Why does a J-3 Cub cost so much

brien23

brien23

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What makes a J-3 Cub worth so much 30K and up for a old J-3 seems a little over priced.
 
tinerj said:
Because the superior advantages of an Aeronica Champ are not as well publicized.
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And nostalgia, and there aren't many modern, affordable alternatives - not that simple, elemental, part-of-the-ocean-of-air experience. And I only have a couple hours in them. . .
 
The modern alternative is a Legend Cub, well over $100K new, can find a few used every once in a while for around $80K.
 
For old guys like me there were always two main groups, those who learned to fly in a Cub and those who learned to fly in a Champ and they developed into almost what you’d call a cult because you always trash talked the other one. I learned in a Cub and so always hated Champs, even though I had never even flown one. Then after years of flying Cessna and Pipers and Grumman’s and such, in the late 90’s I looked for a taildragger to rent and the only thing that was readily available were Citabrias. So I checked out in a 7KCAB and that was my first experience with a “Champ”

About 8 years ago I came across a pretty nice 90 hp 1958 7EC Champ for about half the price you’d pay for a comparable J3 and I just couldn’t pass it up so I bought it and have been enjoying it ever since.

Now as to why the Cubs get so much money, it’s a nostalgia premium and part of it is the experience you get flying with the clam-shell door open on nice days although it is pretty windy and noisy and eventually you’re going to want to close it. There is no argument however that the Champ is much more comfortable in the long run. People who are unfamiliar often ask if you can solo a J3 from the front seat and they obviously have never been in the front seat of a J3 because it’s something you really would want to avoid as there’s not much room up there.

I still love Cubs, just don’t think I’d be willing to pay that much of a premium to get one
 
Nostalgia premium as mentioned. I don't have any J3 time in my log book although have a bunch of "stick" time flying with friends that I never logged. I have time in Chief's and Champs and I think the "Cubs" fly a little nicer although it would be hard to describe exactly how. All of them are fun to fly.

I have a decent amount of J5 time and honestly I think the J5 is a superior airplane to the J3 and can be had for the same money(ish). If I had the money I would have a J5 or a PA12.
 
Eventually you are going to want to close the doors, what??? You need better headsets man. Got around 1000 hours in PA-18, lots of 3-4 hour XCs, that door is always open, one of the best parts. Ok, if its below 50 degrees I close the bottom half

As for the J3, I did look pretty hard for one 4-5 years ago, decided they were too much $ for what they offered. Still very cool airplane IMO


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Cubs = fun, but any old tail dragger will be fun. Limited supply and demand = high price.
 
As I've said before when this question was posed:

They are the Ford 8N of the aviation world.

Or maybe...

A Ford 8N is the Piper Cub of the suburban farm world.

Both overpriced for what they are, and really not very practical. Or, at least, far more capable machines can be had for the same or less money.

Both are fun (well, right up to the point that the 8N kills you), and both way overpriced because of it.
 
The J-3 became the primary trainer by the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) before and during WW2, and tens of thousands of pilots trained in them as a result. I believe that choice by the CPTP had more to do with the J-3's popularity and inflated value today than any other factor.

It's recently been discovered that JFK trained in and soloed a J-3 floatplane at Embry-Riddle in Miami in 1944 while recovering from injuries sustained in the PT-109 wreck in the Pacific.

jfk%20flight%20log%20-%20may%201944_zpsovokvhaj.jpg
 
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It's a matter of opinion and the market. I always wondered about the price of Super Cubs, too. Grew up and learned to fly in Alaska. Always wanted a Cub but ended up owning Citabrias, a Scout, a Maule, a 185 and a few other types. It was always easier to find a "good deal" on airplanes other than a PA-18, at least in Alaska. Other airplanes had more speed or more interior room, for less money. But having flown other peoples Cubs as a flight instructor, etc., I still would love to have one. The combination of flying qualities and capability that a Cub has is hard to beat, which is why Cubs sell for what they do. Bottom line, airplanes that are more expensive are more desirable to more people... supply and demand.
 
Cubs are easily maintained and easily restored. Parts and support are more available now than ever. Complaining about a Cub costing $30K seems silly given how many $300K Cubs there are.
 
Sundancer said:
And nostalgia, and there aren't many modern, affordable alternatives - not that simple, elemental, part-of-the-ocean-of-air experience. And I only have a couple hours in them. . .
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There are literally hundreds of types of simple stick-and-rudder planes that will give you that part of the ocean of the air experience. But only Cubs look like Cubs, and Cubs are the plane most people daydream about if they want that experience.

I'm tall and stout, so I don't pine after Cubs. After ~50 hours in a 65hp Champ (which I barely fit in), I daydream about a plane with a little more horsepower and toe brakes :)
 
10 years ago I built a really sweet 160hp PA-12. I thought it was a bigger Cub. It was not easy to get in and out of. I recently completed an experimental Supercub. It's a little bigger than the standard version. Taller, a little wider, longer. 220hp, toe brakes, and way easier to get in and out of than my -12. If you want an improved Cub? You can make one.

Solo ops in a J-3 are from the rear seat so the entry discussion is different than the front seat. Lots of guys like the J-3 because of the seating position. They say they can feel the rudder better from the back seat. It's a great airplane for learning to fly the wing. Most Supercub guys fly the prop. Two schools of thought. Both are good. Pick your priority.
 
