Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes Cessna 150/150 on Trade A Plane. Price Question

I am looking to purchase my first airplane and found a 1969 Cessna 150J/150 on trade a plane. They are asking $33,000, is that a resonable price? 10 SMOH, LR tanks, IFR.

http://tappix.com/779082

I am wondering if it would be worth it to spend the extra money now and pick up a 150/150 or just buy a standard 100hp.

The other airplane I am looking at is posted here in the classifieds, the 1977 150M in Maryland for $25,000 obo.

Looking for advice as this will be my first aircraft purchase.

Thanks in advance
Dave

If I were starting over, I'd buy the 150/150.

Welcome to the club, you'll love it here.





Yep, I'd go with the 150hp. IFR is a big plus.

Michael, Try to make it to the Thomasville fly-in and make yourself known, we won't be hard to find. It's in October 12,13,14 I think.

www.thomasvilleflyin.com [thomasvilleflyin.com] for info.

About 6 to 9 of us will be there for the weekend.

What type of flying are you going to be doing, Dave? Will the extra horsepower be a real benefit for you? It does not appear that this airplane has the gross weight increase. Does flying over the legal gross weight bother you? You will run into parts issues with conversion STC's.
When I needed a spinner for our airplane, I cold not get the correct one from the STC holder. There are only two companies that repair the mufflers that come with this STC. Are you comfortable doing some of your own maintenance? Do you have an I/A that uses common sense rather then goes strictly by the regulations? Some of that is needed in owning a 150/150.

OK! Now those are some of the bad points. The good side........

WAHOOOOOO

What a kick in the rear airplane to own!! 1000 FPM climb, or better! The airplane actually follows the nose. (It feels like the airplane is on rails!) You WILL be flying the airplane over it's legal gross weight. But it handles even up to 2000 pounds quite handily. For the flying that Justina, Cheyenne and I do, the 100 HP 150 was going to get us hurt some day. Though, it did do everything we had asked of it. The 150/150 keeps us on the safe side. It will do everything better then a 172, with the exception of carrying people in the back seat!

For the right owner the 150/150 can be a wonderful aqusition! But, as with most vehicles that have been modified, it can also be a problem at times. It takes a special person, and attitude, to own and maintain a 150/150!!

Did this answer help, Dave?

Welcome to the Club. It's not often I see someone named "Michael" but goes by "Dave".

A $33,000 asking price is not out of line for a well equipped 150/150, but I would expect you can bring them down a little on the price. I wouldn't shy away just because of the price, but there are considerations with this particular airplane.

Nice plane!

Airframe time is higher than most, but not out of line, and not a factor in airworthiness. Notable only as a bargaining chip.

The paint is a little worn, could stand a repaint, but looks good enough. That's not that important to me personally, but will cost you big bucks if you plan on a paint job later. It's more important to me as another bargaining chip. Who did the overhaul? I generally shy away from very low time engines due to infant mortality issues, but if it has a fully transferable warranty ... well ... it IS 150hp! Big plus! At 10 hours, it should already be showing signs of a good break-in, with stable temps, and low oil consumption. An oil change, opening the filter for inspection, cylinder leak down checks, and power and instrument checks should all definately be part of the pre-buy (performed by YOUR mechanic, not his!) Don't be surpised to find a lot of metallic "dust" in the first filter change. That's usually normal! There should be no "chunks" or nuggets.

An airplane with damage history is sometimes hard to sell. Is this a detractor for you as a buyer? Do you plan to keep the plane you buy for a long time, or is resale value in a few years important? This plane does have some intersting damage history (at least twice, according to the database, in 1988 and again in 1993). There apparently wasn't a huge amount of damage, but proper repairs are important here! Done properly, evidence of repairs should not be visible (I prefer replacing damaged components to patching them) and will be as strong or stronger than factory original. I do not think the price reflects the damage history (the ower may not even be aware of it), but then, maybe it shouldn't, if the plane is solid! Any issues with damage repairs have surely been resolved by now, if the plane was flown much at all since.

If you get serious about this plane, order the FAA Aircraft History CD for this aircraft before putting anything other than token money down. The current owner has owned this aircraft for 3 1/2 years, at least, but have a guaranteed title and lien search done anyway. Ensure the log books are complete back to date of manufacture, and all AD's and STC's complied with, properly logged, and all FAA form 337's filed (FAA CD) where appropriate. Your mechanic is a big help when viewing the logs!

I'm not advising to buy or not to buy, as I'm just offering opinionated information. I think it's definately worth a look, if it fits your mission requirements.

You'll get plenty of pre-buy advise here, and I think you should heed most of it. There are several pitfalls you can avoid by asking questions here on the forum. There's always a group of guys and gals here eager to help, and I guarantee you'll be glad you asked!

Welcome to the best type club on the internet!

Oh, and don't pay any attention to Hung!

My name is Carl, but my family calls me "Eddie"!

That explains why you fit right in with the other two Ed's.

Yep! Proud of it, too!

Bet your glad they don't call you "Jeffie" !

Thank You, Carl!!!!