Looking for my first plane.. on a budget.. open to suggestions

cfd408

cfd408

Pre-Flight
Joined
Jan 17, 2018
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65
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Aurora, Colorado
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Display name:
Peter
Like many of us I've finally decided to actively search for my first plane. I learned to fly at sea level but have since moved to Denver, Colorado, field elevation 5885ft. As much as I can afford a good used C-152... it's just not a practical bird for the high density altitude I deal with on hot dry summer days. I'd love a 180hp C-172.. but S/SP models are just out of my price range.. So.. here is my quandary.. I'm looking for suggestions on both aircraft to look at and stay away from... and where to look. My mission parameters are below.

Able to carry two souls plus an over night bag.. say full fuel and 450lbs
Service ceiling of at least 13,500ft... preferably higher.
Endurance of 5hrs
Under $35,000... so a new Cirrus SR22 or Cessna TTX are out of the question
icon_biggrin.gif
 
This is not going to help at all but I have yet to see a thread title like yours end with "money is no object."
 
Look for an older 172 with the 180 conversion. They are much cheaper than a SP. Look on Trade-a-Plane and Controller.
 
Early C182, early Cherokee 180, Both would fill the bill, and if you shop around, you should be able to find one at a reasonable price.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Look for an older 172 with the 180 conversion. They are much cheaper than a SP. Look on Trade-a-Plane and Controller.
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compare price on Controller with those in Trade-a-Plane, and Barnstormers.
 
I know folks who fly out of MVI in C140, C150, C172, and Cherokee140, with no troubles.
 
cfd408 said:
Like many of us I've finally decided to actively search for my first plane. I learned to fly at sea level but have since moved to Denver, Colorado, field elevation 5885ft. As much as I can afford a good used C-152... it's just not a practical bird for the high density altitude I deal with on hot dry summer days. I'd love a 180hp C-172.. but S/SP models are just out of my price range.. So.. here is my quandary.. I'm looking for suggestions on both aircraft to look at and stay away from... and where to look. My mission parameters are below.

Able to carry two souls plus an over night bag.. say full fuel and 450lbs
Service ceiling of at least 13,500ft... preferably higher.
Endurance of 5hrs
Under $35,000... so a new Cirrus SR22 or Cessna TTX are out of the question
icon_biggrin.gif
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super Viking? maybe not quite that low, but should be close
 
What MIFlyer said - a Super Viking - and if it's turbo charged, that helps with the density altitude issue.
 
Older maul
S108
Tri pacer
150hp Cessna 150
150hp 7ECA
Zenith 701 maybe
 
If you're not a A&P good luck. May find a cheap one but the first annual will kill you
 
cfd408 said:
I have a friend that is an A&P.. can save some doing my own work (supervised of course) and having him sign off.
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In that case a Mooney would be a excellent choice. I found a m20c for 14k BUT it needed a engine rebuild. I sent all the parts to the shops for overhaul and bought new cylinders. Building it myself. Total cost- $8,500. With interior refresh I'll have 30k into it.
I prefer a run out engine because with a rebuild I know the true condition, not what seller claims. Be aware there are a lot of creeps in general aviation sales. Make sure you check for corrosion and bent bits. If log books "disappeared" run away.
 
There is a fella on here who bought a very nice Mooney for 36k I believe. I was pretty shocked he got that nice of a Mooney for that price. I am a total snob and don't feel comfortable in aircraft that look beat to hell (even if they are totally airworthy). My dad and I looked at a few Mooneys in the 30k range and they were pieces of junk in my opinion. I sort of wrote it off that you wouldn't find a Mooney in good shape for that price. I think if your patient enough you can find a nice short body Mooney in that price range.
 
CC268 said:
There is a fella on here who bought a very nice Mooney for 36k I believe. I was pretty shocked he got that nice of a Mooney for that price. I am a total snob and don't feel comfortable in aircraft that look beat to hell (even if they are totally airworthy). My dad and I looked at a few Mooneys in the 30k range and they were pieces of junk in my opinion. I sort of wrote it off that you wouldn't find a Mooney in good shape for that price. I think if your patient enough you can find a nice short body Mooney in that price range.
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I have seen a couple of Mooneys for a decent price... I have shied away because I heard that the older Mooneys tend to be expensive to upkeep.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Look for an older 172 with the 180 conversion. They are much cheaper than a SP. Look on Trade-a-Plane and Controller.
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You’re not going to get the endurance he wants with 180 HP and only 36 gallons of fuel.
 
Honestly I'm pretty amazed at how nice of Mooney you can get for 40k-50k. Really wish I could convince my dad to sell our Cherokee and pick up one :p

A lot of them seem to have a pretty nice panel, great paint, but lacking interior. The good thing is you could redo the interior very nicely for a few thousand I think.
 
