Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes New flier, new buyer

I just wanted to indroduce myself after lurking constantly in the last two days. Hey! And I'm interested in maybe possibly buying something.

I'm around 41hrs (and 12 months) into lessons. I like to brag about having a cylinder split on me pouring smoke and oil everywhere the first time I solo'd. I'm still waiting for the FAA to mail me the "automatic pass" license for going through that .

I'm a busy guy, so having fun, not racing to the check ride, is my main goal. I have come to the realization that I am not flying as much as I could simply because on most afternoons it can take me 45 minutes or more to get to where the club (and instructor) is (BFI). While there is an airport just 10 minutes the other way (PAE). Of course the clubs at PAE aren't all that receptive to a student taking their stuff out without one of their instructors. But they cost a decent amount more than BFI anyway.

So I think I want a 150 to park at PAE, and when it's time for more dual, I can pop into BFI. My instructor is completely cool with this idea. The majority of my flying will be alone, and I like the simplicity and cost of ownership aspect. I don't care about hauling my friends around or getting anywhere fast. I can rent from the club if I need that. I may not fly enough to statistically break the rent/own barrier, but my time is worth money to me, as is knowing exactly who flew it last (me). And I would own it for a while, not trade up in a year or two. Again, I like flying, not getting there....but a nice restaurant at the end is great too!

I have zero idea what to even look for in a 150 before I spend money for an inspection. There is one in the state I like, and I know someone who is a friend of the seller. But the seller doesn't know when the prop was last overhauled, or what cylinders are on it. And he's only owned it about a year, but spent money refurb'ing the interior just a few months ago. He says he has all the papers, including the papers from a wing replacement after a snow-bank incident in 1983, Alaska. It looks nice, but looks are a distant, almost non existant, requirement compared to decent electronics and structurally/mechanically sound. I am hesitant to blindly start paying for inspections on everything I see.

What I am also concerned about is the "polite" factor of talking about someone's airplane for sale in a public forum. I'm not sure if buying remote is the thing for me either. I figure the investment here, and I've ordered "the book", is a good start though. So I'm all ears and have no shame, and am looking for a buying buddy. I'm not in a hurry to buy, I'm the kind of person that researches something to DEATH before dropping my money.
So while I'm foraging through the posts, feel free to point me to specific ones you feel I may find valuable. Thanks!

Get Mike Armans book in the club store:
http://cessna150-152.com/Merchant2/...=C1CS&Product_Code=BMA2&Category_Code=bk

Owning, Buying or Flying the Cessna 150/152, By Mike Arman

Also, feel free to share details about any plane you are considering buying, you'll get a whole host of responses.
Being a novice to aircraft ownership, it would help to have someone mentor you along the way, and be sure to have a thorough pre-buy inspection on anything you are considering. Many planes that look good actually have serious issues, and conversely, some "dogs" that you'd shy away from can be quite solid and can be a better bargain especially if a seller is motivated to sell, and it only needs some cosmetic work for example. Actually, now is a good time to buy, as the market is soft, and prices are lower as a result of the economy.
-Brian

Welcome Matt, You've come to the right place. I won't go on too much as there are much better people to advise you than myself. The book of Mike's is very useful. plenty of time in the trade a plane, barnstormers, controllers ads is useful. But don't get too locked into the prices you see. the real cash price can be much less. ( but wasn't when I bought mine) I got wonderful guidance here, I did join before the purchase of my 150H. I was looking at nothing but L's and M's until GPB politely asked me why. The looks of the cowling was my only reason. I learned later that all the years of production had both good and less good characteristics.

In my searches I followed a few basic rules that the club and local pilots had advised.

1 Buy closer to home if at all possible, the cross counties altho fun don't save any money.

2 Corrosion is the biggest thing I look for, I tend to keep my stuff a REALLY long time. You can fix some of it, prevent more of it, but not effectively reverse it.

