"Previously Owned by a Doctor..."

[LeftLane]

I noticed when I was looking for my car that most dealerships made mention that the car I was looking at "was previously owned by a doctor/lawyer/dentist", as if to imply that those types of people take much better care of their cars than the rest of us. Well, read this, from the latest issue of Road & Track:

"The Quality Planning Corporation evaluates risks for insurance organizations, and has found that doctors are second - right behind high school students - in car accident frequency. Lawyers are third, architects fourth, and real estate agents fifth. A suspected factor is cell phone usage. The safest drivers are housewives, politicians, pilots, firemen and farmers."

Another example of a poorly conceived sales technique that is not rooted in fact...

 

[PHOEN$X]

as if to imply that those types of people take much better care of their cars than the rest of us.

...or that they're the family types (and thus care more about safe driving), or they're simply too busy to put too many miles on their cars.

Here's the supporting article on the study you're referring to. Just don't tell any potential buyers that your car was previously owned by a student.

"In the end we're very, very bad at predicting who is going to have an accident," said Finnegan, "I can't predict, for any individual person, who's going to have an accident within the next year."

"Except for students," added Robert U'Ren, QPC's vice president for business development and underwriting. "They're a bad risk."

 

[DocL]

While those statistics may be true for crashes, personally I take better care of my cars than I do for myself sometimes. Most doctors and dentists are perfectonists and the things that we own tend to be kept in pristine condition. Not that people in other professions don't do the same with their automobiles, it's just a stigma attached to us docs. I know that my attention to detail is much more intense than some of my non doctor friends, but that doesn't make me a better person. Probably just more compulsive, which in dentistry is a good personality trait.

BTW, I have never used the term "doctor owned" in any of my ads for cars that I've sold in the past.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Most doctors and dentists are perfectonists

Except when it comes to handwriting, eh Doc?

J/K!

 

[LeftLane]

No disrespect intended for any doctors/dentists/lawyers...I just find it humorous that car salesmen think that little tidbit will sway a potential buyer's mind...

"Oh, a doctor owned this car, therefore, it must be in perfect condition in all respects. I am now willing to pay more than your asking price, since I am assured that I will have a happy and trouble-free ownership experience, since this car was previously owned by a proctologist!"

 

[DocL]

Except when it comes to handwriting, eh Doc?

J/K!

Poor penmanship is a first year class. For those that had better handwriting than a third grader were required to take it. Luckily I was exempt!

 

[4AU4LIFE]

No disrespect intended for any doctors/dentists/lawyers...I just find it humorous that car salesmen think that little tidbit will sway a potential buyer's mind...

"Oh, a doctor owned this car, therefore, it must be in perfect condition in all respects. I am now willing to pay more than your asking price, since I am assured that I will have a happy and trouble-free ownership experience, since this car was previously owned by a proctologist!"

I hear ya

 

[autobody tech]

Funny, I acually did buy my nsx from a lawyer, he took it to the dealer every time something was needed. He really babied the car, but when i removed the center console to route wiring i discovered at least a thousand toothpic wrappers that had been stuffed through the seam where the console trim meets the e-brake handle! Now i think he was one of those kids that shove everything under the bed to clean his room.

 

[steveny]

No disrespect intended for any doctors/dentists/lawyers...I just find it humorous that car salesmen think that little tidbit will sway a potential buyer's mind...

"Oh, a doctor owned this car, therefore, it must be in perfect condition in all respects. I am now willing to pay more than your asking price, since I am assured that I will have a happy and trouble-free ownership experience, since this car was previously owned by a proctologist!"

I have always thought the salesman using this sales pitch was trying to sell the car by associating the car with a public perception.
"If you buy this car you will be in the same crowd as a doctor, lawyer, dentist, and people will view you as one while you drive by". "This car will get you the respect you deserve"
I think they do the same with cars that were preowned by sports figures too.
Want to look like a real professional athlete, get the chicks that professional athletes do, buy this car, it was owned by so and so from this NFL team.

 

[docjohn]

I can't wait to charge more for my cars when I sell!

 

[NSXLuvr]

proctologist!"

the correct term is Gastroenterologist, or a Colon and Rectal Surgeon. The term protologist is outdated.

I think what they are saying is that the car is well maintained- since most Physicians tend to be very ANAL.

 

[gheba_nsx]

Funny, my second NSX was really of a surgeon. When he retired he went living from cold Switzerland to Italy and sold the car... the car was in very good condition.

But the car that was in best condition was my first NSX: the red one... and it was owned by an ex Formula 1 driver! Strange... you would imagine that the car was trashed but it was perfect, insde and out! Probably the adrenaline was used on the track with the "real mean cars"

 

[supercharged]

I only drive my car ~1500 miles a year. Resell should be killer.