I have found quite a few aircraft that meet my requirements in the $40-$50K range... sadly, I'm not in that range.
 
cfd408 said:
I have found quite a few aircraft that meet my requirements in the $40-$50K range... sadly, I'm not in that range.
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Well you could pick up a nice Cherokee 140 like we did...got ours for 29K. Climb rate is out of this world. Probably get at least 100-200 fpm at 7000 feet :D Blazingly fast 100 knots.
 
codeeno said:
What MIFlyer said - a Super Viking - and if it's turbo charged, that helps with the density altitude issue.
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asking 42,000. 300 SMOH. A coworker has one and loves it
I can't post from Barnstormers, but go search

1968 BELLANCA VIKING 300HP • $42,000 • FOR SALE • 1968 Bellanca Viking 300, only 1561TT!! 247 smoh by Custom Airmotive in 2000, 152spoh three blade, Garmin 430 gps/com, MX12 Nav/Com, S-Tec autopilot with altitude hold, excellent leather interior, beautiful paint and fabric, annual due 7/2018, Complete logs, ready to go! This is a LOT of airplane for the money! Located in Lamar, Colorado
 
MIFlyer said:
asking 42,000. 300 SMOH. A coworker has one and loves it
I can't post from Barnstormers, but go search

1968 BELLANCA VIKING 300HP • $42,000 • FOR SALE • 1968 Bellanca Viking 300, only 1561TT!! 247 smoh by Custom Airmotive in 2000, 152spoh three blade, Garmin 430 gps/com, MX12 Nav/Com, S-Tec autopilot with altitude hold, excellent leather interior, beautiful paint and fabric, annual due 7/2018, Complete logs, ready to go! This is a LOT of airplane for the money! Located in Lamar, Colorado
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Nice airplane! Not a fan of the panel layout though. That really is a nice plane for 42k though. Someone told me they are a bit tricky to fly though?
 
CC268 said:
Nice airplane! Not a fan of the panel layout though. That really is a nice plane for 42k though. Someone told me they are a bit tricky to fly though?
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Never heard "tricky". Hangar neighbor a couple doors down has the turbo-normalized version. Only dislike he has mentioned is the lack of nose gear centering for landing. I just chuckle since the 'kota is the same.

As with any fabric covered aircraft, gotta look at life remaining in the fabric and paint in addition to the usual concerns about engine life and electrical/avionics systems.
 
I know of a real nice 1965 Hershey bar Cherokee 140 with 160stc. Just about 180 performance, with a little less fuel burn. Full IFR,430w. Fresh paint, headliner and interior plastic. 6000TT, 1500since "O" time Penn Yan. Nice little plane. Belonged to a good friend who's recently passed away. Pull the back seats and fill the tanks to the tabs and it'd be a good candidate for you. Estate's asking $29k.
www.6647W.weebly.com
 
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SkyDog58 said:
Look for an older 172 with the 180 conversion. They are much cheaper than a SP. Look on Trade-a-Plane and Controller.
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I don't think you're going to find a 180 conversion anywhere close to $35k. Not under $50k but probably more than that.
 
Bellancas can be had cheap, but it had better have spent it's entire life in a hangar. Resale will be a problem, a lot of people shy away from fabric and wood airplanes. Most have continental engines, six cylinder. Continental cylinders are not known for making it to tbo. Better find someone that really knows these airplanes to look it over.
 
Chip Sylverne said:
I know of a real nice 1965 Hershey bar Cherokee 140 with 160stc. Just about 180 performance, with a little less fuel burn. Full IFR,430w. Fresh paint, headliner and interior plastic. 6000TT, 1500since "O" time Penn Yan. Nice little plane. Belonged to a good friend who's recently passed away. Pull the back seats and fill the tanks to the tabs and it'd be a good candidate for you. Estate's asking $29k.
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There you go, sounds like a good candidate and you can negotiate.
 
cfd408 said:
I have seen a couple of Mooneys for a decent price... I have shied away because I heard that the older Mooneys tend to be expensive to upkeep.
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No more so than any other plane, nothing special about them.
 
Wish you luck,at your price point,not going to be much ,in good shape. You might look for a Tri pacer,older Cherokee 140/160 .
 
Are you set on sole ownership? have you considered a partnership or club? Probably several partnership opportunities in the area.
 
PA-28-181 period

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
BrianNC said:
I don't think you're going to find a 180 conversion anywhere close to $35k. Not under $50k but probably more than that.
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Point taken but I was replying more to his statement “I'd love a180hp C-172.. but S/SP models are just out of my price range“ rather than his listed price. Just wanted him to be aware that the S model isn’t the only option for a 180 hp 172 in case he wasn’t already aware.
 
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