Piper vs. Cessna

surreal1221

surreal1221

Well-Known Member
We're slowly thinking about making an investment in a sub-30k Piper or Cessna.

Just had a quick question though, Archer and 172 overhaul costs. Anyone happen to have an idea on how often the overhauls need to occur - or where one might get better versed in the process of aircraft ownership, and perhaps which of the two have the lower overhaul costs.

thanks
 
Sub-30K Piper or Cessna? Which ones, specifically? You could get in the older PA28/C172 line for that money probably. Also, the C150/152, if your looking 2 place. Or even perhaps Cessna 120/140, if taildraggers are your thing. In the Piper family, you could probably look at the PA20/22 Pacer/Tri-Pacer. Lots of airplanes for sale out there right now.

TBO on most of the O-320's and O-360's is 2000 hours, as far as I know. Engines can go shorter or longer, depending on who they are maintained. I've heard of the O-320 powered 172's going as far as 3000 hours before they get overhauled. If your an AOPA member, the forum over there is lots of help for these things. Granted, they like to try to spend all of your money for you, but they help a lot.
 
I've been out of the four seater world for a while now, but IMS, back in the 90s all other things being equal, a used Warrior was generally a better deal than a used 172. However, a used Archer was totally blue chip (aka ridiculously overpriced). Way out of date info, but should at least spark some debate.
 
surreal1221 said:
We're slowly thinking about making an investment in a sub-30k Piper or Cessna.

Just had a quick question though, Archer and 172 overhaul costs. Anyone happen to have an idea on how often the overhauls need to occur - or where one might get better versed in the process of aircraft ownership, and perhaps which of the two have the lower overhaul costs.

thanks
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As was mention already tbo is 2000. Both will cost about the same since it is basically the same engine. Difference in cost is going to depend on external issues.

Cost in general I think piper is the better airplane! The archer is a fantastic plane, never liked the warrior which is more the equivalent of the 172. It has only 20 horses less than the archer but it makes a huge difference.

Finding an archer, warrior or 172 sub 30k is not going to be an easy task. It is easier to find a sub30k 172, but it will be old and high time!
 
I'm a fan of the cessna products. I like how the pipers fly, but I think the cessnas take a little more abuse.
 
You probably know this but...the aircraft type clubs might be able to get you information on some of the specific models. Weak points, things to look for, etc.
 
TFaudree_ERAU said:
Queue WacoFan and his completely irrelevant recommendations.
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Thanks Tfaudree_ERAU!

Actually, sub $30k Cessna's:

There is one C-140 for sale for $17k, and one C-120 for sale for $22k.

I did see one thing you may want to consider seriously - a Cessna 170. This looks to be an ok airplane and is $30k with a fresh annual with purchase, Cleveland wheels and brakes, and 396 hours or so on the motor. These are nice machines.
http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/aircraft-for-sale/CESSNA-170/1948-CESSNA-170/1146849.htm

Do not ignore Piper Pacers, or a Tri-Pacer that has been converted to a taildragger (or, god forbid, one that hasn't been converted). The Pacer and the Tri-Pacer are MUCH overlooked airplanes and provide good value and utility.
 
WacoFan said:
Do not ignore Piper Pacers, or a Tri-Pacer that has been converted to a taildragger (or, god forbid, one that hasn't been converted). The Pacer and the Tri-Pacer are MUCH overlooked airplanes and provide good value and utility.
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Yes they are great airplanes. The 125 & 135 HP varieties (O-290 & O-290-D2 respectively) are 1500 hour TBO, if that matters to you.

You will probably want to find someone who can do a good inspection for you, what with the tube & fabric construction. shortwingpipers.org and shortwing.org are good resources.
 
WacoFan said:
There is one C-140 for sale for $17k, and one C-120 for sale for $22k.
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Love the 140 - I did my taildragger endorsement in it. Totally impractical airplane to own.

A Cherokee six or a warrior is probably what you want. Depending on how much you travel with.

ppragman has a point, but a plane you own will not get too much abuse. The TBO on then engines doesn't mean much, if you take care of it, 3,000 hours is not unheard of.

If I personally was buying an airplane, it would be a Cherokee 6 or a 172P. Because they fit the type of trips I tend to fly.

To answer your question, they are both good aircraft.
 
