On Wed, 11 Aug 2004 11:50:27 GMT, Jon Kraus
wrote:

I am looking into purchasing my own plane... I think that I am pretty
aware of the costs (as much as a non-owner can be). I would like to
hear from those of you who have unfortunately have had a bad (expensive
or otherwise)experience with a plane purchase. I will also post for good
experiences. Thanks !!

I had a bad experience. I purchased a complex plane that looked good,
and had a good pre-buy inspection (2 days) by a mechanic I trust. 260
hrs SMOH by a local shop, good compression, decent radios, and the
logs looked good etc, etc. There were a few squawks that were fixed
right away and I thought things were good. Six months after purchase
I took a trip out west and on the way back the #3 jug came loose.
(All the nuts/studs on the bottom of the cylinder were gone.) Landed
in Co (AKO) and had the engine removed and shipped to a local (to me)
shop with a good reputation for repair. Upon tear down the shop
determined that the wrong pistons were installed (O-320 pistons in an
O-360) a bolt at the accessory drive was missing, the nuts on the
cylinder studs were mis-torqued, and other assorted items had not been
properly done at the last overhaul. I opted for a complete overhaul
at that time with all new cylinders/pistons etc. I went out with my
mechanic and we installed the engine and started back east. I did 3-4
circuits well above pattern altitude and turned east. A few minutes
later I experienced an engine over speed, turned around and landed.
The prop shop determined later that the governor had been misassembled
at the last overhaul. This was repaired and the flight home was
uneventful. At the next annual I decided to get the prop and governor
overhauled by a different shop. The prop hub and one blade failed
inspection so I opted for a new 3 blade. At 130 hours after the 2nd
engine overhaul I found metal in the filter, and when the engine was
disassembled #1 cylinder had most of the boss that the wrist pin goes
thru missing on both sides. Further inspection discovered that the
wrist pin had broken right in the center of the con rod. Off came the
engine and it was sent back to the overhaul shop.

So, the unexpected out of pocket cost so far:

Engine overhaul ~$13k
New prop and governor overhaul ~$8k
Governor overhaul and prop
inspection due to metal in the oil $1300
Engine tear down, repair and R&R ~$4.5k estimated

This adds up to over $26,000 on a $52,000 purchase. I have spent
significant $$ on avionics, and preventative maintenance that I have
not included since this money was my decision to spend. In the last
2.5 years there have been less than 200 hours on the plane. It just
is not airworthy very much of the time.

Lessons learned? Well, if I were to do it again I would never buy a
plane that had a field overhauled engine. I would insist on one that
was done by a major shop. A good pre-buy is a must, but don't count
on it finding all that could be wrong. And finally make sure that you
have plenty of $$ in case things go bad.....

j