 

[Dr.Honda]

Interesting thread. I agree 100%. My 2 accidents (10 years apart) both occured when I was talking to the hospital on the @#! cell-phone. damn things.

 

[Andrie Hartanto]

This reminded me of a post someone made about the Audi S4 Champion was selling back when they retired the car from Speed World Challenge.

It was saying something like this:
2 Audi S4 for sale. Driven by a middle age Italian and an elderly British Gentlemen.

And it shown a picture of Galati and Derek Bell's S4.

 

[RyRy210]

Well, I guess it depends on who you know. My friends are all very successful. One actually owns his own law firm.

They DO NOT pamper their cars. As a matter of fact, they treat it like crap.

The reason is because they have too much money. They trash it and then when they are tired with it they go out and buy a new one.

I gotta admit that I baby my car very much though.

 

[Meeyatch1]

I noticed when I was looking for my car that most dealerships made mention that the car I was looking at "was previously owned by a doctor/lawyer/dentist", as if to imply that those types of people take much better care of their cars than the rest of us...

Actually, the funny thing is that most of the doctors and lawyers I know or have met take the WORST care of their cars, they just make more money than other people.

There is a doctor here who has had two NSX-T's. His first one was a black '96 NSX-T that by the time his lease was up had ALL the wheels curbed so badly they all needed refinished, EVERY BODY PANEL needed paint work and damage removed, he had managed to knock the orange piece in the radio display down, and had a host of other damage and problems. Add to this the fact that he did not do ANY of the major services, and only changed the oil about every 8,000 miles and you get the idea.

Then when his red '00 NSX-T arrived it was the same thing. That car is beaten severely and almost never serviced. He drives like a lunatic and never pays attention to where he is going or what he is about to hit.

The sad thing is I even offered to detail the black '96 NSX-T for him when he had it at NO COST to him and when I showed up at the appointed time to pick the car up from the hospital he was nowhere to be found. I waited for an hour and then one of his nurses said, 'Dr. (fill in name) changed his mind..have a good day,' and that was it!! The doctor did not even have the courtesy to tell me he decided against a FREE detailing.

I know there are exceptions to this, especially on here where the NSX is more than just a car to the people on Prime, but to other non-enthusiasts it is just a flashy way to get to the ER or court.

(**Both his NSX-T were leased from Superior Acura in Overland Park, KS as I recall. Those poor people had no idea what cars they got back when the doctor's leases were up. )

 

[whiteNSXs]

Most doctors and dentists are perfectonists and the things that we own tend to be kept in pristine condition.

With due respect, I have to disagree. Most of the doctors I know are no different from the general public when it comes to how they keep their stuffs.
Steve

 

[LeftLane]

With due respect, I have to disagree. Most of the doctors I know are no different from the general public when it comes to how they keep their stuffs.

Interestingly, I would suggest that the general public takes crappy care of their cars overall, wouldn't you? However, since certain professions make a lot more $$ than others, some people in those professions likely view their stuff as "disposable". Obviously, this isn't true of everyone, as there are many docs on this site that baby their cars, I'm sure.

My point is just that I think it's silly to use that as a selling point. As a matter of fact, when I looked at an M5 today, the sales guy said that it was "a local trade from a doctor who bought a Ferrari Maranello", inducing a nice chuckle from me. This brings up a corollary selling tool - the " trade for a very high end exotic". I'm amazed at how many doctors have traded their cars for Ferraris here, since I never see any F cars driving around.

 

[I Grok NSX]

the correct term is Gastroenterologist, or a Colon and Rectal Surgeon. The term protologist is outdated.

I think what they are saying is that the car is well maintained- since most Physicians tend to be very ANAL.

From Seinfeld: "ASSMAN".

 

[whiteNSXs]

Interestingly, I would suggest that the general public takes crappy care of their cars overall, wouldn't you? However, since certain professions make a lot more $$ than others, some people in those professions likely view their stuff as "disposable". Obviously, this isn't true of everyone, as there are many docs on this site that baby their cars, I'm sure.

You are right. If we look at people with comparable incomes as doctors, there are not much difference the way they treat their cars. I agree that the "owned by doctor" pitch is actually quite silly. I wouldn't want to own DocJohn's car. I know if he had his way, he would put wings on it to truly make it a flying Bumble Bee.
These doctors, including myself, are simply car nuts who take better care of their cars and have nothing to do with their profession.
Steve

 

[docjohn]

Hey now Steve don't hate the player.lol No way can we predict how a car is treated just by income or profession.I would add my own observation that imo narcisistic people or those concearned with thier own appearence , compulsive types,folks who are strugling or overexstending to pay for the car because they gotta have it, are more likely to have a clean or detailed looking car,what goes on under the engine compartment is another kettle.There are a lot more nsx owners not on this site and not caring about nsxca in the world than there are the wacko group of car guys and gals represented here.