Paul Folbrecht wrote:

I don't think the engine is the original. I really doubt it.

Well, then - check the engine logbook. It's separate from the aircraft log.
Many flight schools that have several of the same type of plane will buy a
spare engine and swap engines out at TBO to minimize downtime. The engine in
there is unlikely to be the original, but it still may be pretty high time
and have been rebuilt several times already.

Yeah, I worry about that. I worry about the landing gear especially.

Next time you're out there, take a look under the plane. If the big rivets
where the main gear legs attach have black outlines, leave it. This is known
as "weeping" and usually indicates that things are flexing a bit too much in
that area. Even if it passes this exam, I would seriously consider following
Jim Weir's advice.

Your advice is being considered, sir. As to your last point- I'm a bit
curious about that as I normally see a lower number brandied about as
the break-even.

Break-even is about 100 hours a year for the typical costs. If you factor in the
cost of money, as some people advise, and if you hangar the aircraft, it tends to
be closer to 200 hours. More in areas with high hangar rents.

George Patterson
Love, n.: A form of temporary insanity afflicting the young. It is curable
either by marriage or by removal of the afflicted from the circumstances
under which he incurred the condition. It is sometimes fatal, but more
often to the physician than to the patient.