"Bob Noel" wrote:

And then there was the bill for an engine overhaul, coupled with
other problems and "while you are at it"... I stopped keeping track
when the cost passed $23,500. The total was probably a bit higher
than $30,000. For that, everything firewall forward was removed
and overhauled or replaced with new.

Ouch!
I definitely couldn't afford that right away on top of all the other
expenses.
This limits the field of potential aircraft to low-time (or mid-time)
engines.