Best first plane for under $100k

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Awoods

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Awoods
Hello!

My husband and I both have our PPL's and are working on our instrument ratings. We are wanting to buy a plane for $100k or under and hoping to get some input on the best planes. It will mainly just be my husband and I flying, but we want to be able to take friends on occasion. Our flights will mainly be cross country (400-800 NM). We don't mind the speed of a 172, at least for now.

-4 seater
-IFR
-upgraded avionics like dual G5's and a Garmin GPS
-something our local(ish) mechanics can work on and we don't have to wait forever for parts on
-fixed gear

What can we get in this price range that you think would be a good fit? Thanks for all the input!
 
Couple things that I believe are important for getting an IFR aircraft is: Minimum of 180HP and parts availability.
When doing departures and altitude flying you need enough power that you can fulfill the request of the controllers and departure procedures.

Many aircraft are not supported and the parts are getting more difficult to acquire. Cessna, Piper, Mooney, most Beech are still finding unique parts when necessary. Many aircraft are less expensive because they have maintenance issues without a resolution. Most mechanics that do pre-buy inspections know which aircraft are becoming obsolete.

Find the mechanic you're going to use before you go shopping for an aircraft. Get an A&P that's willing to help you find and inspect the planes first.
 
I think you will be fairly lucky to find a 4-seater for that price that also has an upgraded panel.

There are a bunch of 4-seater IFR capable airplanes at that price, but they almost all seem to have pretty old equipment:

aircraftforsale.com

Search results for a query | Aircraft for Sale

Showing search results
aircraftforsale.com aircraftforsale.com

Having said that, there is a Mooney M20C on that website that has 2 G5s and a Garmin GMA-345: $89,000

aircraftforsale.com

1968 Mooney M20C Mark 21 / Ranger - $89,000 | Aircraft for Sale

This 1968 Mooney M20C Mark 21 / Ranger is for sale for $89,000. Our PlanePrice estimates that this is a Fair Deal. It has 3,401 hours on the airframe and the engine has 1,512 hours on it.
aircraftforsale.com aircraftforsale.com

IIRC Those Mooneys have very little space in the back seats, though, and the engine and prop have a lot of hours on them, which is probably why it's priced so low.
 
Klaus M said:
Couple things that I believe are important for getting an IFR aircraft is: Minimum of 180HP and parts availability.
When doing departures and altitude flying you need enough power that you can fulfill the request of the controllers and departure procedures.

Many aircraft are not supported and the parts are getting more difficult to acquire. Cessna, Piper, Mooney, most Beech are still finding unique parts when necessary. Many aircraft are less expensive because they have maintenance issues without a resolution. Most mechanics that do pre-buy inspections know which aircraft are becoming obsolete.

Find the mechanic you're going to use before you go shopping for an aircraft. Get an A&P that's willing to help you find and inspect the planes first.
Click to expand...
Thank you for all the advice! Is there a huge difference between 160 vs 180 HP? A lot of the planes we have been looking at only have 150-160 HP.

Luckily one of the CFI's we flew with is also an A&P at our flight school. We trust him, so we will either have him or someone he recommends help us.
 
CaptainXap said:
I think you will be fairly lucky to find a 4-seater for that price that also has an upgraded panel.

There are a bunch of 4-seater IFR capable airplanes at that price, but they almost all seem to have pretty old equipment:

aircraftforsale.com

Search results for a query | Aircraft for Sale

Showing search results
aircraftforsale.com aircraftforsale.com

Having said that, there is a Mooney M20C on that website that has 2 G5s and a Garmin GMA-345: $89,000

aircraftforsale.com

1968 Mooney M20C Mark 21 / Ranger - $89,000 | Aircraft for Sale

This 1968 Mooney M20C Mark 21 / Ranger is for sale for $89,000. Our PlanePrice estimates that this is a Fair Deal. It has 3,401 hours on the airframe and the engine has 1,512 hours on it.
aircraftforsale.com aircraftforsale.com

IIRC Those Mooneys have very little space in the back seats, though, and the engine and prop have a lot of hours on them, which is probably why it's priced so low.
Click to expand...
Thanks!! We have seen a couple planes pop up that appear to fit our needs, but definitely not many in that price range. I don't mind if the back is tight since it will just be the 2 of us for the large majority of the time.
 