I had a CubCrafters Sport Cub for a few years. It was indeed an improved Cub, and I loved it. The cabin was four inches wider than a J-3/PA-11/PA-18 with much more front legroom, and it had toe brakes. The clamshell door was several inches wider than its predecessors, and when opened formed a four-inch-wide sill that one could sit on while squirming in and out. Cabin access was still awkward, but considerably easier than the legacy Cubs.
 
I’m really hoping to win the EAA Cub this year. That would be super!


Then I could sell it and buy a much nicer Citabria.
 
Economics 101, day 1, supply and demand.

P=fn(S,D)...Price is function of supply and demand. There are more people who want to fly Cubs than there are Cubs. Therefore the price of Cubs is elevated. Do you really think a P-51 is worth 2 million?

Or put another way - they aren't expensive, there are just more people willing to pay more money for them that you are.
 
Stewartb said:
10 years ago I built a really sweet 160hp PA-12. I thought it was a bigger Cub. It was not easy to get in and out of. I recently completed an experimental Supercub. It's a little bigger than the standard version. Taller, a little wider, longer. 220hp, toe brakes, and way easier to get in and out of than my -12. If you want an improved Cub? You can make one.

Solo ops in a J-3 are from the rear seat so the entry discussion is different than the front seat. Lots of guys like the J-3 because of the seating position. They say they can feel the rudder better from the back seat. It's a great airplane for learning to fly the wing. Most Supercub guys fly the prop. Two schools of thought. Both are good. Pick your priority.
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Some have two 6 gal wing tanks so you can solo from the front seat or back. Not sure their is any other benefit other than you are not sitting behind a gas tank.
 
Same reason that a 1957 Chevy sells for a lot more than does a 1957 Ford. One is an icon, one is not.

The Cub is the airplane that got America flying. All the rest are just little old airplanes.
 
I know guys that own $25k side by sides that are only used to drive up the same trail over and over.

$25k-$30k on a Cub that's cheap to maintain and only needs a few gallons an hour to fly is far from the worst buy in aviation if it does what you want.
 
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Bonchie said:
I know guys that own $25k side by sides that are only used to drive up the same trail over and over.

$25k-$30k on a Cub that's cheap to maintain and only needs a few gallons an hour to fly is far from the worst buy in aviation if it does what you want.
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Lots of aircraft will fill that requirements
 
Honestly. NO logical reason.
Almost every other plane from that era flies better, faster, farther.
But they just aren't Cubs.
 
Personally 30k for a J3 makes more sense to me than over 30k for old Cessna 172 sky civic
 
They cost that much because they are worth that much to enough people. I am one of those people. But all emotions are expensive, it's just a question of which ones you give in to.
 
James331 said:
Personally 30k for a J3 makes more sense to me than over 30k for old Cessna 172 sky civic
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Not to me. A 172is a far more capable airplane with more complexity that warrants a higher price tag. But that demonstrates the economics involved perfectly.

If I could only own one plane and it had to be one of those two, I’d have to buy the 172.

But I want a cub as a second plane pretty badly. :D
 
Salty said:
Not to me. A 172is a far more capable airplane with more complexity that warrants a higher price tag. But that demonstrates the economics involved perfectly.

If I could only own one plane and it had to be one of those two, I’d have to buy the 172.

But I want a cub as a second plane pretty badly. :D
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I hear you on the cruise speed, but I can land a cub at my house lol

Also I rather have a less complex machine, I mean my 185 in many ways has simpler systems than many 172s, with the manual flaps and all, yet it stalls lower, cruises higher and hauls more.
 
FormerHangie said:
Same reason that a 1957 Chevy sells for a lot more than does a 1957 Ford. One is an icon, one is not.
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Exactly, even though the Ford was far cooler. Just like there's a lot of planes out there of the vintage that were cooler than a cub ever was.

torch57_8.jpg
 
What the old J-3 evolved into, and why the J-3 costs only $30K. :cool:


C7DA07C0-BAA3-43B2-BBDF-39BCA5928D29.jpeg
 
edo2000 said:
It's a matter of opinion and the market. I always wondered about the price of Super Cubs, too. Grew up and learned to fly in Alaska. Always wanted a Cub but ended up owning Citabrias, a Scout, a Maule, a 185 and a few other types. It was always easier to find a "good deal" on airplanes other than a PA-18, at least in Alaska. Other airplanes had more speed or more interior room, for less money. But having flown other peoples Cubs as a flight instructor, etc., I still would love to have one. The combination of flying qualities and capability that a Cub has is hard to beat, which is why Cubs sell for what they do. Bottom line, airplanes that are more expensive are more desirable to more people... supply and demand.
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That sums up my point of view too.

If I had to narrow it down to one airplane I’d be satisfied having, it would be a PA-18. The most enjoyable trips I’ve taken have been in one and yet they’re still fun to drag out for a 30 minute evening flight.

I guess this makes me part of the group of people that have an irrational love for Cubs. I just wish they weren’t so expensive.
 
Tom-D said:
Because people will pay it, just for a status symbol.
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That is exactly it. My Vagabond is way more comfortable, faster, more responsive, you can see where you are going when its on the ground, has toe brakes, and costs half as much. I am 6ft and weigh 230 lbs, I have flown in the front seat of a J3 ---- not my idea of a good time. I'll keep my little Vagabond thank you very much. Besides the Vag is yellow and to alot of folks if its yellow its a cub, go figure. :rolleyes:

Jim
 
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