That is a nice looking airplane, Charlie! I definately understand your interest in her.
Thanks for the pics. Now I understand what we're looking at. You were correct to "make a stink" about the wrinkled area. It is definately prior damage, perhaps related to the earlier incident, and definately not production related as I had earlier suggested. I've never seen this kind of damage in this area before, but I do still believe it is only cosmetic in nature. I do not believe structural integrity has been more than superficially compromised. If resale value is a concern, it WILL affect value, and will make resale more difficult.
You will see this damage on every prefight, and you will look for it in every picture. It will at some point bother you greatly that it is there, just like a dented fender on your new car! Unlike the fender, this will be much more difficult and expensive to repair, and is likely why it has not already been repaired. Many prospective buyers would walk away because of this small flaw, and I suspect some already have. You have not, but only because of your airframes background that most buyers do not have.
If you can handle the fact that the flaw is there, and don't mind absorbing some extra financial loss at resale due to it's existance, then you can likely recoup any losses in many trouble free hours of blissful flight in your new airplane!
Please understand that I am not bashing the airplane! It otherwise appears as a fine example. I am being brutally honest with you, as you should be with yourself,
before purchase, not after. I really think you've already become attached and might need a "buying buddy" to help you in this decision.
