This thing is totally all over the internet
He bought a Bonanza… probably an old one, too. The best of all worlds Look at one in a shop, with the engine covers removed.
A 4.5k $ prebuy will pay for a lot of liability insurance It would be better to get clued up and spend half that on the prebuy. I do think he got the prebuy done without being present.
$ 4500 is pretty standard for that kind of airplane in SoCal. Texas should be a bit cheaper, but not much.
How wise it is to buy a Bonanza (or any Beech) as first airplane is a different matter altogether.
$4500 is a full week of work, I’d expect two days for a Pre-Buy. If you got an Annual Inspection sign off including all required service out of that effort too it would make more sense, but would still be high IMO.
IIUC an American style pre buy is like an annual, in theory the seller agrees to cover defects uncovered by the pre buy, or, if they disagree with some of the findings they can walk away and cancel the sale.
Good aircraft in good condition will typically have no fuss pre buys.
Other sellers will accept a pre buy but not allow invasive inspections, and will not be committed to a sale, basically telling buyers whoever pays asking price first gets the bill of sale.
Usually sellers expect the inspection to be at their airport base, alive to the risk of an away pre buy leaving their aircraft in bits away from home, and potentially held hostage.
OK – like a house buyer report then and worth about as much
One can’t buy planes that way and expect to not end up with a list of defects not listed; only obvious stuff will be found. But then I have always been amazed how tolerant owners are to permanent defects.
I wonder why this story has such long legs. I guess because not many people on reddit post more than a few lines, most posts disappear into the depths, and it is good clickbait. Many others have had a similar level of grief after they bought a plane.
Snoopy wrote:
Seriously, what if he’s right? Is GA dead? It’s a bit frightening. Any projections for the next couple of years? Climate, CO2, fuel prices, 50+ year old airframes etc…
Wait til leaded Avgas is banned in Europe in 2024. What are high end SEPs like SR22 going to use for fuel? At the moment, plenty of engines including the IO-550 are not approved for unleaded Avgas.
Wait til leaded Avgas is banned in Europe in 2024.
Dream on….