"The Weiss Family" wrote in message
...

If you cannot afford a Hawk any other way, you likely cannot afford this
Hawk. The list of things that can go wrong can quickly add up over the
20k
savings. You really cannot afford the risk that comes with trying to save
the money. Leave this kind of deal to an A&P or shady broker with a
cousin
at the FSDO..


I'm starting to realize that just getting it registered could involve a
bit
of work.
Your probably right here.


IMO you would be better off borrowing the money for a Hawk of more known
value, or reexamining if you really need a Hawk. Assuming you want the
Hawk
for short field work, perhaps you could buy a used homebuilt that would
fit
the bill.

Also, remember that a 172 is really a much more expensive plane. You are
buying old to save costs, but the parts still costs the same (you just
need
more of them). Buying a 30k old plane can easily mean another 10k to keep
it
flying safely!

Perhaps you should look into a really nice 152, or cherokee 140? Get a
partner?


I fly out of MEV, which is at 4700 MSL.
In the summer the density altitude can be much higher, and it is
surrounded
by mountains.
I would really like the extra horsepower.

A 152 probably wouldn't fit my needs. A 140 (maybe with the 160
conversion)
would be better.
I've also been looking at a Musketeer. It needs radios, but it has 5 SMOH
on the IO-346.
Any opinions about this bird?

Thanks,

Adam


Aha, I forgot the other reason for the extra hp.

No opinion about that plane in particular but you have managed to jump right
into another ugly territory: "The For Sale Overhaul"

You will want to double triple check that the shop doing the overhaul is of
the FINEST reputation. Unfortunately, the best way to do this is asking
FBO's and aviation shops that may see him as a competitor. It is common for
people to have an overhaul done as cheaply as possible before selling a
plane. They do this because there are more people willing to buy the plane
that way than to buy the runout plane, and because the Blue Book value of a
low time engine can easily be higher than the cost of overhauling cheaply.

Other than that, the Musketeer is a Beech, so the parts costs can be a
Beetch. I am not sure if it has been orphaned, or how easy it is to find
parts. By reputation the only downside to a Musketeer seems to be it is a
bit slow, which is likely due to the roominess. A fair trade in my opinion.

If you have a local EAA chapter, you should seriously consider going to a
meeting. EAA folks not only do the homebuilt thing. An EAA chapter can be
your best source of info for how to fly cheaply, even in certified planes.