3 Damage history and logs are important to the resale of a pristine Bonanza, but less so in a 150-152. Most were trainers, most had a few bumps and knocks. when properly repaired, it can actually be better than one that's still original. Because of newer or updated parts

4 Reputation of a local plane. This I think is important. When everyone tends to know a particular aircraft and has consistent good or bad things to say, pay attention. Some of it will be BS, some might be very true. Always ask if THEY flew it to see if the knowledge is first hand.

5 New paint disease is difficult to overcome. When applied to an otherwise marginal aircraft.... it will still be a nice looking , for now, marginal aircraft.

6 Don't go too cheap. Trying to save money is natural. It can cost more in the long run if you don't spend enough up front to get a good one. Ironically some of the more expensive ones up front can be a better value long term.

7 The polite factor is interesting and I'm glad you brought it up. No names of aircraft are required to get a basic opinion. But when in doubt, I'd lay it out. Politely of course.

8 Check on the OTHER costs associated with ownership so you don't kid yourself or your over the shoulder checkbook holder. Insurance, annuals, upgrades, hangar rent, gas oil, and the one we all hate the OSHT fund for the stuff you learned about during your solo.

9 AOPA has a great wealth of info on their site including a valuation guide called v-ref, join em and use it.

10 Most of the others on here know more than me.

Brian's advice above is very good. The mentor to buy idea is especially good, try a few and see who you like. I had a good friend A&P that did my pre buy for free. Unfortunately, because it was free, he didn't do a very thorough job and missed several things. You get what you pay for, you hope.

Great information, thank you! I did order Mike's book at the same time I paid for registration, and I've been an AOPA member for years. So yes I've read that as well. I'm looking forward to getting the book.

So far as model differences, I prefer the club 150G over the 150M for the fact that I sit low in the M, so it's harder to see. The G also feels better in flight and responsiveness than the M to me, but it could be nothing. Aside from the generalizations on wikipedia, I haven't really found any good description of all of them and their little differences in performance.

There is a comprehensive comparison between the various models on the club home page.

From the home page, click on "Hangar" under the Members section.
Log in and scroll down and you'll come across " Aircraft Performance Specifications" which is a good place to start comparing the various model years.

Keep in mind, most of these planes are so old that there may be big differences between individual planes let alone different model years.

Below the above section is "Year by Year Changes"

Oh, and welcome to the club!

The Hanger link prompts me for a username and password, which does not work using the credentials I used to log into the forum. I thought maybe it's someplace for moderators or ?

Send an e-mail to membership@cessna150152.com Lori will get you straightened out.

From one Matt to another.....welcome to the club!

All depends what you want to spend and what your use is likely to be..eg, VFR, IFR - do you want Fastback, Straight Tail, Pre or post 1970 - Standard, Commuter or Aerobat O-200 or o-320 equipped and so on

There are, in my opinion from 9K miles away, some quite interesting examples in the Club Classifieds, and for that matter on Barnstormers also......

So have a think about it, decide what you're really looking for and then go looking - There are plenty of people here will to jump in and assist with commentary about issues or queries you might have along the way and/or on-site checks for you when the time comes also, I'm sure.....

Welcome again Matt

Matt...welcome to the club!

As far as the hangar link...you might try adding a leading zero to your username. The password ought to be your zip code... but the username is five numbers. Try adding a zero to the front of your username, making it six numbers.

I'd like something structurally and mechanically sound with at least a digital flip-flop and a vor. I don't want a fastback (I like the window in the back) and don't really know the differences otherwise aside from cosmetic. As in straight (broom) or swept tail, I don't care (or know why one would be better than the other). Whatever gets the job done.

Perks would be IFR, vg's/stol, and strobes. Put strobes at the top for the visibility aspect. I'd rather have something not so fancy to look at but was well maintained otherwise if it's a deal. Unless there's a year that had better performance than another? Price, of course, is a consideration. As much as I'd like to spend 25k or more on something that has everything, realistically a 16k bird with basic vfr and low(ish) time would win.

Digital flip flop and a vor are "must have" items though. There are lots of frequency changes and featureless terrain around here.