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Okay. 100% I would choose the most comprehensive inspection before I buy

At the risk of throwing shade on the idea of an independent inspection, I'm going to say that even with the inspection, you're likely to find things wrong that you'll have to fix. It could be they are things the previous owner just learned to live with. They could be the reason they're selling!

It's like buying an old house. There is going to be issues.

My first plane was a 1969 J-model with 25 hours on a rebuilt engine and an expensive independent inspection. I still found a dangerous oil leak in the Hobbs and a seat rail that slipped back during my first take-off! How were these missed by the AI? I don't know. It was a fine plane once I got a bunch of stuff fixed. My second plane I did my own prebuy, but with helpful advice from members of this club where it turned into a thorough inspection via me taking photos and sending them to the club member helping me (Thanks Ron Twente!). It's been a good plane, but once again, needs a few things fixed. At least, not many surprises.

Yes, get the inspection. But even then, be ready to find the unexpected. These are old airplanes.

What Geoff said, Ben.

We sold our 150 last summer. There were a few things that were on my list to fix, and I told the buyer about all of them via email. He took the email to his mechanic, who said it looked good to him. The new owner has stayed in touch. Most of the things he has had to fix, I had no idea they were an issue. Neither did my mechanic.

Good luck with your search!

Just goes to show that you can find things that need fixing on a 50 year old airplane if you look hard enough.

I've always said there is nothing more expensive than an IA with new batteries in his flashlight.

Ouch.

That's really funny, Ron. (And true!)

I think that renting, at least for primary flight training, is a better option than owning. If you own then you will be sharing your time between learning to fly and learning to maintain an old airplane. Also, renting often is less costly and certainly less financially risky than owning.

If you rent, then you will be at the mercy of the renting schedule for when you can get your training hours. If the airplane isn't available when you are, then your training will be dragged out. This will cost you both time and money.

If you own, then you not only have the airplane available for your training but also so you can learn its systems. The owner of a rental would probably take a dim view to you removing cowlings or inspection plates just to see how things work. Most auto drivers have no clue how a car actually works, but they also can just pull over on the side of the road to call a tow truck if something breaks. A good pilot also knows about the mechanics and can diagnose issues in flight, so as to increase the chances of a good outcome.

There's a spreadsheet that floated around the forum (and is probably still available) that helps calculate the cost of ownership based on hours flown per year (some costs are fixed per year and others are based on number of hours). It factors in setting aside money for eventual overhauls or other repairs.

Plus, they ain't making any more 150s and high wing Cessnas (150/152, 172, 177, 182, 210, etc) are always going to be in demand. A bunch of 150/152s got exported during the 2008 financial crisis and other attrition has taken a toll on the fleet. Prices have continued to go up and I'm not seeing any reason for them to not continue to go up.

It’s on the Website [cessna150152club.org]