Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes Is this one worth $25K ?

The owner is willing to negotiate... And the weather is getting nicer and nicer, I definitely do not spend a year looking for a plane.

So if the old radio like that dies - can you just replace head unit or do you need new GS/VOR indicators too?

Alexander,

Please, do not take this wrong. But you seem some what fixated on just this one airplane. Have you looked at any others?

Thanks!

KX170B W/KI209 and KN75 - used about $375-$1000 for a pristine one (don't buy the old 360 channel King units)
RT328T w/VOR indicator- about $200 on ebay if it works
KMA 20 Audio panel- $200-$300
2- place intercom- new from about $150 on up
KT76A Xponder- $worthless if weak or dead cavity tube to maybe $800 for one that works. A new Garmin slide in replacement is about $1500 with adapter, ACK A30 encoder is about $200 if you don't have a blind encoder

All these radios that are in the plane are still perfectly good for functional Cessna 150 flying, and all are readily available very inexpensively on eBay or in avionic shops in good working condition as removed from customer planes for upgrades as well as other used avionics sources. Sometimes it is better to find a cheap yet functional identical replacement rather than have your existing unit repaired should it fail.That way you simply slide in/out the radio unit and you probably wouldn't even need to document the swap. Also, the KX170 series have slide-in replacement radios (Michel MX170B)available or the MAC conversion that converts the old reliable King radio to digital tuning by changing the face plate. Michel also makes slide -in replacements for the old Cessna Rt series 12V and Narco Mk-12A as well.These units also show up on ebay for cheap as well. The VOR heads can be swapped for like units as well, they have a connector on the back you can unplug.Ask your radio shop guy which units to avoid, as some early heads are belt drive for the OBS, are difficult to align, and parts may be obsolete or not available- but for swapping, just get a unit that works. All this is fine and dandy for VFR, and for IFR you might want to upgrade to the newer units. The KT76A XPDR is a good unit if it works, but it has a cavity tube that is pricey to fix if it fails-BUT, Garmin's GX320A is a slide in solid state replacement with the appropriate adapter.
You can always replace your radios with low cost units like the ICOMA200 or the new ICOM A210. Right now there's a King KX125 NAV/COM on ebay for around $800, but it may go higher. That unit has the built-in VOR display in the faceplate- nice for a 2nd unit or if you don't have space for two VOR indicators.
Just be aware that there is a lot of junk sold on eBay, so you have to know what you are looking for or want. Make sure you get a guarantee or refund option if it fails.Anything other than direct replacements will incur additional cost to rewire the planes radio rack for the new equipment.It all depends on what you want the plane for or how long you plan on keeping it.If you want to build flight time quickly then sell the plane, leave as-is, otherwise plane on getting new stuff in the not too distant future.
-Brian

Brian,

Thank you very much for your very detailed answer. So it looks like worst case scenario is about $4K. All this stuff about avionics I did not want to know but being forced to find out (just kidding .

Btw, Is there an "avionics for dummies" or some kind of compatibility chart that I can use for quick reference to look up all these models? Or you just "have to know" all that?

Alexander,

G'day

As Brian has outlined through his summery of avionics replacement above, (as did I a number of posts ago - albeit without actual pricing ) avionics is not the major concern when buying an aircraft... don't, please don't... focus on the radios, there are much more important issues to get your attention when buying an aircraft.

I'll say it again (as I can't stress this enough), the key to finding a good aircraft is in the Airframe and Engine, its not the Radios - especially if you're talking VFR. Good radio's are nice, and in a perfect world, all aircraft would be problem free and jam packed full of goodies - but the reality is, there not

Its not much good having the fanciest radios on board, yet the Airframe is rotting around you, or the engine won't get you up there to enjoy the experience. Both these issues will keep you gounded, and cost you a absolute fortune for a remedy.... not a radio as such, to go to an extreme for example, (depending on where you're flying) you don't even need to have a radio.....or could operate on a cheap hand held for example.....are you getting my point here?.

Lastly, as far as the value of an aircraft goes......what is it really worth to you???? you're the one forking out his hard earned $$ here, and its you who stands to gain or more importantly, and possibly, loose the most as a result of your choices. A sightly over priced but good plane kept for years and years is not really an issue as such, where as by comparison, one bought to keep for only a year or so, is likely to be.

Good luck...

Cheers

I've found that most anybody's indicator can be used with anybody's nav/com... except for King and a couple of obscure brands nobody ever heard of. When buying a nav/com, buy one with the GS receiver built in, and you won't need a separate costly receiver and rewiring later. You will need to change the indicator and it's cannonplug connection to add GS, or add it all as a second system. Better yet to find a plane already setup like you want (let the current owner eat the depreciation for the radio stack).

There is no "Avionics for Dummies". We're all dummies! Some of us just happen to have learned out of necessity, and maybe due to an interest in electronics.

My point was, $25,000 for an ordinary airplane with ordinary radios is a rip off. For $25,000 there needs to be something spectacular - which there isn't. The engine is mid time and has a new-ish top overhaul.

Now - the seller is willing to negotiate price - excellent. Talk him down into the range that this airplane is worth (no more than $20,000!) I paid $19,000 for a plane with good radios, 287 hours on the engine (AND cylinders), a nice interior and excellent paint.

Perhaps the seller is trying to recoup that $5,000 he spent on the paint job with such a high asking price - never EVER put money into an airplane expecting to get the exact value of the mods added onto the airplane's value. Doesn't work that way.

There's a lot of good information and reviews of avionics at
http://www.avionix.com

You shouldn't disregard the installed avionics when shopping for an aircraft. It is one of major considerations as to the value of the plane. It's not just the value of the equipment but the cost of installation that needs to considered. You might see an inexpensive radio on ebay only to find out the installation cost far exceeds what you pay for the box. It's better to find an airplane equipped the way you want it than to find one with the intention of adding the equipment later. This same philosophy carries on to everything--unless you're an A&P or avionics tech, fixer-uppers always end up costing more than you thought.

Thanks everyone for taking time and explaining things to me. I really appreciate it!

One side of my brain tells me to be patient and to keep looking but but the other part (after looking at another $500 spent on rentals) wants to buy a plane right away. I also suspect that the same part of the brain thinks that owning the plane is much "cooler" then renting one... but that is beside the point

And for how long I will keep this one... I do not know... Maybe forever or may be in a couple years I will get rich (well... rich enough to get a 30-years old 210

Owner countered my offer and his "last word" is 23K... Choices... choices...

Hello Alexander. Welcome to the Forum. I'll throw in my two bits worth.

First, the plane you are considering is still (at $23,000) priced way too high. As Gremlin indicated, $20,000 is tops. There are more than a hand full of C150's available at any time in any region of the country, and there is nothing special about this one.

Secondly, the cost for an owner to fly his/her C150 is a minimum of $50/hour (low, not really taking all costs into account) to $100/hour depending on hanger, flight hours/year, any major repairs. You have not wasted $500 on renting. You have had the use of the plane, and then you got to walk away. No paying for inspections, repairs, insurance, tie-down/hanger, engine overhaul fund, etc.

Enjoy flying, and for right now, enjoy renting. Your cost per hour is not that far off of owning. As you gain more experience, you will better know what you want/need in a plane, and the more patient you will become about finding the right one at the right price.

Mike.