Any concerns or issues with purchasing a standard 150 would apply equally with an Aerobat- engine & airframe times, paint, interior, corrosion, avionics, etc...damage history, corrosion... One item is the rudder stop AD must be C/W if you wish to have an unrestricted Aerobat, so hopefully the stop kit was installed when it first came out and the cost was acceptable. Current kit costs are a lot more. One thing to consider is the rarity of Aerobats, so parts can be elusive should your plane ever be damages. For example, a recent club inquiry sourcing lost wing struts is a perfect example- the parts don't exist or cannot be had from the salvage yards off the common 150's. Then when found, the prices are shocking. Simple items like strut fairings were impossible to find, except from Cessna for CE$$NA prices, although recently some of the aftermarket suppliers are offering them. Also, I would be very wary of an Aerobat that was worked hard all it's life as an aerobatic trainer and severely abused. Any 150 could also suffer that as well, and I certainly know of stock 150/152's that have has their share of (illegal) aerobatics. The biggest problem is associating "Aerobat" into the sales price. Just that alone seems to bump the price way up beyond what a similar condition stock 150 would sell for, even if it were a clapped-out dog. Restoring an Aerobat is pretty much on par with what you would spend on an engine overhaul, interior, paint, and avionics on a stock 150. The seats may be a bit more IF you had them re-covered exactly as the originals were because the Aerobat had removable back and seat cushions for parachute use. The seatbelts are expensive because they are wider military type. I just bought modern Hooker replacements at around $650 for a set. A paint job can be significantly more due to the multiple colors, stripes and checkerboard layout unique to Aerobats, SHOULD you desire an original factory look. Mine was never a flight school abused plane, it was privately owned. However, 15 years out in the California sun faded it into an "uglybat". Nothing time and (lots) of money couldn't fix
