Menu Sign In Contact FAQ
Banner
Welcome to our forums

USA seller’s market: are we reaching Peak Cherokee

The challenges are elsewhere.

For example if you see a 1975 Mooney in the US, the condition could be anything from “ok” (it won’t be great for a 1975 plane) to really horrid and needing tens of k spent on airframe parts. The seller isn’t going to make a full disclosure, obviously, and how will you do a prebuy in the US? You can’t really.

Lots of people have been there and done that, I know of many stories from behind the scenes, but it’s rarely posted on forums

Basically you need to physically eyeball what you may want to buy, do a really proper prebuy with a specialist working for you, and forget stuff in the US unless the two of you are going to take a holiday out there, and maybe be brave enough to fly the thing back (avoiding a ~10k ferry charge, but spending a fair chunk of the 10k on avgas anyway).

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

avoiding a ~10k ferry charge, but spending a fair chunk of the 10k on avgas anyway).

Typical ferry fee if you can find a ferry pilot for a ‘used’ SEP is $20k plus $10k plus for insurance to Iceland plus import duty (20%) and USA export paperwork ($500) plus potentially local state sales tax (up to 8%). You also need CanPass etc

If you want it on your home register then the FAA Export CofA will be another $10k

The puddle jumper North Atlantic ferry season closes around next month due to weather.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

I see the high risks and extra efforts, I was just looking for a comparison. Maybe the US market should be compared at all to the European one, I don’t know.

What could be the right budget then? Below 100k don’t even think about an IFR capable 4-seater?

LHFM, LHTL, Hungary

Your last sentence is pretty much my conclusion.

LFOU, France

robirdus wrote:

What could be the right budget then? Below 100k don’t even think about an IFR capable 4-seater?

Can only speak from a US perspective, but that’s about right, even a bit too low right now.

SEPs are selling like hot cakes around here at the moment. Just yesterday had a chat with the SoCal sales rep for Cirrus and she was amazed about the money people are spending right now. I don’t think it makes much sense to come over here and look for a lower-end 4-seater.

If you do decide to look at airplanes in the US then IMHO the best way would be to identify several that are of interest in a geographically defined area and go look at them yourself. Another option (which we as a club have used successfully twice) is to identify which airplane you want and then write hard copy letters to owners. You can use a mailing service for that. There are quite a few owners out there who are thinking about selling, but haven’t made up their mind quite yet. A letter often changes that.

On a different note: you can get amazing deals on piston twins right now.

https://www.planecheck.com?ent=da&id=50765

A good provenance Arrow II needs an IFR GPS, so probably a GPS175 or GNC 355 GPS/COM, which installed with a CDI probably is around EUR12k all in.

An F33A recently sold for around £75k with a non WAAS 430. So older retractables in serviceable but non prime condition might be available.

For a 182/Dakota/Archer with good history and avionics probably your conclusion is correct. Only three years ago a 182L through P could be found for under EUR50k

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom

robirdus wrote:

What could be the right budget then? Below 100k don’t even think about an IFR capable 4-seater?

PA28-181 (eg Archer 2) with 2 G5 / GNS X30 or GNC355A or GPS175 / GFC500 would be around 100k.

Light IFR, good useful load, acceptable running costs.

Or this https://www.planecheck.com/?ent=da&id=48585
planecheck_N400YS_48585_pdf

always learning
LO__, Austria

Please use this planecheck URL converter because all these URLs will be dead very fast otherwise.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Thank you for the advices, guys, I appreciate that.

“On a different note: you can get amazing deals on piston twins right now.”
I would consider that, but I shy away from the higher operating costs, which very hard to get reliable info about. Is it two times more as my instructor just recently told me? No idea.

LHFM, LHTL, Hungary

very hard to get reliable info about

It shouldn’t take too long to establish that probably 70% plus of Cherokees and 172/182 are still operational, while similar vintage MEPs are probably a fraction of that, and as they become more complex, even less. The Twin Comanche perhaps being an exception.

While the internet may claim an MEP is 1 1/2 or 2 times the cost of a single, I would budget on 2 1/2 or 3 times. For the real masochist there is always the Beech Duke.

There are practical MEPs out there, but a realistic budget is essential.

Oxford (EGTK), United Kingdom
Sign in to add your message

Back to Top