IS this a safe buy for someone doing CPL??

Jude · Post by **Jude** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:11 pm

Opinions, advice needed..thanks!

http://www.uppervalleyaviation.com/1967 ... -FVXE.html

cyyz · Post by **cyyz** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:31 pm

Is the TDR 950 mode C??

If you pick up Trade(buy?) a plane or whatever from the COPA paper, they have cheaper planes in BC..

Think "western aviation??" has 150's for 32k..

Secondly, is the 37,900 FIRM and all inclusive? Because if they neglected their 10% dealer fee, and 15% taxes, you're looking at much much more...

I think 37k is to high... Good deal? I don't think so...

An above average price....

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 1:39 pm

A/C needs an annual inspection. Nice low time engine. It would be nice if they listed the engine type to know what to expect for OH or oncondition expectancy, etc. Low time prop is 1/2 way to it's 5 year inspection - no worries.

Radio stack is fairly simple, but you don't need anything more. It's got 1 nav, and a GPS so it will be fine for your CPL inst. nav. training.

Seems a little high-priced for a mid-1960's 150, but I may be out to lunch on the price.

Anybody else?

Airtids · Post by **Airtids** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:04 pm

I can do better than that. PM if interested in a freshly annualled airline captain owned C150. Or, if you want more power and the ability to fly upside down, Cat Driver's got a sweet plane for ya!!

Cat Driver · Post by **Cat Driver** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 2:49 pm

Here is a really nice 1976 Cessna A150M..

http://www.chuckellsworth.com

...I need the money to finish my Cub project...mommy won't let me have any more money because she thinks I have the monetary values of a 3 year old.

sakism · Post by **sakism** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:02 pm

$38 K is way too much for a C150. If you were planning on keeping it forever then you might consider it, but if you're just buying it to get your licences on then get a cheap one.

Two well maintained C150s from around my area just sold for less than $20 K each. They didn't have 9/10 interiors of paint - no where near - but they were well maintained.

The more you pay now - the harder time you will have recouping your investment when you're done your licence.

cyyz · Post by **cyyz** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 3:10 pm

Oh, and sorry, just saw the official title, if you meant it "safe" as in literally, yes, yes it would be a safe aircraft, just as good as the FTU's....

Doc · Post by **Doc** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 7:15 pm

Too much money. You should be able to get into a buck-fifty for twenty grand US....
try http://www.aso.com
There's a nice looking '68 with less than 3000TT and 16K SMOH. Sure it's in the states, and you'd have to import it....but it's 17.5K USD...that's a hell of a lot less than 37K CDN!

cyyz · Post by **cyyz** » Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:05 pm

Doc wrote:Too much money. You should be able to get into a buck-fifty for twenty grand US....
try http://www.aso.com
There's a nice looking '68 with less than 3000TT and 16K SMOH. Sure it's in the states, and you'd have to import it....but it's 17.5K USD...that's a hell of a lot less than 37K CDN!

If you're gonna go and get a US aircraft, go to Ebay, I've seen 150's(1) go for as low as 8k(when ppl weren't looking/buying I guess)... They usually start at 1k.....

Kilo-Kilo · Post by **Kilo-Kilo** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:36 am

Upper Valley refurbishes aircraft. You are paying for the new paint and upholstery that may not be in as good condition at resale time unless you have a hanger. Their work is very good by the way, but you may not need something as shiney.

Jude · Post by **Jude** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 11:44 am

Thanks for all the input. Really appreciated. I was wondering if a plane's paint condition is not good, does it really matter?...I was reading the COPA guide to buying an airplane, it said to look for chips, cracking paint etc, but its hard to find a plane with nice paint. so my question is does it really matter? as long as its not rusting...I'm still deciding whether its worth it to buy the plane.

Kilo-Kilo · Post by **Kilo-Kilo** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:26 pm

It doesn't matter if you are buying something to build time and train in, as it still has to pass it's annual. If you are buying a family plane that you want to look nice when you arrive at the fly-in or Chilliwack coffee shop on Sunday so you can gather oohs and ahhs then focus on esthetics. The cost recovery they are looking to get for the shine can go a long way towards fuel, insurance, ramp fees and annuals.

Hedley · Post by **Hedley** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:06 pm

Buy an aircraft that won't need you to spend any money on engine or avionics or paint or interior. As a rule of thumb, every dollar you spend upgrading an aircraft increases it's resale value by only 50 cents.

Get something that doesn't have 10,000 hours on the airframe, or corrosion, or problems with the paperwork.

The engine should be low enough time that you can fly a few hundred hours on it, and you're still far enough away from TBO that you can sell it to the next guy to do the same.

Paint and interior are mostly cosmetic, but if they're crap, it will make it harder for you to sell later, because that's what people want.

Have YOUR mechanic do a pre-buy inspection, which should ideally count as your first annual. Pilots are always surprised how expensive their first annual is, because their mechanic will snag different stuff than the previous mechanic.

Once you own it, keep your fingers crossed about AD's on the airframe and engine.

The AD's and the SB's tell the maintenance story. Look up the registration on the DOT website, you can get the list for an C-reg aircraft.