Want to Buy CE-177 Cardinal

HVYMETALDRVR

HVYMETALDRVR

Well-Known Member
Posting this for a friend... looking for a C-177 Cardinal for less than 35K... fixed gear not an RG... we've been scouring around and found a couple of maybes. Preferably something in the SouthEast since it'll be coming down to Ft. Lauderdale but for the right price it maybe be worth going somewhere far... thanks.:)
 
I've got to ask, why?

Of all Cessna's I've flown they are my favorite, but I'd never dream of owning one. The mx is insane on those things.
 
HVYMETALDRVR said:
Posting this for a friend... looking for a C-177 Cardinal for less than 35K... fixed gear not an RG... we've been scouring around and found a couple of maybes. Preferably something in the SouthEast since it'll be coming down to Ft. Lauderdale but for the right price it maybe be worth going somewhere far... thanks.:)
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I would never buy a plane that has been sitting around Florida for long time.

I think your budget is kind of low for a C-177
 
you can buy them for 35k but they will be the A model which are grossly underpowered. You want at least a B or better with the 180hp Lycoming. I owned one for years and loved it. I have to disagree on the mx comment. It was one of the most reliable ac i have owned.
 
The landing gear, I see you're not looking for an RG, so never mind, but as with all RG, it is something else that breaks. Also be aware, as with any plane you are buying, of the ADs. The Cardinal early on had problems with the horizontal stabilator when landing and an AD was made to keep the stabilator from stalling at low airspeeds (landing). Probably make sure those are complied with. Great looking plane (I haven't flown one,want to)!
http://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?s-type=aircraft&make=Cessna&model_group=177%20Series

I see a high SMOH under 40K, after a good pre-buy, maybe you can talk 'em down more and get some hours out of that engine. As with any plane you're gonna buy, careful about paying for what you think is a mid-time or low-time engine. A lot of planes have been sitting around and unhappy.
 
Theres a 177 that was just what we were looking for at PMP that just sold for 9500 so deals are out there (it needed some engine work but for 9500 its worth it) but we got beat obviously.

With all due respect my student/friend has made the decision on what he wants. Pretty much all his experience is in the 172 and despite some handling differences (mostly with the stabilator) he wants something he can transition into relatively easily. We want a fixed gear since its harder to gear one up ;) and the insurance savings. He wants to build time in it and be able to fly it back to DomRep occassionally and the Cardinal is a great fit economically for speed and fuel burn. Like I said the decision I has been made, no offense I don't want this to turn into a BUY A 210 or a Seneca instead!

Thanks Jonnydwolf I forgot about the trade-a-plane website and looking through that huge newspaper gives me a headache! :laff:
 
Another friend of mine here has one and I agree with the C-177 being a great plane. It was really ahead of its time, kind of what Cirrus did in the early 2000s when they decided to build an airplane that was fun to fly in for people other than just the pilot. Its wider, faster on the same fuel burn, no wing struts, the doors swing wide open, good pitch control. Its one of those planes you don't think much of until you actually fly it and its like wow!
 
HVYMETALDRVR said:
Theres a 177 that was just what we were looking for at PMP that just sold for 9500 so deals are out there (it needed some engine work but for 9500 its worth it) but we got beat obviously.

With all due respect my student/friend has made the decision on what he wants. Pretty much all his experience is in the 172 and despite some handling differences (mostly with the stabilator) he wants something he can transition into relatively easily. We want a fixed gear since its harder to gear one up ;) and the insurance savings. He wants to build time in it and be able to fly it back to DomRep occassionally and the Cardinal is a great fit economically for speed and fuel burn. Like I said the decision I has been made, no offense I don't want this to turn into a BUY A 210 or a Seneca instead!

Thanks Jonnydwolf I forgot about the trade-a-plane website and looking through that huge newspaper gives me a headache! :laff:
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There are a ton of planes out there that you can buy for really cheap with lots of things to fix, trust me even if it seems an awesome deal, things to fix can get out of hand especially if they are engine related. Unless you are an A&P and have a shop it will be really hard to fix everything and keep the costs down. If somebody is giving away an airplane for cheap that means he is desperate, maybe he was desperate before and never spent enough money on things that needed to be done...and problems will start to come out.

