Hello all,
New member here, ~140 hour VFR only PPL, average skills (at best). I did most of my primary in a 152 and every time I get back in one I really want to pull the trigger. I am running some numbers and would love to hear your thoughts on the following. I hope it is not rude to sort of just show up and ask a million questions, but I really do appreciate any advice!
I'm in Denver (BJC), but with no illusions about flying a 150/152 into the mountains. My experience is in a 152. With that said, would DA be significantly more of an issue in a 150? The "mission" is me just flying around and occasionally my wife and I (~340# together) going on short hops together.
Is budgeting $100/month for a tiedown reasonable? Is an uncovered tiedown a terrible idea?
Is budgeting $1,200/year for insurance reasonable?
Is budgeting $1,000/year for the annual and $1,500/year for unplanned maintenance reasonable?
Is budgeting $500 for a pre-buy inspection reasonable?
How do you recommend thinking about an engine overhaul reserve? My first thought was the overhaul cost divided by (TBO minus SMOH) but I wonder if that is overly conservative.
Is, say, $2,000 on hand after the purchase a reasonable amount in case something breaks early that needs immediate repair?
Are there big budget areas I'm missing other than the purchase price, down payment, interest rate, acquisition cost (prebuy, travel, etc.), tiedown/hangar, insurance, annual, unplanned maintenance, fuel cost, oil cost, and engine reserve?
I would not complain if any of those numbers are too high (here's hoping)! Thanks for any and all help.
Mike
