Firstly a thanks to the many contributors to this forum, as I have lurked for a little while to boost my knowledge.
I'm a previous lpg converted Discovery 1 owner, and am now looking to return to the V8 fold.

The car in question is an 05 with 93k on the clock, touch screen sat nav/venture cam etc so is an "early" facelift I think.

I have a few queries which I haven't yet found an answer to...

Firstly, provenance - I'm struggling slightly to get a view on what is "Overfinch" on this car - it's shod with 22" 9 spoke alloys, has the large quad rear exhaust, but other than possibly an aero front bumper does not appear to have any exterior or interior styling additions.
I've looked at the Overfinch website, but their is little in the way of info on previous models.
Is there anything I could look for on the car itself, or in documentation?
In a thread on Khan cars, it was mentioned that there was a plate on "official" conversions.

Secondly, it does appear to have been passed around a bit - 9 owners so far. It does have a full service history (stamped, last 2 or 3 at independents rather than main dealer). The seller (non franchise/luxury marque) has had the LPG system serviced and has said he has a stack of bills/info - thermostat, pads, discs, front suspension struts, gearbox rebuild and the biggie - a full engine rebuild.

I'm conflicted in as much as with this amount of work completed, part of me is saying "run", while the other is saying that I should now be less likely to run into those specific issues going forward. Although the dealer will supply a warranty (WMS) I'm betting that any aftermarket additions (such as overfinch engine enhancements) would probably invalidate most standard motor warranties.

I have already looked at and expect to take the excellent buyers guide with me, together with a pet LR mechanic, and expect to have to set aside a higher than average contingency fund, but would appreciate any insight - particularly from Overfinch owners past or present.

Go with your instincts.
Nine previous owners . . . means you'll be the tenth. Would you buy a car with ten previous owners - I wouldn't go near it with the longest barge pole.
And it's only eight years old

The OF additions (if that's what they are ?) are very "chalk & cheese" which may also make it difficult to shift.
The dealer supplied warranty will not be worth the paper it's written on - there will be too many exceptions & exclusions to make a worthwhile claim.

There are loads of RR's for sale - take your time and you'll get a good one.
Low ownership = happy owners.

Don't want to sound like the grim reaper, but there are so many potential massive money pits with a bad car -

 Where do you go after one of these . . . ?

Sound advice there. If I'm 100% honest I wish I'd held out a bit longer before buying mine as I've had a fair few hits so far!

I too agree - go with your instinct. If the car is proper and feels right then just because its had 9 keepers isn't necessarily an issue. I've noticed on high end Ferrari's etc its not uncommon for 'rich toys' to be bought and sold very quickly. Besides it could have been bought by Overfinch, used a demo, then gone a new owner for a year, traded in, bought, registered to a company as a company car, sold/given to a director, sold as owner bored or offered a good price for a trade in for example you can really clock up owners in a short space of time. Lots of reasons for owners in a short space of time, other things could be someone has bought it, found the insurance too expensive and sold it on again, or bought it just for the winter and sold in the spring. Also its possible a dealer in the past has run it as a personal car for a few months - that would add another owner too as I think there is some legal requirement for traders to register cars if using for personal use rather than use on the V5/C
I know it bothers a lot of people the number of owners, but if the car feels right you may have a good one.

If there is a sheaf of paperwork, the history is up to date, the car looks well looked after (i.e. not polished up to look better or hide sins) and Overfinch confirm the provenance (presumably you can ring them up?) then why not - if its to your taste and you plan to keep it for a long time. You do need to check the authenticity though - plenty of Autobiography's out there which aren't - blinged up aftermarket kit to make it look like an Overfinch will devalue it far more than the 10 owners.

And I would use the 9 owners to haggle hard - no reason why you shouldn't play the same game the next owner will to you. Ultimately its about the net cost - if you get it for the right price and you know you'll get a lower price when you sell, then the difference in the middle is what matters - not the initial price.

