Patrick.
May I suggest you be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time reviewing the logbooks on any prospective bird. In addition, the owner should have quite a collection of Form 337's, STC's, and a host of add on equipment manuals and such. If the paperwork is not complete, including old work orders and such, I would tend to shy away. Also, no damage history is just that. Not all things that happen to airplanes end up in the log book. A local mechanic once ran me through some of the more creative log book entries he has seen that appeared to be small inconsequential repairs that obscured a major repair. You will most likely find a bird that has been well cared for by good owners, but once in awhile you have to be careful of land mines.