If you just carrying two adults a Cherokee 140 is a good plane. We have one and me and my gf have taken it from ashland, OH to Chicago 4 times and it takes about 2 hours each way to cover that trip and will burn around 7.5 gph at 110 knots around 8000. Personally though if your looking for best bang for your dollar look experimental. You can find airplanes cruising 180 on only 8 gallons a hour. Wont find that in a factory built plane.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
Love the 140 - I did my taildragger endorsement in it. Totally impractical airplane to own.

A Cherokee six or a warrior is probably what you want. Depending on how much you travel with.

ppragman has a point, but a plane you own will not get too much abuse. The TBO on then engines doesn't mean much, if you take care of it, 3,000 hours is not unheard of.

If I personally was buying an airplane, it would be a Cherokee 6 or a 172P. Because they fit the type of trips I tend to fly.

To answer your question, they are both good aircraft.
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Cherokee 6 is a great airplane for the personal pilot. Easy to fly, lots and lots of room and useful load (for short trips you can't really overgross it unless you're cramming lead ingots into it) and reasonably fast for the price. Its faster than the 207 by 10kts and costs half as much. As for the motor, the IO540K1A5 seems to be the most bullet proof motor I've ever seen for a piston. We cruise around at about 18GPH in the thing at 130kts, with no problems. It won't get in as short as a comparable cessna (206/207) but it is an excellent airplane with docile characteristics, plus manual flaps are pretty cool for horsing it into ground effect. The PA32-300 is probably one of the simpler and more comfortable airplanes I've flown, with a decent glide ratio for its size, and a 63MPH stall speed, so I'd wager its a fairly safe machine. It'd be a good stable IFR platform too, though not as stable as the cessnas.
 
Jbroz04 said:
If you just carrying two adults a Cherokee 140 is a good plane. We have one and me and my gf have taken it from ashland, OH to Chicago 4 times and it takes about 2 hours each way to cover that trip and will burn around 7.5 gph at 110 knots around 8000. Personally though if your looking for best bang for your dollar look experimental. You can find airplanes cruising 180 on only 8 gallons a hour. Wont find that in a factory built plane.
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Thanks. Looking for a four place, two adults + one child.

I'm certainly open to other airframe makers - or types within the Cessna / Piper family. I'm off tomorrow so I'm going to head back out to the local airports and try to see if any of the above mentioned owners are around.
 
surreal1221 said:
Thanks. Looking for a four place, two adults + one child.

I'm certainly open to other airframe makers - or types within the Cessna / Piper family. I'm off tomorrow so I'm going to head back out to the local airports and try to see if any of the above mentioned owners are around.
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Another beautiful thing (maybe, not sure how GA works) is that you many times will get a personal property tax break for a vintage car, or vintage airplane. KS is like that. I remember, because my grandpa's airplanes were over 40 years old (or something like that), he didn't pay personal property tax - on two Waco's, two Howards, Aeronca Chief. So, if GA has a similar situation you should factor that in because going to a Pacer (8 on controller including the Tri-Pacer's - all under $25k) will give you an airplane that will rival, or exceed the performance of a Cherokee 140 or C-172 yet will potentially save you on property taxes because they are "vintage".
 
texas_pilot said:
I'm seeing a few Grummans on eBay and thought they go cheaply.
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Are they from a Nigerian businessman who is in great disperate need to sell aircraft? Oh wait, that guy is on craigslist.

My vote is on Cessna if you desire having two doors, easy loading, and built-in cover from the sun/rain. On the other hand, I think the Piper is an easier plane to preflight (no getting out the ladder) and seems to be more stable overall.
 
Is it just me or is it a fantastic time to buy an aircraft? I am nothing but a lowly future graduate student, but if I had a spare 100-150K to blow I could get some AMAZING looking airplanes!
 
WacoFan said:
Another beautiful thing (maybe, not sure how GA works) is that you many times will get a personal property tax break for a vintage car, or vintage airplane. KS is like that. I remember, because my grandpa's airplanes were over 40 years old (or something like that), he didn't pay personal property tax - on two Waco's, two Howards, Aeronca Chief. So, if GA has a similar situation you should factor that in because going to a Pacer (8 on controller including the Tri-Pacer's - all under $25k) will give you an airplane that will rival, or exceed the performance of a Cherokee 140 or C-172 yet will potentially save you on property taxes because they are "vintage".
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A tri pacer is a great value machine, and they're decent performers too.
 
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