The Weiss Family wrote:


Judging by the current condition of the plane, I think it has been well
maintained.

That may be and hopefully it has been. However this guy is now your
enemy, sort of.


Also, the owner doesn't expect any high-cost items in the annual (aside from
fixing the small oil leak).
We did agree that if something else comes up that costs more than $500, he
may refuse to pay for it (basically I will have to, if I want to, or we can
can the whole deal).

Wrong way to go about it. He should be responsible for any item
affecting airworthiness, regardless of the cost.