Which Bo?

Tom-D

Tom-D

Taxi to Parking
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Tom-D
If you have a 50K budget, which Bonanza would you choose? year & model please.
 
Tom-D said:
If you have a 50K budget, which Bonanza would you choose? year & model please.
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Not sure which one I woudl choose, but I'd avoid the ones with the E-185 engine or the (essentially) unsupported props. I don't feel like chasing hard to obtain parts on a X/C airplane. A broken airplane on the road is a big enough pain, even when the parts are easy to get.
 
J35 (1958) at a minimum for the IO-470 engine. Anything earlier will have come with the E-185 or E-225 motor. There are some planes with retrofit STCs on the earlier airframes, but I don't think you'll find one properly sorted out for 50k.

My best would be the S35 (1964) if I could stretch it on that budget, which gets a ton of functional improvements, including the seats on rails, modern panel, single wing tanks, and IO-520 engine. HIGHLY unlikely on 50k, but I know of two cases where one was obtained for this money and was not a total POS.

the in-betweeners (K35, M35, N35, P35) are all fine machines and more likely to be in the price range quoted than the S. There were a lot of small and continual improvements in these models.

These are all V-tails.

50k is exposing a lot of debonairs lately too. I would personally opt for a B33 (1962) or later for the center-stack radios and single wing tanks.

For anyone shopping, the book "Those incomparable Bonanzas" by Larry Ball is the best $25 spent to identify all of the little differences in the entire line.

$0.02 :)

- Mike
 
schmookeeg said:
J35 (1958) at a minimum for the IO-470 engine. Anything earlier will have come with the E-185 or E-225 motor. There are some planes with retrofit STCs on the earlier airframes, but I don't think you'll find one properly sorted out for 50k.

My best would be the S35 (1964) if I could stretch it on that budget, which gets a ton of functional improvements, including the seats on rails, modern panel, single wing tanks, and IO-520 engine. HIGHLY unlikely on 50k, but I know of two cases where one was obtained for this money and was not a total POS.

the in-betweeners (K35, M35, N35, P35) are all fine machines and more likely to be in the price range quoted than the S. There were a lot of small and continual improvements in these models.

These are all V-tails.

50k is exposing a lot of debonairs lately too. I would personally opt for a B33 (1962) or later for the center-stack radios and single wing tanks.

For anyone shopping, the book "Those incomparable Bonanzas" by Larry Ball is the best $25 spent to identify all of the little differences in the entire line.

$0.02 :)

- Mike
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It's a $40 book now. I'll have to put that one on my father's day list!
 
An old one with an E-225 probably since it's a MoGas capable plane.
 
Tom: Check in at Beechtalk.com sometime when you get time. A lot of folks with Beechcraft and some real helpful folks.
If they let Spike and I on there; can't be too picky <g>

Best,

Dave
 
Tom, I've noticed in the past you are not a big Bo fan (recalling your comments about tail-wag). Is this still your search for a travelling plane, or is this for someone else? Just curious.
 
jhausch said:
Tom, I've noticed in the past you are not a big Bo fan (recalling your comments about tail-wag). Is this still your search for a travelling plane, or is this for someone else? Just curious.
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Just checking the options for a Bonanza, I see several really cheap. and we need an aircraft that will actually haul 4 full sized adults and bags.

I still do not like the mag construction, or the inflight break up stats, the AD list, or the avialiblity of parts for the older cheaper ones.

But if they will do the job we could cope with the list.
 
Tom-D said:
I still do not like the mag construction, or the inflight break up stats, the AD list, or the avialiblity of parts for the older cheaper ones.

But if they will do the job we could cope with the list.
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Change that list of complaints to my predominate physical features and personality traits and you'd sound like my wife before she agreed to marry me. :D :D :D
 
Be sure you obtain a current w&b prior to concluding that the airplanes are capable of that load. Unless you don't want to haul them very far.

Tom-D said:
Just checking the options for a Bonanza, I see several really cheap. and we need an aircraft that will actually haul 4 full sized adults and bags.

.
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