If anything seems iffy, then walk away, there will always be another one around the corner. Current Fleet:-
2018 Discovery 5 3.0 HSE
2021 Ford Ranger Wildtrack
2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt 5.0 V8
1993 Defender 90 200TDI Pickup

Gone - not forgotten
2016 L405 4.4 SDV8 Vogue SE
2012 L322 4.4 Westminster
2004 L322 4.4 V8 Autobiography LE
2000 P38 RR 4.0 HSE (ex Clarkson test car)

Thanks for your responses, which perfectly sums up my dilemma!

I too am of the opinion that non run of the mill stuff does seem to have a short attention span with certain people. I tend to keep mine for a longer period, and leverage the high milers to get a lower sale price, which then evens out over time and with my useage. If it is right I would (barring unforseen events/economies) probably keep it for 4 or 5 years at least.

I'll contact Overfinch with what info I have to see if they can help with history.

I think I will go with my mechanic pal on Firday and have a look and a drive and go from there. I'm not desperate to buy, and I've waited this long....

Any other advice or opinion is more than welcome.

And decision made.

Called Overfinch, reg not in their records, looked at it on dealer website, not an Overfinch as far as they are concerned.....

Many thanks all.

What about this one on the Forum ? -

http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic21720.html

 Where do you go after one of these . . . ?

It's a lovely example, but not what I'm looking for.
The search will continue - I'll wait until I find the "right" one.

Maby, just my 2 penneth worth... How would Overfinch know if an 05 was made by them or not?

A, the present owners "Autobrokers of Leeds" did not own Overfinch in 2005
B, iw was my understanding that almost all of the build records were binned when Autobrokers bought them
C, for many years now Overfinch sell body kits, wheels, in fact most of their catalogue as parts so you can put them on your own car. So, how can anyone tell you in this day & age what is an Overfinch & what is not?

Unless it's been owner by a Cheshire or Essex footballist (& then it's bound to be fake)

Craig - thanks for the info. I just nipped down to the dealer and checked the centre storage compartment.
Full of fake nails and eyelashes so your theory is confirmed!

But seriously.....Overfinch first asked for the VIN number, which I didn't have, but then checked the reg.
I was told it didn't appear in the records he was checking.
He then looked at the dealer website, and said that in his opinion the wheels weren't "right", that they looked like copies.
No Overfinch badge on front grille.
He did not recognise the (large) quad exhaust on the rear.
No rear spoiler.
Front appears totally standard.

I did go down and have a look at it (briefly) last week as I was in the area, hence questions here before possibly going down for a better look/drive.
Other than one badge on the rear, I couldn't see anything, inside or out, that marked it as Overfinch.

I've just called the dealer, and asked whether he had any documentation that backs it up, and after a bit of umming and ahhing, he hasn't.

I think there's enough doubt in my mind that I certainly wouldn't pay a premium for it, and therefore viewed as a bog standard 8 year old, 9 owner car, that's had to have an engine rebuild, I would value it at far less than he does.

This says it all really

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Overfinch-Bespok...2581aad742

If you can buy a badge on eBay directly from Overfinch for £29 then they obviously don't much care about de-valuing their brand, by whom is sticking them on what i mean!

^ When they carried out "proper" conversions (ie other than cosmetic) to RRC's & P38's, the customer had to spend over a certain amount - I think it was £1000 - before you were allowed to have the badge

How times change . . . .

 Where do you go after one of these . . . ?

I think it may have been 5 or 10 times that Tug... £5K or £10K is not much in Overfinch Terms...

Nowadays, yes, but you used to be able to get some decent value additions from them.
I 'phoned them years ago about a handling kit for a '93 Tdi - about £1200 - that qualified for a badge ! (it sounds like Blue Peter doesn't it )
On a slightly different tangent, I've a brochure which includes their full blown conversion of a soft dash Classic - now that WAS a conversion

 Where do you go after one of these . . . ?

How about another members vehicle. It's not an OF but it is a Super Charged

http://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic21934.html Ash
------------------------------------------------------
2016 SDV8 AB