Which aircraft retains value best?

R

Rick Wallace

Pre-Flight
Joined
Jun 2, 2014
Messages
66
Location
Macon
Display Name
Display name:
Avnut
What single engine airplane retains its value the best? Which ones seem to sell the quickest?
 
Facepalm-Star-Trek.jpg
 
Which airplane will retain it's value best? Easy it would be this one. I can guarantee that it will never be worth any less than it is now...

 
My guess would be the P-51 Mustang. Seems like it holds/increases in value from what I have seen.
 
Ones that have already depreciated completely.

For example; older taildraggers in the 20-30k region, Cessna 180's...etc.
 
Some of the more affordable war birds seem to do well, the L-4, stearman, that kind of thing.

Only problem is most spam can pilots are scared to fly tailwheel or without BRS, glass and 20 other gizmos, so you're limited to the more seasoned pilots.
 
lr60plt said:
Ones that have already depreciated completely.

For example; older taildraggers in the 20-30k region, Cessna 180's...etc.
Click to expand...


Interesting comment......

The ones from pre 70's have likely all APPRECIATED since new.

An older 20-30k tail dragged likely started life sub-5k....


And, not sure 180's have depreciated either.
 
Work planes, the ones that make money. Cessna 206/207, Beaver, Otter, PC-6, most any Ag plane. They hold value pretty well.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Interesting comment......

The ones from pre 70's have likely all APPRECIATED since new.

An older 20-30k tail dragged likely started life sub-5k....


And, not sure 180's have depreciated either.
Click to expand...
Not considering inflation.
 
RV's have held their value and increased over the last 2-3 years. You can still build a RV-12 and resell it for a profit...including your time. RV- 3s, 4s, 6s, seems to be the best value for the $$. RV-7s, 8s, 9s hold their value well, but are a tad pricey to buy depending on the plane, but certainly worth the money compared to old iron. RV-10s are holding up very well after a drop off in 2008.

Burn less fuel, go faster, parts are cheap, what's not to love? :D

YMMV. :D
 
It's a bit pricey, but PC-12's seem to sell well and at prices close to what they cost new. ;) Otherwise, if you buy a nice, well maintained airplane and keep it nice, you should do OK. If you try to buy a bargain, you'll probably regret it at some point. ;) Stay away from odd airplanes that have a limited market like Cessna 175's, probably good airplanes, but not real popular.
In most cases, airplanes are not investments, you typically buy them, use them and then resell them, if you get lucky they don't bankrupt you in the mean time. :D
 
The:plane that is flown regularly, maintained professionally and recorded accurately and kept in a hangar and washed and waxed frequently.
 
cgrab said:
The:plane that is flown regularly, maintained professionally and recorded accurately and kept in a hangar and washed and waxed frequently.
Click to expand...

Sadly, while that seems to affect sellability, it doesn't seem to effect price.
 
Dead Stick said:
Which airplane will retain it's value best? Easy it would be this one. I can guarantee that it will never be worth any less than it is now...

Click to expand...

Looks like whomever was in there, survived. What was that???
 
us AAirways said:
What the heck happened to that???
Click to expand...

I think a couple of student pilots flew it to OSH over-gross with a tank of propane in the back and took a nap after a few drinks on an IFR flight plan.
 
Really, the plane that retains its value best is the one that continues to serve you over decades. That is how you get value as a consumer, usage. Dollars matter to dealers.
 
JOhnH said:
I think a couple of student pilots flew it to OSH over-gross with a tank of propane in the back and took a nap after a few drinks on an IFR flight plan.
Click to expand...

It went in for annual at the FedEx MX shop.
 
I did not mean to open a can of worms, but maybe I should do some thread searching. I have just recently decided to look more seriously into buying rather than renting. I have been looking at a mooney, arrow and a 182. I know it all depends on the mission, but these seem to all be suitable, but it seems to me that 182's seem to hold their value better for whatever reason. Might be easier to sell down the road? While looking I couldn't help notice how expensive 185's were, just seems like certain models command more money.
 
Geico266 said:
RV's have held their value and increased over the last 2-3 years. You can still build a RV-12 and resell it for a profit...including your time. RV- 3s, 4s, 6s, seems to be the best value for the $$. RV-7s, 8s, 9s hold their value well, but are a tad pricey to buy depending on the plane, but certainly worth the money compared to old iron. RV-10s are holding up very well after a drop off in 2008.

Burn less fuel, go faster, parts are cheap, what's not to love? :D

YMMV. :D
Click to expand...
Hardly unless you consider your labor worth about 25 cents a hour.
 
Rick Wallace said:
I did not mean to open a can of worms, but maybe I should do some thread searching. I have just recently decided to look more seriously into buying rather than renting. I have been looking at a mooney, arrow and a 182. I know it all depends on the mission, but these seem to all be suitable, but it seems to me that 182's seem to hold their value better for whatever reason. Might be easier to sell down the road? While looking I couldn't help notice how expensive 185's were, just seems like certain models command more money.
Click to expand...

