Interpreting aircraft quality from sales listings

[MooneyDriver78]

This especially irks me on planes with notoriously low or highly variable useful loads. Ie: Ercoupes, AA1's...
Or heavily modded planes such as a C150 with the O320, etc.

Fresh paint, new OH, but scuzzy upholstery... Welcome to someone's salvage/rebuild-a-wreck project.

A new OH from a well know shop wouldn’t bother me, owner may have felt they could not sell it with a runout engine.
But a field OH….no way.

 

[Tarheelpilot]

Interesting. Every time I get something done with several mechanics, it’s paper this and paper that and make sure this goes into the AF logbook, but this paper into the engine logbook but not in the prop logbook, that’s this paper. Also, every time I source a part (I’ve done an engine rebuild on my last plane and a interior rebuild on my current plane), the mechanics always tell me to look out that the part has this paper or that paper otherwise they can’t install it. None of this was available digitally. Also, I have to carry a journey logbook with me when flying more than 25 miles from home base, which is paper based. Could I create a digital journey logbook and would an inspector at a potential ramp check accept my digital journey logbook? My plane is C- registered but I doubt there is much difference between FAA and TC rules.

While similar still different. I am not qualified to answer any questions about your regulatory environment.

 

[wheaties]

At what point - if ever - do these become something someone would buy?

Missing logs = “take a real hard look” or “never” ?

missing logs say, "You better trust the pre-buy." I once looked at a missing log plane and we couldn't tell if there had been a repair done which the FAA wasn't informed. Something was off with the firewall. I walked.

My own plane is nearly 60yrs old and missing thr first 7yrs of logs. Honestly don't care. Been flying just fine the next 50.

 

[Todd82]

A new OH from a well know shop wouldn’t bother me, owner may have felt they could not sell it with a runout engine.
But a field OH….no way.

I meant when you combine all 3 of those it's a red flag for me.

 

[Pinecone]

Heck, one plane I looked at had an overhaul by a known quicky overhaul shop. Overhauled again a year later. Top overhaul a few years later. The NEXT annual had to pull a cylinder, and another one the next annual (last year).

As far as my mechanic could tell, cylinders were original, just overhauled many times. Total time was almost 4000 hours.

I gave a low ball offer, as I felt the engine would need replacing.