Where to search, Planes for Sale

1000RR

1000RR

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Aug 18, 2019
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1000RR
I'm beginning to search for my first (and hopefully last) plane (Cherokee Six). I'm continually looking at BarnStormers, Controller, Hangar67, and Trade-a-Plane. Are there any others? Are there some brokers I should check with? Has anyone done the monthly subscription to FindAircraft.com? Wondering if you actually get a lot more hits from there and if it's worth it.
 
I'm not an expert, but I get the sense that the best bang for the buck is putting the feelers out far and wide. Talk to people at your airport, in your club, in the type communities, and enlist all the help in the search you can. I imagine that's what a good broker does... tapping a network, but I have no experience using a broker.

I found mine earlier this year by poking around on Mooneyspace. The seller hadn't actually listed it yet, but had responded to someone else in an "I'm looking for a Mooney" thread.
 
Used a combo of this forum, TaP and Barnstormers to finally find ours. Throughout the process, patience was the key. Had quite a few false starts, almost-starts, promising calls, dead-end calls, emails with attached logs that looked ok, emails with attached logs that were a joke.... finally made the connection that led to the plane we ended up buying on Barnstormers.
 
The first plane I bought I found the ad on the FBO bulletin board. Some of the older generation don't do or trust using the internet.
 
I found mine on TAP. Set up a search and get emails whenever a new one is listed, and be prepared to drop everything and call/go see it.

You might also try the pa32 Owner's & Pilot's group on Facebook. Occasionally one gets listed, and usually when someone posts they are looking for one, a few people know where there's one for sale.

Contact Bartelt Aviation and get on their list. They have a couple for sale now if you have deep pockets.

There's also a couple airplanes for sale groups on FB, including one specific to pa28/32's.

Terrible time to be pa32 shopping, although I'm not sure it will get any better for some time.
 
When I bought the 180 the seller was trading up to a well equipped Archer. His mechanic brokered that deal after the Archer's owner was convinced by family it was time to hang em up. So mechanics are a good source as well
 
The active type-specific forums can be some of the best places to find well-cared for airplanes. Beechtalk in particular. Beechtalk can even be a good place to find non-Beechcraft airplanes for sale.
 
+1 for the local mechanic source. Mine knows EVERY airplane in the region, personally... it’s almost weird.

He finds deals like crazy.
 
Shepherd said:
I got lucky and found mine on Barnstormers
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That's kinda how I felt with Barnstormers... lucky. Not the most organized site, but maybe that's the beauty of it? Took months of searching, calling, searching, calling... finally found one. But it wasn't like TaP where everything is nice and organized. But, again... almost the beauty of Barnstormers. Kind of like an online bulletin board like the physical one you might find at your FBO.
 
Deelee said:
That's kinda how I felt with Barnstormers... lucky. Not the most organized site, but maybe that's the beauty of it? Took months of searching, calling, searching, calling... finally found one. But it wasn't like TaP where everything is nice and organized. But, again... almost the beauty of Barnstormers. Kind of like an online bulletin board like the physical one you might find at your FBO.
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Barnstormers I actually like better than Controller layout wise. And I feel like things are priced more appropriately...no broker. It's organized, just in the left column instead of middle of the screen.

The great thing about talking to the local A&P is he's gonna know what's on the bulletin board as well as the old guy that doesn't fly as much as he'd like to. But that's probably all of us. The mechanic is going to know the history of the plane and any squawks. Conversely maybe he's missing something. Why I'm not opposed to taking it to someone else, especially since there's no service at my base.
 
Racerx said:
Barnstormers I actually like better than Controller layout wise
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It's odd for me... it didn't seem organized in a modern website way, but it is sort of... organized in a usable way? Dunno. Something kind of home-y about it.

Racerx said:
things are priced more appropriately...no broker
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I think that is true, too. Barnstormers prices were more reasonable than TaP back when I was looking.
 
I second the type forum comments. I got lucky and had someone message me about the f33a they were thinking about selling. Got it before it hit retail or broker, and it is a beautiful thing.
 
I’ve known people that put together mailers from the faa registration database and mailed a couple hundred people to see if anyone was interested in selling and weren’t already listed on the interwebs
 
MrAnderson said:
I’ve known people that put together mailers from the faa registration database and mailed a couple hundred people to see if anyone was interested in selling and weren’t already listed on the interwebs
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I know of one owner that actually got his airplane this way. Somewhat unique type, though.
 
Thanks for all the responses. Definitely some helpful tips. We will see where everything goes... who knows, anytime between now and a year or so from now maybe I'll be a plane owner. During this whole process, I keep thinking of the "Chicken or the Egg"... Hangar without an airplane OR Airplane without a hangar. In other words, both are a bummer but it is what it is. I don't like the idea of having a plane on the ramp, not in a hangar... but I also don't necessarily like the idea of waiting till a hangar comes available to make a plane purchase. So hopefully the gap between the two isn't terribly long. I'm on a couple waiting lists at nearby airports but I doubt anything will free up for another year (and possibly longer). So if I find a plane sooner than later, the poor bird may have to hang out on the ramp... sadly.
 
