I flew four or five hundred hours in the Seneca II and III. They're good airplanes, with a high single engine service ceiling. With fuel and passengers, the airplane could do 8,000' on one engine. I didn't believe that when I first started flying it, but almost all our work was at higher altitudes and I learned by experience that it will do it.
It was a good honest 170 knot airplane; use that for flight planning and you're fine.
Keep it out of the ice. It's not an ice airplane. Legally, yes. However, it's not wise, and the only real benifit of anti-ice and de-ice on that airplane is to get you out of ice...not to stay in it.
I can't quote you the specifics of the airplane, it's been a while. They're okay. Junky door, like any of the cherokee line. Especially the overhead catch. Same for the rear. The entire airplane, like any cherokee airframe, is flimsy; not great construction or design. But it survived mostly dirt, rough field landings where I was using the design, with success, so I couldn't complain. I flew it mostly off short dirt strips, gravel, and ice, without a lot of complaint.
I was never impressed with the heater, but never have been with the janitrol heaters. Bombs, really. The only time I cared to use them is when I was too cold to care if it blew up. Anybody here who's ever had one catch fire, or slogged out a flight with a splitting headache from carbon monoxide while using one, will understand.
There is nothing in the design of the turbocharger that prevents one from gaining full use of the turbocharger through it's critical altitude, nor is there anything tricky or unusual about the wastegate and controller. More than one type of wastegate and turbocharger was used on the design.
Flying a boosted engine (turbocharged, supercharged, turbocompound, or otherwise boosted) is no different than anything else you've flown, so long as you use common sense and proper technique. Cool and warm slowly, and respect the engine. No sudden power changes, no cold descents, no sudden power ups, no power off approaches to a go-around. No shutting the engine down in flight and then firing it back up again to go...cool it for several minutes at idle before shutting down and do the same after starting it again before bringing up the power.
It's just an airplane; a very stable airplane. Be sure the nose baggage door is locked. There are very few senecas that don't have damage in the upper corners of the nosebag door well where the door has come open during landing at some point and injured the hingeline, and often broken the glass. Look closely on most of them and you'll see what I mean. (if you don't see it from the outside, have a look from the inside, you'll probably see the repair).
Good luck.
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