Selling questions

[Yankee Boy]

Just wondering, I am going to sell my RV-6 and I wonder if I would be better off painting it before I try to sell it or sell it just primed? It would be a no brainer if it was a certificated airplane and I would just paint it. But... someone getting an experimental might want to personalize the paint job. What do you think?

Yankee Boy
RV-6

 

[erj-145mech]

Price it out both ways, "Ready to Personalize" or "Already Personalized"

 

[PaulThomas]

I would paint it, even if it's plain white. This way it looks like it's has flown and safe... not something that just came out of your garage and not finished.

It probably has flown and is safe, but first impressions are lasting impressions.

 

[Huggyu2]

Gee, that's a tough one. I'm thinking I'd prefer it just primed so I can have my own paintjob done. But maybe PaulThomas is right. I'd like to think I could look beyond the lack of a paint job, but that whole "first impression" thing might count for something.
Final answer: don't paint it.

 

[Gorilla]

Don't paint it. Guys buying an experimental AC know what to look for, and can see beyond paint. If it's flown off, safe, and high quality, and reduced in price because it has no paint, it will be desirable and a good deal for many new owners.

 

[Yankee Boy]

Visually, the lack of paint makes it look like an ugly duckling. But, the construction was done professionally so the builders who have seen the airplane said that by having it unpainted you can see the quality of the rivet lines. Anyway...
I will look into painting it maybe as PaulThomas said, just white. But Huggyu2 seems to have the right idea as well. Maybe I will try selling it unpainted first and see what happens! We bought it that way!
Thanks for the replies.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'd prly never by a used home built, but if I were buying a metal home-build that was not finished, I'd want that thing bare metal. Wouldn't even go look at one that was painted.

Think about it..it's not like these planes are built in a factory....

They aren't called home-builts for nothing.


look and look hard.....

 

[Yankee Boy]

I agree with ultrarunner. We saw some pretty poorly built homebuilts. You can cover up a lot of mistakes with paint. That is why I thought it was a reasonable question. But, I find that people don't seem to look that hard and buy on impulse and how "pretty" it is and not the mechanical condition. Going with selling it unpainted first and see what happens. Thanks