AT-6 Texan Value?

NovemberCharlie

NovemberCharlie

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NovemberCharlie
What do you guys reckon would be a ball park figure for an AT-6 Texan that has been standing for 10 years? The aircraft has been standing inside a hangar. Engine still has low hours, but wasn't pickled so there might be chances of corrosion. Seals, hoses etc. will definitely need replacement. Paint is also faded. Corrosion on fuselage, attach angles are unknown. No logbooks at this stage, owner is still searching for them...
So, for an aircraft with zero corrosion on her, with a clean, straight airframe, what would you reckon the value compared to an aircraft with pitting in the sleeves, corrosion on the frame, with zero paperwork?
Would like to hear from you

Regards
 
ZERO paperwork???

Definitely sub-$100k. At a minimum you need to do the wing attach bolt AD and likely others. With no logs and 10 years of sitting, you might as well just pull the engine and send it off to Covington for a fresh overhaul/exchange.

Then there is the concern of airframe corrosion. If you are seeing corrosion on the outside of the fuselage, there is a good chance that you'll find worse corrosion when you dig into the internals.

Personally, I'm not into projects, but just as a swag, IF you could get it in the $50-70K range you might be able to make a decent airplane out of it (assuming no major internal corrosion).

BUT, unless you want to restore it yourself....paint it just the way you want it, you are much better off financially finding one that has already been restored.
 
"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. "
--Warren Buffet
 
I'm with Fearless on his valuation. I've seen trashed a projects people were asking 30k for. As long as it's complete and serviceable I would say 65k is pretty reasonable.
 
I would go for one that has been restored,unless your into projects,and have the ability to do the work yourself. The project is probably worth high 40s low 50s.
 
Because you probably arnt qualified to fly it lol

Sitting means little to me, the logs on the other hand are a big issue, if they can't find them yeah, under 100k
 
It has several strikes against it. How do you know it doesn't have corrosion? I'm not up on my warbirds, but without logs, value is substantially lowered, and that goes for any aircraft.
 
Ryanb said:
It has several strikes against it. How do you know it doesn't have corrosion? I'm not up on my warbirds, but without logs, value is substantially lowered, and that goes for any aircraft.
Click to expand...

Well without or without logs until you do a good prebuy you won't know if it was corrosion
 
jbDC9 said:
Who cares? Why did you even post this? The question asked was not "what's it worth to Tupelo?"...
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$50-70k is probably a safe ballpark like FT said, but that's just the beginning. You'd be in way over what it's worth unless there's some sentimental attachment.
 
Entirely unknown because the condition is not certain without a proper inspection.

There's lots of them out there flying. Start with what these are worth in properly maintained, flying condition and work backwards deducting what it will cost to rectify each deficiency. It might not be worth much more than parts.
 
The SNJ that I bought sat next to the tower at Spirit of St Louis airport for 22 years. We re covered the control surfaces and went out and had it ready to ferry in three days. Even though it sat outside all that time the engine ran great and I flew it for 8 more years and 400 + hours on it. Paid $16,000 in 1982.
 
GRG55 said:
Entirely unknown because the condition is not certain without a proper inspection.

There's lots of them out there flying. Start with what these are worth in properly maintained, flying condition and work backwards deducting what it will cost to rectify each deficiency. It might not be worth much more than parts.
Click to expand...

any T-6 is worth more as parts than as a whole airplane. fearless hit it pretty much on the head, except i would send the engine to tulsa. but me and fearless have already had that discussion. :)
 
The biggest thing is corrosion and you will have to pull the wings to inspect the attach angles. As that airplane has no logs you will have to do it and it is a miserable job. Engine overhaul $60,000, prop 8,000 +. So getting it for $50,000 you're already into it for $120,000 and you haven't even started yet. There are some out there that can be had for under $200,000 so you might be better off buying one. Don
 
Hi guys. Thanks for the replies so far. Really helpful.
Regarding the logs. I was told that the owner is still "searching" for them. Keeping my hopes up high for logs that might pop up in the future is a waste of time, so at this stage I assume the logs are missing, until proved wrong.
Regarding the corrosion. As said, the aircraft has been standing for almost 15 years. She has been hangared all this time. No external surface corrosion is visible. Only thing that might be a concern is that the aircraft is not very far from Lake Michigan, which is fresh water yes, but 15 years of humid air might have caused some damage.
Regarding the AD on the attach angles. I am definitely sure this hasn't been done, which means removing the wings to do the inspection. Since I am not from the area, or America even, hiring a company that specializes in Warbirds might be the best option to do the prebuy, wing AD and crating. Unless I can get a good deal here, simply all the work needed to get this aircraft airworthy again, putts me of the deal. Not even mentioning the amount of money it will take....
 
Sit down with the guy over a cup of coffee and ask if he wants the airplane to fly again.

Sometimes older pilots want that more than the money.

I would walk away if the pilot did not respond to a sit down, knee to knee conversation about a realistic price.
 
With all of that, I wouldn't pay more than $50K. Too many unknowns, and it is going to require a thorough going-through before you can trust it...and who knows what you'll find then.

If you could take a smart A&P who knows T-6s with you for a thorough pre-buy, and they like what they see, maybe that price might nudge toward the 75K range.

Contact the North American Trainer Association or EAA Warbirds of America if you are interested in finding an expert for help with a pre-buy.
 
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