[digitalatlas]

I saw an ad that said there was only one previous owner for a 330xi, but on the Carfax it shows this:


2019 Sep 6 Motor Vehicle Dept.
Ontario, Canada
Canadian Renewal Registration Issued or Renewed
First Owner Reported
Previous Use: Personal


2019 Oct 10 Motor Vehicle Dept.
Ontario, Canada
Canadian Renewal New Owner Reported


That looks to me like the ownership switched hands. It's only a month apart, so what happened? Did someone register it for a month, then sold it to someone else?

Or did the dealership register the car first, then a buyer came around in October and the person registered it again?

It looks like the advertisement is technically incorrect, but the dealership is trying to slide it by as "one owner" because the registrations were so close together in the beginning. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by digitalatlas

I saw an ad that said there was only one previous owner for a 330xi, but on the Carfax it shows this:


2019 Sep 6 Motor Vehicle Dept.
Ontario, Canada
Canadian Renewal Registration Issued or Renewed
First Owner Reported
Previous Use: Personal


2019 Oct 10 Motor Vehicle Dept.
Ontario, Canada
Canadian Renewal New Owner Reported


That looks to me like the ownership switched hands. It's only a month apart, so what happened? Did someone register it for a month, then sold it to someone else?

Or did the dealership register the car first, then a buyer came around in October and the person registered it again?

It looks like the advertisement is technically incorrect, but the dealership is trying to slide it by as "one owner" because the registrations were so close together in the beginning. Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Is there a link to the full carfax report?

[digitalatlas]

https://vhr.carfax.ca/?id=UvhDQvEYEl...VPJutC5R3iWRgG


By contrast, here's another one that has Carfax's own One Owner label:

https://vhr.carfax.ca/?id=cWflXm9+Sz...vRHAMxd8Do25Mo

[bavarianride]

I am not familiar how Canadian auto registration works, are the names of the 2 owners public info?

One scenario is that the dealer registered the car under its name and used it briefly as a loaner, but then quickly sold it to a retail customer.

[digitalatlas]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

I am not familiar how Canadian auto registration works, are the names of the 2 owners public info?

One scenario is that the dealer registered the car under its name and used it briefly as a loaner, but then quickly sold it to a retail customer.

I'm not sure if it's that different from the US. You don't get to know the identity of the owner, it's not public. The province (state) requires renewal of the license every 1-2 years, which gets registered on the history.

I think it would be pretty foolish for the dealer to register to themselves, though would believe it. For that 1 month of use, they would give up the one owner status, which I'm sure would turn off some buyers.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by digitalatlas

I'm not sure if it's that different from the US. You don't get to know the identity of the owner, it's not public. The province (state) requires renewal of the license every 1-2 years, which gets registered on the history.

I think it would be pretty foolish for the dealer to register to themselves, though would believe it. For that 1 month of use, they would give up the one owner status, which I'm sure would turn off some buyers.

Local dealer's loaners are registered to the dealers, but are sold off in 5k to 6k miles. This tactic allows dealers to first capture BMWNA's incentives on a loaner(1st sale), and then capture resell/lease profits on first retail owner(2nd sale). If the loaner is leased, then in 36 months(e.g.) there can be a 3rd sale as used car.

[Ransom]

As others have mentioned, the carfax “one-owner car” splash sticker on the top of the report is the best way to judge if it’s truly a one-owner car.

The dealers in Ontario especially tend to drive their cars for personal use / loaners to customers, so in that case it may show a new owner after a short time but unless it has the carfax splash sticker (similar to the “no accidents” sticker), it won’t be a one-owner car.