Cost of buying a used Cessna-172?

[squale]

I was just doing some research on the cost of buying a used Cessna-172 and it's very hard to get a good idea of what price range I will be in.. there are so many different years and different prices all over the place. My main question is for say around 50K or less, what year range and condition C-172 can you get yourself into? I should have my PPL license in another month or so and would definately like to own my next first plane in the next couple of years but don't know if it's a better choice to get an older GA aircraft like a C-172/152 or if I should try to get something brand new in a Special-Light Sport Aircraft? With my PPL license I will be able to take a S-LSA everywhere I can take a GA aircraft and even fly it at night as long as I have the appropriate lighting on the plane. It would be nice to be able to hold 4 people though!

So for anybody that owns their own planes and can give me a good idea on what price ranges I am going to be looking at for a decent C-172 that doesn't need much work at all, please let me know. I am also concerned about what yearly maintenance costs will run me for something like a C-172/152 versus say a newer or brand new S-LSA ?

Thanks all!

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

first of all, stop calling it a license
for 50K, you're looking at a N or P model, 4K or so on the clock

 

[squale]

and something that is an N or P model, are we talking will probably need to have some money dumped into it right away before you can fly it for repairs, etc?

and for the yearly maintenance costs, what is a good estimate here?

oh yeah and insurance, forgot about that one, what does this run you per year for your own airplane?

 

[88_MALIBU]

Buy a cherokee 140-180. Cheaper to buy. Do a search on aircraft ownership, I posted my costs a few weeks ago. $850/year insurance for me and my one eighty

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

Ns are not that good, Ps are OK
money? depends on the engine time
i dont know where you live, can you get a hangar or a tie down for a reasonable cost?

 

[westwind]

Check out Aviation Consumer. http://aviationconsumer.com/index.html You can also find their books at bigger libraries. There are other good books that will help in your search. AOPA's website can provide a wealth of information with a quick search as well. Who has a Light Sport plane on the market right now? Where can you find a Light Sport instructor? Light Sport seems a bit too new to be seen as viable option in your case. Just an opinion. Good Luck. Just don't be too surprised if a serious breakdown of the numbers leads you right back to where you have been renting all along.

 

[DAS at 10/250]

http://www.planequest.com/operationcosts/default.asp

Try this site.

 

[sorenk]

Please forgive my ignorance...
I'm been looking in Airplane trader and seen some planes for 20k. What's wrong with these? too much maintenance & repairs I assume.

Also heard others mention that they would have bought their own plane, or parnership, if they were to get all their ratings through to their CFI. What do you think, if so what plane(s)?

 

[Vector4fun]

We paid mid-$40s for a 1972 L model last year. This aircraft only had 3100TT and a mid time engine. It also had all logs an excellent maint history, and a KMD-150 GPS in it.

The price you (should) pay is going to depend a lot on the avionics installed, and on the condition of the aircraft and it's records. Missing log books are a big warning flag. Recent paint, especially if it's an aircraft from the coasts, ought to make you suspicious of corrosion.

Cessna 172s from '56 to '67 had six cylinder Continental O-300 engines of 145 hp.

'68-'76 models (I-M models) had a 150 hp O-320-E2D Lycoming.

'77-'80 models (N models) used a 160 hp Lycoming O-320-H2AD that had camshaft and lifter problems. Most of these have had the engine modified by now to solve the cam problems, but not all.

In '81, (P models) the engine was changed to a 160 hp O-320-D2J which didn't have the cam problems, and gross was increased to 2400 lbs.

In the $40-50K range, you'e probably looking at a real nice '68 through fair '80 model. Some folks still don't trust the H2AD engine as much as the other Lycoming models, and the price of the N models suffer a bit as a result. Modern avionics and a nice interior can easily add $10K or more to the value of the plane. Missing log books and some suspect, or not well documented repairs can subtract that much.

 

[TDTURBO]

Before you do anything, join and surf the Cessna Pilots Association web site http://www.cessna.org, there is a wealth of info on buying airplanes here. Put aside several months to properly research what you are getting into to see if owning outways renting.


Most of the time, renting is cheaper unless you can write off expenses. Without getting into all the details such as mission demands, SB's AD's, fixed and variable costs, I suggest you research thoroughly and make friends with somebody experienced in buying and inspecting used aircraft.