I have a friend/student that operates a C172 out of Punta Cana DR, the plane was part of his dad's small airline/corporate service on the Island (Navajo, Seneca and a Falcon). Does he plans to keep the plane in the US long term?
 
swisspilot said:
There are a ton of planes out there that you can buy for really cheap with lots of things to fix, trust me even if it seems an awesome deal, things to fix can get out of hand especially if they are engine related. Unless you are an A&P and have a shop it will be really hard to fix everything and keep the costs down. If somebody is giving away an airplane for cheap that means he is desperate, maybe he was desperate before and never spent enough money on things that needed to be done...and problems will start to come out.

I have a friend/student that operates a C172 out of Punta Cana DR, the plane was part of his dad's small airline/corporate service on the Island (Navajo, Seneca and a Falcon). Does he plans to keep the plane in the US long term?
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In the previous mentioned situation the owner had died and his wife sold the plane for pennies on the dollar just get rid of it. Same thing happened recently here at my airport with a Musketeer.

As for my student... no he's from the DR but pretty well settled here. He just has the money and wants to build some time and meanwhile its a economical way to get back home.
 
Great plane. GREAT. Just a proviso, though. If all he's ever flown is a 172, the transition isn't actually all that "easy", especially if it's a straight 177 with the "learjet wing". It's more difficult than say, moving to a cherokee 6 or something. Not the flying, just the landing. Stabilator, especially without the slots, tends to run out of authority rather abruptly, and the thing does not react well to porpoising. Ask me how I know.

PS. Someone above mentioned the "A" being underpowered. IMS, it's the straight 177 that has the 172 engine...the "A" has the big engine but the learjet wing. The "B" has a fat cessna wing AND the big engine. I could be wrong, but that's how I remember it.

Can't help you find one, sadly, and I don't mean to talk it down...I actually think it's a vastly underrated airplane, and I'd much rather have one than even a late model 172.
 
HVYMETALDRVR said:
In the previous mentioned situation the owner had died and his wife sold the plane for pennies on the dollar just get rid of it. Same thing happened recently here at my airport with a Musketeer.

As for my student... no he's from the DR but pretty well settled here. He just has the money and wants to build some time and meanwhile its a economical way to get back home.
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Well in that case it's a good deal!
 
Codyjp said:
The mx is insane on those things.
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Huh? What makes the mx more than any other fixed pitch, fixed gear ac?

OP: Post '68 had the larger 180hp and are a very capable aircraft compared to the 150hp versions.
 
Erik1010 said:
Huh? What makes the mx more than any other fixed pitch, fixed gear ac?

OP: Post '68 had the larger 180hp and are a very capable aircraft compared to the 150hp versions.
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MX also depends on how the plane has been taken care of and the treatment he got from pilots, I don`t think it`s so much model related on this type of planes, I mean most of the parts that can brake are the same in most single engine, fixed gear, fixed prop Cessnas and Pipers
 
Erik1010 said:
Huh? What makes the mx more than any other fixed pitch, fixed gear ac?

OP: Post '68 had the larger 180hp and are a very capable aircraft compared to the 150hp versions.
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A friend of mine needs to replace some rivets in the wing root. The bill will be somewhere around 20k to fix it. Otherwise, parts for the most part aren't available from Cessna and sourcing them otherwise is becoming quite scarce. If your fixing run of the mill stuff like engine work, radios, etc no problem, it is the Cardinal specific stuff that is a mess.

I love to fly them, I just wouldn't ever consider owning one. Anyway, back to the OP...
 
Cody and Swiss, there are always those "gotch ya" repairs that no one was expecting. We actually had one on our Cherokee, but we managed to disassemble the wing our selves and truck it down to a repair station. This saved us over $15k. It's all about how you go about fixing the problem, 9 x 10 if you take it to a repair station and have them do all the work, you are going to get bent over.

Hvymetaldrvr, keep us posted about your friends buying adventure. I wish him good luck!
 
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