185s make money in AK. 182s always have good utility.
 
This one has to hold its value

:D
 

Attachments

  • F_16_Revell_04330_72nd.jpg
    F_16_Revell_04330_72nd.jpg
    27.3 KB · Views: 20
Rick Wallace said:
I did not mean to open a can of worms, but maybe I should do some thread searching. I have just recently decided to look more seriously into buying rather than renting. I have been looking at a mooney, arrow and a 182. I know it all depends on the mission, but these seem to all be suitable, but it seems to me that 182's seem to hold their value better for whatever reason. Might be easier to sell down the road? While looking I couldn't help notice how expensive 185's were, just seems like certain models command more money.
Click to expand...

I've only been flying since 2005 but have notice there seems to be a "new normal" after 2008. Maybe the gray beards here can comment, but there seems to be a date and utility "matrix" with aircraft values.

Some hold value as pilots, owners or business has use for them. I've noticed the C172, C182, BE33s and AA5Bs seem to hold value better than others I've looked at. (Oh, and pipers seem to be good at holding value.)

I finally decided I was buying a toy and the asset value really didn't matter...
 
brian];1537135 said:
I've only been flying since 2005 but have notice there seems to be a "new normal" after 2008. Maybe the gray beards here can comment, but there seems to be a date and utility "matrix" with aircraft values.

Some hold value as pilots, owners or business has use for them. I've noticed the C172, C182, BE33s and AA5Bs seem to hold value better than others I've looked at. (Oh, and pipers seem to be good at holding value.)

I finally decided I was buying a toy and the asset value really didn't matter...
Click to expand...
Good thinking.

Example: My Pathfinder was a great plane. Bought it for $70K in '02, put a new engine in it.

It was briefly Vreffing at $102K in 2003.

Then the aircraft bottom dropped out. Then the Great Recession hit. We sold it for $55K, cash, in June 2013. Ouch.

On the other hand, we flew the pants off it for 11 years. It was a great, perfect plane for a family. So...I'm happy.

On the flipside, I bought my Warrior in '98 for $32.7K, flew the heck out of it for four years -- and sold it for $40K.

So, timing is everything! :)
 
Paulie said:
Hardly unless you consider your labor worth about 25 cents a hour.
Click to expand...

Wow, tell that to the people that build them for a living. :dunno:

I sold mine and made a nice profit after flying it for 350 hours. :dunno:

The kit is around $75k and they are selling for $100k. S-lsa for $120k. Takes 6 months to build. :dunno:
 
Last edited:
Rick Wallace said:
What single engine airplane retains its value the best? Which ones seem to sell the quickest?
Click to expand...

Of course this is opinion but I would say a Cessna 182. That "category" appeals to the brand new private pilot who wants something just a tad faster and more responsive, and it also appeals to the seasoned, experience pilot (could be a PPL or higher) at the same time.

Others would probably be

Mooney 201
A36 Bonanza
RV-6 and RV-7

All of the above have their own huge fan base and are (mostly) easily transitioned into with the proper mentoring and instruction. Local airport A&P's should be familiar with most of them. Also, purchasers of both come from the Private Pilot-upgrading beyond a trainer-profile and the other direction, seasoned pilot-wants-a-plane profile.

(Versus, buying a Tomahawk or Cessna 150)

I would think all 4 models above could be sold rather quickly. Even the "buy it, fly it for a year, sell it and try to break even" approach (fly for free...well....almost....:goofy:)

I would stay away from "exotics" such as Cessna 177, T-tail Lances, etc stuff, if you are trying to satisfy your original question to the maximum extend possible.

Again, opinion
 
Last edited:
I think a Gulfstream 650 appreciates! Rumor is that Oprah flipped hers for several million more than she paid for it!
 
JimNtexas said:
I think a Gulfstream 650 appreciates! Rumor is that Oprah flipped hers for several million more than she paid for it!
Click to expand...


I think it only flew a couple times. Between Gary, IN and Midway. :)

I was talking to a guy in her hangar. At the time she had (I think) a global express. The guy said it's really a joke because most of her flights were between Milwaukee, Chicago, and Gary (or something like that).
 
dans2992 said:
I think it only flew a couple times. Between Gary, IN and Midway. :)

I was talking to a guy in her hangar. At the time she had (I think) a global express. The guy said it's really a joke because most of her flights were between Milwaukee, Chicago, and Gary (or something like that).
Click to expand...

she used to go to Nevis alot. don't know about now
 
Geico266 said:
Wow, tell that to the people that build them for a living. :dunno:

I sold mine and made a nice profit after flying it for 350 hours. :dunno:

The kit is around $75k and they are selling for $100k. S-lsa for $120k. Takes 6 months to build. :dunno:
Click to expand...

What is not included in the kit?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top