mrivc211
Well-Known Member
I bought a Cessna 152 in 2016 and a 172 last month. Here are some mistakes that I made and things to look out for.
No matter how much you are friends with the owner get a pre buy inspection done by a mechanic that has no relation to the owner. The 152 I bought was recommended to me by the owners mechanic. Since the seller, the mechanic, and me weren't going anywhere long term, I figured if there was anything wrong with the plane, they would tell me. Turns out the mechanic wasn't doing annuals as thoroughly as he should have because he was friends with the seller. When I did the first annual on the 152, I ended up replacing so many items that a simply $2,000 annual turned into a $6,000+ job.
I replaced:
the attitude indicator(17 years old)
The Directional Gyro
The vacuum pump(it went out)
Found out the 152 has an AD for valve adjustment every 100 hours
two new tires
Ignition Harness Wires
New Battery
Repair a leak on intake manifold which was causing the engine to turn off below 1000 RPM
Rebuilt Carburetor(the same mechanic told me I needed this done but then found out it was the intake leak that was causing the engine to turn off below 1000 RPM.
New Spark Plugs
Oil Change
Oil Filter Change
Interior Dome light
Landing Light
Remove ailerons, sand off corrosion, primer and paint to save the airframe
Opening of drain holes below the belly that had been plugged for years.
Two new Push to Talks
GPS Inop
New Oil Cooler
New Cylinder
All these items needed replacement and were being looked over by the mechanic because they were friends. The one thing that saved me on this purchase was that I under paid by about $5,000 and the value of the aircraft skyrocketed to double what I paid for it so if and when I ever sell, I'll still be ahead.
I just recently bought a 172 and had my rear handed to me on a plate by a shady mechanic on the field(seller). More on that later....
No matter how much you are friends with the owner get a pre buy inspection done by a mechanic that has no relation to the owner. The 152 I bought was recommended to me by the owners mechanic. Since the seller, the mechanic, and me weren't going anywhere long term, I figured if there was anything wrong with the plane, they would tell me. Turns out the mechanic wasn't doing annuals as thoroughly as he should have because he was friends with the seller. When I did the first annual on the 152, I ended up replacing so many items that a simply $2,000 annual turned into a $6,000+ job.
I replaced:
the attitude indicator(17 years old)
The Directional Gyro
The vacuum pump(it went out)
Found out the 152 has an AD for valve adjustment every 100 hours
two new tires
Ignition Harness Wires
New Battery
Repair a leak on intake manifold which was causing the engine to turn off below 1000 RPM
Rebuilt Carburetor(the same mechanic told me I needed this done but then found out it was the intake leak that was causing the engine to turn off below 1000 RPM.
New Spark Plugs
Oil Change
Oil Filter Change
Interior Dome light
Landing Light
Remove ailerons, sand off corrosion, primer and paint to save the airframe
Opening of drain holes below the belly that had been plugged for years.
Two new Push to Talks
GPS Inop
New Oil Cooler
New Cylinder
All these items needed replacement and were being looked over by the mechanic because they were friends. The one thing that saved me on this purchase was that I under paid by about $5,000 and the value of the aircraft skyrocketed to double what I paid for it so if and when I ever sell, I'll still be ahead.
I just recently bought a 172 and had my rear handed to me on a plate by a shady mechanic on the field(seller). More on that later....