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Is it better to buy something on the high end, nice and clean and ready to go or get something with one or more things worn out for less money and replace them? My local deal didn't work, he wouldn't come off his price and then wanted to owner finance me the new interior since that was my main concern. Yeah right. I guess he thinks his 'zero timed engine' has some sort of magical glow or something! So I am back to surfing. Some nice planes out there, but most are pretty far away from me. Even more 150s but I really want a 152. I'm seeing this is going to take a while! Anyone know anyone or have a friend of a friend with a 152 near Central Virginia I'm looking.

Boy! This question can get a whole lot of different responses. Buying low? My first question would be, "How mechanically inclined are you?" If you are capable of doing the work yourself on the plane, then buying low can have merit. If you need to pay somebody else labor to do this work, then it really does not make much sense. Another question would,be is, "How enamoured are you with "pretty" and "snazzy?" Personally, I do not need bright, new and shiny. (These things usually jack up the cost of an airplane without adding much to how well it actually flys.) It's what underneath that exterior that matters to me the most. If terms like scuffed? faded? peeling? Do not offend you, then buying on the low end also can work.

So, it all boils down to what you desire? Your personal financial situation? And what your personal mechanical capabilities are? Ultimately, if you want that "showroom" type airplane, with all of the bells and whistles. But you have to farm out all the work? You would be better off to purchase an airplane in that condition from the very start.

(Bill Warner's 152 and Wayne Westerman's 150 quickly come to mind!)

Otherwise, you can do as Gary and I have done. Buy an airplane that may not be all that pretty to look at. Fix and repair it as required. Save your money for those upcoming big expenses that surely will happen. And in the mean time, enjoy the hell out of flying!!

Those are my thoughts.............for what they are worth!

OH? Out of curiosity? Why do you only mention trying to purchase a 152? Why are you not considering a 150? I can come up with many more reasons to purchase a 150 over a 152..........

............Again, just personal thoughts...........

Good luck!

Seems from my short experiance that buying something close to what you want will generaly save you money. Once you start fixing and upgrading the money pit gets deep quick.

In my mind, one exception might be the engine. Buy one that's due for an overhaul and you'll know exactly what's going into it, might cost a bit more than you could get out of it right away but you'll know it's done right.

I think you did the right thing backing away from your attempt to get the low-time engine airplane. I think you would be better off buying an airplane that you are satisfied with or needing just a few minor improvements.

Patience is the key, although it does get expensive just going to look at them.

Best wishes for finding a good one!

Don

Seems like from a cost standpoint it's cheaper to buy a nice clean bird at a reasonable price than try to compensate for years of neglect after buying a fixer-upper.

There's no definitive answer to you question because the most pristine airplane could blow a jug and fry a radio the first week you own it or the fixer-upper might fly relatively trouble free for years to come.

Best of luck with your search <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Just to echo what Dan said. I decided that I would not purchase a plane until I had enough cash reserves to fix at least one system. Transponder goes out, ouch, but I've got the money to fix it.

A fixer-upper will be a bigger drain on your budget than a clean one.

Good luck with the search.

Just to echo what Dan said. I decided that I would not purchase a plane until I had enough cash reserves to fix at least one system. Transponder goes out, ouch, but I've got the money to fix it.

A fixer-upper will be a bigger drain on your budget than a clean one.

Good luck with the search.

I think the experience of myself and my partner may be instructive.

Neither one of us had owned a plane before, but we wanted to be owners and give it a try.

We shopped around and found Juliet. We did our research and found the airplane to have a history as a solid little airplane, generally well cared for, but with an engine well past mid-time and pretty spartan avionics.

Given the engine and the avionics, we were able to purchase her for a reasonable price (and an owner that HAD to sell). We have had a positive ball flying this little bird, but it has served to underscore some of the things we want.

So we are looking at upgrading. The decision has not been positively made, but, to be satisfied, there are some things we need to do to Juliet if we plan to keep her in the long haul. The existing radio works OK, and is serviceable, but isn't a true flip-flop, and is shorter range than higher end radios.

Also, if we decide to keep the bird, we will be looking at an engine overhaul in the next couple of years.

This whole approach has worked out pretty well for us so far. We will see how it works out as we go along. The main point, is that we bought a solid airplane, nothing fancy, for which we did not pay too much, as an introduction to aircraft ownership.

The "solid" aircraft part was a careful balancing act. Juliet is a pretty little bird (see N8346J in the photo section), flies nicely, and has been well cared for. So there have been no major mechanical issues.

So, now, we are looking at options. There is still time left on Juliet's engine, which runs sweetly, uses very little oil, has good compression and sips gasoline. So we can probably sell her for what we paid or maybe even a little more.

We like many things about the 150, so we might buy another 150. Or we might do the upgrades to Juliet.

The other factor is that the ONE thing about 150's that we really are not happy about is useful load. I tip the scale at 205 (yes I can get down to a lower weight, but I get grumpy trying to stay there), Vince is a lot more scrawny, but he has four kids (well, three and one on the way) and would like to take along more than one at a time. So that may weigh into the decision.

Soooo, buy high or low? Depends on what you want to do. We bought fairly low, but the low price was not based on "fixer upper" issues. It has worked well for our purposes.

If we decide to sell Juliet, the next purchase will be a "buy high" because it will be an airplane we intend to keep for an extended period of time.

And, yes, if we decide to sell Juliet, this forum will be the first to know.

Reg

You ask a tough question. The answer really depends upon your taste (see Bill?s post) and how long you intend to own an airplane.

If you plan to keep the plane for say seven (7) to (12) years or until they take the keys away from you could well be better off buying a solid but scruffy lower time airframe with a high time engine. You can then do the overhaul and know what you have. You can put a paint job on it and enjoy it. You can put in a few new avionics items and use and enjoy them. The minute that you write the check for an ?upgrade? or major repair you have lost 40% to 100% of its? intrinsic value. A case in point is your unwillingness to pay a premium for a 0 time engine (I don?t blame you at all, just making a point.)

Now if you keep the plane for a long period of time you can prorate your upgrade, overhaul and modification cost over the time that you have owned the plane and it doesn?t sting so bad.

On the other hand, if you like shiny and don?t plan to keep the plane for more than a few years you are better off to shop harder and longer and find a plane that in addition to being shiny is solid mechanically, well equipped and with a mid time or less engine. You will get a better equipped and higher quality finish cheaper if the seller paid to have it done.

The two thing that you need when airplane shopping are patents and discipline. Know pretty well what you are looking for and take the time to find it. Don?t get sidetracked and have patents, the right plane is out there. I have spent as much as a year looking for the perfect airplane and I have purchased the first airplane that I looked at. Most of the time it worked out very well, a time or two it didn?t.

I know that you are now in the phase of the buying process of deciding what you really want to buy. This is tough, particularly for a first time buyer. At least making a mistake in buying a 150 won?t put you into chapter 7; if it will you need to find another avocation. Just keep shopping, looking and learning and when you see the right plane you will know it.

Good luck on your journey.

I wish I was here and knew about this group when I was lookin'!

Read and heed.