Awoods said:
Thank you for all the advice! Is there a huge difference between 160 vs 180 HP? A lot of the planes we have been looking at only have 150-160 HP.

Luckily one of the CFI's we flew with is also an A&P at our flight school. We trust him, so we will either have him or someone he recommends help us.
Click to expand...
It doesn't take much Density Altitude (DA) to diminish a 4 place 160 hp aircraft performance. 180 hp is not the best answer but at 7000 feet DA the aircraft still gives enough performance to carry two people and enough fuel. You really don't want to cut back on fuel quantity in trade for IFR performance. If you can possibly bump your dollar limit up to a +200 HP then you'll have a fun family aircraft that will be your last plane. Rarely if ever, do you find someone selling a Cessna 182 because they don't like the performance. Had a friend sale his Piper 235 HP Cherokee Pathfinder only because they found a good deal on a 300 HP Lancair. I can't imagine ever trading down in aircraft performance.

Trust me, flying an under powered IFR aircraft is not enjoyable. Two place 160 HP aircraft are good performance but light and bumpy in turbulence. Hard to hold your coarse and altitude.
 
I'm strictly a VFR pilot.
I consider my 4-place, 160 hp, 1979 Warrior II (PA-28-161) as a comfortable 2-seat plane. In 20+ years, I've had 4 people in it exactly once. All of us were slim, and to get under MGW with full fuel, passengers were allowed 5 pounds of luggage and the pilot, me, allowed 10 pounds.
 
A four seat airplane with a 180 hp motor and good IFR capability is going to be hard to find with your budget.
 
Klaus M said:
It doesn't take much Density Altitude (DA) to diminish a 4 place 160 hp aircraft performance. 180 hp is not the best answer but at 7000 feet DA the aircraft still gives enough performance to carry two people and enough fuel. You really don't want to cut back on fuel quantity in trade for IFR performance. If you can possibly bump your dollar limit up to a +200 HP then you'll have a fun family aircraft that will be your last plane. Rarely if ever, do you find someone selling a Cessna 182 because they don't like the performance. Had a friend sale his Piper 235 HP Cherokee Pathfinder only because they found a good deal on a 300 HP Lancair. I can't imagine ever trading down in aircraft performance.

Trust me, flying an under powered IFR aircraft is not enjoyable. Two place 160 HP aircraft are good performance but light and bumpy in turbulence. Hard to hold your coarse and altitude.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much! This is very helpful! We went up yesterday for the first time with 4 people (my husband, our CFII, his GF, and I) and I was not a fan of how the plane performed. We were within the W&B and it was in a 2002 C172 180 HP. That experience definitely solidified that we need more horsepower if we want 4 adults to fly.
 
Domenick said:
I'm strictly a VFR pilot.
I consider my 4-place, 160 hp, 1979 Warrior II (PA-28-161) as a comfortable 2-seat plane. In 20+ years, I've had 4 people in it exactly once. All of us were slim, and to get under MGW with full fuel, passengers were allowed 5 pounds of luggage and the pilot, me, allowed 10 pounds.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the input! I appreciate it
 
I don't have a plane to recommend but consider buying a two-seater that meets the rest of your criteria, then if/when you fly with friends, rent a more powerful, IFR capable 4-seater.

I'd almost consider a 150/160 HP C-172 a 2-passenger airplane with 4 seats.
 
I would look at a Grumman Tiger. You should be able to find one for your price range if you are patient. Won’t have the latest in avionics and probably 1200-1500 hrs on the bullet proof Lycoming engine. 180 hp, 4 seater with fuel at tabs, max endurance 5 hrs at 50 gph, 135 KTAS at 7000, and a fold down backseat for lots of space for those two person trips.
 
I'd also say to consider your annual costs if you are concerned with going over 100k on purchase.
The larger engines will cost more in maintenance, fuel, and rebuild costs if needed unexpectedly.
And finding one under 100k may come with maintenance needs sooner rather than later.

Best of luck and enjoy whatever you get.
 
I'm surprised to be the first to say: "Get a Bonanza."
Single Engine Bonanzas for less than $100K

I just noticed they are all V-Tails, and the last I heard getting replacement ruddervators was nearly impossible.

Thread drift: Would it be worth even looking into re-engineering the ruddervators into separate ailerons and rudders?
 
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