Bartelt Aviation in Sturgis Michigan was mentioned above. When I was looking, John found a plane for me by contacting some of his customers. The one I bought wasn't even for sale until he asked about it.
 
Be aware that if you're buying a pa32, the distance from the tip of the spinner to the trailing edge of the wings is the critical dimension for hangars. Iirc it's 16'. Even though the wings are very short, I had to get one of the 6 "big" hangars at my airport as the nose would stick out of the standard hangars. As it is there about 3" between the doors and the spinner.

The side benefit of this is that I have plenty of room for toolboxes, recliners, and my golf cart tug.
 
I’m thinking of starting a plane search website and I’m going to call it 7thArc.com.
 
Jim K said:
Be aware that if you're buying a pa32, the distance from the tip of the spinner to the trailing edge of the wings is the critical dimension for hangars. Iirc it's 16'. Even though the wings are very short, I had to get one of the 6 "big" hangars at my airport as the nose would stick out of the standard hangars. As it is there about 3" between the doors and the spinner.

The side benefit of this is that I have plenty of room for toolboxes, recliners, and my golf cart tug.
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Good point Jim, I had not considered that dimension. I will now though and will make sure once one comes available, that dimension is appropriate. Thanks for the heads up! That could be a real headache if I accepted a hangar without a plane in possession and was renting it for a while then figured it all out down the road. Many thanks!
 
1000RR said:
Thanks for all the responses. Definitely some helpful tips. We will see where everything goes... who knows, anytime between now and a year or so from now maybe I'll be a plane owner. During this whole process, I keep thinking of the "Chicken or the Egg"... Hangar without an airplane OR Airplane without a hangar. In other words, both are a bummer but it is what it is. I don't like the idea of having a plane on the ramp, not in a hangar... but I also don't necessarily like the idea of waiting till a hangar comes available to make a plane purchase. So hopefully the gap between the two isn't terribly long. I'm on a couple waiting lists at nearby airports but I doubt anything will free up for another year (and possibly longer). So if I find a plane sooner than later, the poor bird may have to hang out on the ramp... sadly.
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I was in that exact same boat. Luckily, I found a guy selling a hangar about 1 month before I had a guy message me about selling a plane, and it all worked out great. It can be stressful though, especially if you have a certain time to fill the hangar with an airplane after procuring it. Interestingly enough, the guy who sold me the hangar moved down to Florida, and he said the waiting lists are multi year. He did say he got a covered tie down that works better than he expected. I bet that gets interesting during hurricane season though.

I would say be ready to pounce when the opportunity presents itself. Good luck!
 
When I sold my cherokee 6 it was because I half jokingly said I would sell it while posting on the PA32 group on Facebook. 2 hours later I had a deposit.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions from everyone. I've began exploring some of the things mentioned. I've got someone to help me out with the entire process so that's a relief for sure. I did join the PA32 FB group - that has been cool to peruse. Ideally I'd like to find a plane that is setup (descent avionics) and ready to go with a mid/low engine. I've got one I'm now looking into that is the opposite. It isn't on the market yet, has a runout engine, nothing fancy in avionics, but potentially priced very good. Interior, paint is supposed to be good and just went through its annual. If the 'bones' are good, I may dig a bit deeper and get an avionics upgrade estimate and see where it would really fall out. One of the attractive things would be, it would delay me physically taking possession of it by some number of months and that would help out in terms of where I would put it once I get it. I'm on a couple waitlists for hangars but those won't happen any time soon, so it's looking like she'll sit on a ramp somewhere... which is a big bummer. In the mean time, I'm a member of a flying club and renewal doesn't come up till March of next year... so I still have planes to fly and could potentially stretch that out longer too if need be.
 
When looking for our Navion we hit up every plane that was listed in the type society newsletter (also a great place for general purchase information) and Trade-A-Plane. Margy had extensive talks with owners, got pictures, etc...
 
1000RR said:
Thanks for all the suggestions from everyone. I've began exploring some of the things mentioned. I've got someone to help me out with the entire process so that's a relief for sure. I did join the PA32 FB group - that has been cool to peruse. Ideally I'd like to find a plane that is setup (descent avionics) and ready to go with a mid/low engine. I've got one I'm now looking into that is the opposite. It isn't on the market yet, has a runout engine, nothing fancy in avionics, but potentially priced very good. Interior, paint is supposed to be good and just went through its annual. If the 'bones' are good, I may dig a bit deeper and get an avionics upgrade estimate and see where it would really fall out. One of the attractive things would be, it would delay me physically taking possession of it by some number of months and that would help out in terms of where I would put it once I get it. I'm on a couple waitlists for hangars but those won't happen any time soon, so it's looking like she'll sit on a ramp somewhere... which is a big bummer. In the mean time, I'm a member of a flying club and renewal doesn't come up till March of next year... so I still have planes to fly and could potentially stretch that out longer too if need be.
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That's what @FlyingMonkey did to his 300. He has a hilarious video on YT if you haven't seen it. Not a bad plan to refurb one if you're planning to keep it, you can get all the glass you want and maybe by the time it's done you'll have a hangar lol.
 
