Welcome Grant!
There are many on this forum much more knowledgeable than I am. I agree a C-150 is a good airplane to try out ownership. Still, they can get kind of expensive.
As far as hours, our engine was overhauled in 1990, has just over 1,600 hours on it and is still running strong. Take a look at the logs and see how many hours it was flown between annual inspections. Flying once a week for an hour or so is very good for an engine, along with regular oil changes (25 hour intervals if it does not have an oil filter, and a lot of 150's don't). Regular flying is also good for the airframe and instruments. Any moisture buildup can get blown out and dried and the gyros for the instruments do better if run regularly. I would prefer an airplane that had been flown 50 hours or so between annuals over one that had been flown 200 or 300 hours one year then sat without flying much for another year or two. This happens quite a bit when (as my Dad used to say) "the new wears off." I agree with Hung on approx. overhaul costs. Be sure your mechanic that does the pre-buy looks inside the airframe for corrosion. That can be a deal killer if there is much of it. Be sure all the radios and other equipment work like they are suppose to. Get with ATC (you can do this with flight following) and be sure the transponder is reading the right altitude and is consistent. ADS-B Out will be required in Classes B, C airspace and above 10,000 msl. If you are out in the country and plane to not fly in those areas, you won't have to have it. If you need it, figure on around $5,000 or so. I would guess roughly around $15,000 would be a top price based on your description provided everything looks good.
Last edited by Stacey_Morris; 02/08/17 03:33 PM.
