfortable with the idea of owning a car that's been driven by hundreds of people who have the "its not my car, i don't care" attitude. Pre-owned cars can be excellent investments if you meet the previous owner, and see how the car has been taken care of.

I recently rented a 2008 Chrysler 300 sedan on my last visit to Florida. Less than 15k on the odometer, yet the car looked and drove worse than my '97 Eldorado with over 120k on it. Alignment and balance were out of whack, brakes were warped, clunks and rattles over bumps. And the interior was just as bad... deep scratches all over the radio/console/dash, stains, etc. And the part that killed me the most... it looked like it was regularly washed (both inside and out) with a hard bristle brush, as I've never seen such severe paint swirling in my life! I really felt bad for the sucker who's going to buy that 300C after it gets a "make it look good" detailing, and the "minor" issues are covered up, or not disclosed upon purchase.