Jim K said:
That's what @FlyingMonkey did to his 300. He has a hilarious video on YT if you haven't seen it. Not a bad plan to refurb one if you're planning to keep it, you can get all the glass you want and maybe by the time it's done you'll have a hangar lol.
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I looked him up and his video - very cool and damn that 300 turned out nice! Needless to say, this plane would not be bought at $30k, but still might be worthwhile. I'll have to see what it all looks like once my friend is able to get some pics, do a walk around, etc. and see what the avionics would cost. Thanks for putting me on to FlyingMonkey's videos Jim.
 
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k9medic said:
When I sold my cherokee 6 it was because I half jokingly said I would sell it while posting on the PA32 group on Facebook. 2 hours later I had a deposit.
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Everything is for sale at the right price.
 
1000RR said:
Thanks for all the suggestions from everyone. I've began exploring some of the things mentioned. I've got someone to help me out with the entire process so that's a relief for sure. I did join the PA32 FB group - that has been cool to peruse. Ideally I'd like to find a plane that is setup (descent avionics) and ready to go with a mid/low engine. I've got one I'm now looking into that is the opposite. It isn't on the market yet, has a runout engine, nothing fancy in avionics, but potentially priced very good. Interior, paint is supposed to be good and just went through its annual. If the 'bones' are good, I may dig a bit deeper and get an avionics upgrade estimate and see where it would really fall out. One of the attractive things would be, it would delay me physically taking possession of it by some number of months and that would help out in terms of where I would put it once I get it. I'm on a couple waitlists for hangars but those won't happen any time soon, so it's looking like she'll sit on a ramp somewhere... which is a big bummer. In the mean time, I'm a member of a flying club and renewal doesn't come up till March of next year... so I still have planes to fly and could potentially stretch that out longer too if need be.
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Just a note on buying something that needs work. I have recently learned that I'm glad mine doesn't need anything too urgently, because shops are completely booked out right now. Some have hung up on me because they already have all the business they need. I don't want to deter you from a good find at all. If you find a good deal and solid bird go for it. Just understand getting into good shops is challenging right now and factor that in to your plans.
 
kujo806 said:
Just a note on buying something that needs work. I have recently learned that I'm glad mine doesn't need anything too urgently, because shops are completely booked out right now. Some have hung up on me because they already have all the business they need. I don't want to deter you from a good find at all. If you find a good deal and solid bird go for it. Just understand getting into good shops is challenging right now and factor that in to your plans.
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Good suggestion and thank you for that. My current thought (if this refurb plane has potential) is I would try and do the avionics right away. I would see how long that might take and if it takes up to a few months or a little more, I would probably be ok with that as I'd still be waiting for a hangar. But to your point, I would try and make sure I establish a realistic expectation between the shop and me so I try and minimize those types of surprises. For the engine rebuild, hopefully the run-out engine still shows signs of remaining healthy and I would just monitor for a while and push that off for a little bit. We'll see. Still a bit early to understand if this plane even checks any of the minimum boxes I'm looking for.
 
That FB group is where I got my PA32. Welcome to the club when you nab one.
 
Have you looked into the cost of engine overhaul? Is it a 260 or 300? From what I’ve seen there’s more than a $10k difference between the overhaul of those engines.
 
Motor6 said:
Have you looked into the cost of engine overhaul? Is it a 260 or 300? From what I’ve seen there’s more than a $10k difference between the overhaul of those engines.
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I have, and you're correct. There seems to be about a $10k difference in OH between the O and the IO540. That is a consideration in my operating costs for sure... and if I buy a plane with a runout engine.
 
1000RR said:
I looked him up and his video - very cool and damn that 300 turned out nice! Needless to say, this plane would not be bought at $30k, but still might be worthwhile. I'll have to see what it all looks like once my friend is able to get some pics, do a walk around, etc. and see what the avionics would cost. Thanks for putting me on to FlyingMonkey's videos Jim.
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sometimes people will post on piperforum or the Facebook PA32 group before listing more widely. you might get lucky there...
 
I found my plane right here on PoA. My experience with TAP and Barnstormers was that the planes which were actually decent buys sold before I got there, most often through word of mouth. In one case, though, the seller told me he had someone call with a full price offer within an hour of the TAP ad going up.

It’s a crazy market. Type clubs, forums like this, and word of mouth (network!) are your best bets.
 
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