Hi Folks,
I just re-joined the 150/152 club, as I am now in the market (again). And Yes, I'm REALLY excited about it. I just now discovered this forum and see that it's a gold mine of information. Wow! I'm in good hands indeed!
To summarize, I (finally) earned my ticket last August and the 40 minute drive to and from the FBO is seriously curtailing my flying, especially when there is a sleepy gem of an airport just four minutes away (but without an FBO) I've decided I want a nice 150 with the hopes of flying it a whole bunch for a year or two, and then see where it takes me. OK, I've been around aircraft for a long time and would like to think I'm not the average idiot looking for a 150. (!) I've got the book by Mike Arman on my desk, as well as the service and parts manual for a 69 J model. OK, here's where I could really use the help of you wonderful Cessna 150 enthusiasts. I found a nice looking '69 J model for sale with 5500TT and 800 SMOH. Paint is very nice, not perfect, but was a quality job when it was re-painted in 1996. The seller has owned it just one year, and he is a straight shooter and a genuine guy. He owns a big name avionics installation and sales company and appears to be as honest as the day is long. He bought the plane at an auction from a flight school that was going out of business. He then juiced up the panel for his own use, which was a no-brainer since he owns the before mentioned avionics company. It has a KX155 w/ GS, KMA24 audio panel, a KT76A transponder with new encoder, and a panel dock mounted Garmin 396. So far so good. The asking price is $21,500. All logs are in order, and the aircraft is ready to go. The only thing that bothered me was a very slight crease (crease sounds too harsh, but...)in the fuselage skin above and to the front (I think) of the landing gear. It was on both sides, and is barely noticeable. The plane is in annual right now, and today I spoke with the mechanic. He says everything looks fine inside and out, and that it (the barely noticeable creases) ought to be OK. BUT THEN he inserted the magic CD and discovered that in 1977 the plane was wrecked and needed a long list of parts including a left engine mount stringer, an upper and lower fuselage skin, a tail cone and (get this) a new / (used) left wing. Hmmm...I feel the plane is airworthy as it inspected OK, flies well and looks good. My main concern is resale value. The seller had no idea of the damage history (I believe him) and frankly was quite miffed. My gut feeling is to run away, unless he wants to drop the price significantly. I mentioned that, and he says he has about $21,000 into it as it sits, and doesn't want to drop the price, (at least not yet). So, (if you're not asleep yet) my questions are:
Should I even consider this aircraft?
Should I run away and not look back?
Should I make him a low ball offer?
Is the damage history a deal-breaker?
How is selling price affected by damage history such as this?
The aircraft in question is N60855 S/N 15070622
Sorry to bombard you all with so much at one time, but I sincerely appreciate any and all responses.
Also, let it be known that I live in North County San Diego, CA (Fallbrook) and am looking for a nice 150.
Thank you all,
Sincerely,
Charlie Rowlett
Fallbrook, CA
EAA / AOPA / Cessna 150/152 club member
Low time pilot - long time enthusiast!
