Urp99
Well-Known Member
There is that. I haven't really kept up with the company, but I believe Commander Aircraft Corporation is still doing business as a certified repair station, and has a large stock of parts.
$75k to spend
- Thread starter Jimmy_Norton
- Start date
Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
There is a company nearish to me that has a big supply of spares, and they have a few STC's for upgrades and fixes. But that can't last forever. Also, a '78 114 has lost 20% in value over the past 10 years, when many other airplanes of that vintage have increased in value. So I guess the decision we have to make is it worth the lower entry price now, but know that if we ever sell it, we may take a loss, or even end up with a worthless airplane due to a lack of parts.
AA34
Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity what’s the reasoning?
Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
The fairly high in flight breakup record. Not saying I agree, but that's his reason. I don't particularly want one either because most have very limited CG range, and I want the ability to carry 4 adults from time to time.
z987k
Well-Known Member
Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
This SOB goes into prebuy Friday......holy crap!
AA34
Well-Known Member
How does a prebuy work? Find a mechanic in the area knowledgeable on the make? What does it cost typically for a prebuy on a piston single?
And congrats that’s a beautiful bird!
Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
Because this is a Bonanza, I joined the American Bonanza Society. They have a directory of ABS approved mechanics, and I found a guy near this airplane that can do both a flight test and a prebuy. We needed a flight test because we have not seen this airplane in person. He is amazingly cheap, about $700 plus expenses. He is driving two hours to see this airplane, so expenses won't be much more. When we prebuyed the 182 back in January that failed, that was $995. He was local to us, as was the airplane, so no travel expenses were needed.
Thanks! I have high hopes for this one. I hope it makes it through prebuy OK.
AA34
Well-Known Member
Good info, thanks!
Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
No prob. I got another quote from a guy in the area that was going to be $1600 for the prebuy, and if we wanted a test flight, he was going to have to airline a guy in for $250/day plus expenses. We passed on that offer.
Thanks!
z987k
Well-Known Member
A proper pre-buy is called an annual. Annuals usually cost about that before parts, especially on a retract.
Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
There are multiple opinions on the prebuy vs annual thing, and it ends up being one of those never win kind of arguments.
We're budgeting $4k for an annual. Hopefully it will be a lot less than that, but we're preparing for the worst, at least for the first few.
z987k
Well-Known Member
I'm in favor of you doing whatever you're comfortable with, but you find it on the pre-buy now or the annual later, as long as you find it and are prepared to pay for it if doing the latter. The reason for pre-buy=annual is the cost difference in the inspection only part is minimal.
Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
A good prebuy will find the same things a good annual will. And you know as well as I do, there are plenty of people out there that do half ass annuals. I would say it all depends on the mechanic.
z987k
Well-Known Member
Correct, at which point, if nothing is broken go ahead and have them sign the annual. Because they did the exact same thing.
Inverted25
Well-Known Member
Hopefully your right. I remember a newer B36 coming through the shop at my old job and the guy ending up spending close to the purchase price over the first three annuals. He had a decent prebuy done but airplanes that don’t get flown much and then get the crap flown out of them tend to have things break. That’s true for pistons up through jets.
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Jimmy_Norton
Well-Known Member
There is only so much you can do, but a good prebuy can go a long way towards alleviating these issues. The American Bonanza Society publishes a prebuy guide, and they have "approved" mechanics. If you use one of them, I think that is half the battle. I hear and see stories of people buying airplanes without prebuys, or without purchase and sales agreements, and it just sounds like a nightmare to me, but some people just don't know any better.
