wrote:
I am a 300+ hour private pilot living and flying in the NYC area
(specifically Caldwell NJ / Teterboro). I am interested in taking
an
accelerated instrument course and have been attracted to the PIC 10
day
course and other similar 10 day courses.

You have already gotten a bunch of advice.

The most useful piece of advice you've gotten is this - quick, cheap,
good - pick two. I will modify that and say that you can pick AT MOST
two - you may get less. You won't get all three.

There is nothing inherently wrong with an accelerated course, except of
course it will not expose you to a wide range of weather. That's not
the end of the world - proper training will allow you to work your way
into flying weather withoug scaring yourself TOO badly - but it's not
optimal either.

Will you get proper training in an accelerated course? You may, but
you will have to pay through the nose for it.

If you want good instrument training, you won't get it from someone who
went through a zero-to-CFI/CFII/MEI course in 300 hours and then got
into the right seat of a trainer, where he has been ever since. There
is a lot to instrument flying that this sort of instructor isn't going
to know. The kind of pilot who WILL know it is someone who has done it
- a long time owner who has used his plane for transportation, a
freight dog, someone like that. Someone with that kind of experience
is not going to drop everything to train you for 10 days unless he is
well paid (think $500+ per day gross, or on salary). He might be
available to you on HIS schedule at the going rate if he's just doing
it part time because he enjoys it.

My understanding is that PIC actually uses experienced instrument
pilots as instructors (but I could be wrong here). I know for a fact
that American Flyers is using timebuilders. I know some of their
instructors and I've flown in IMC with some of their graduates, and I
am NOT impressed and would not recommend the operation.

Of course all this assumes that you're actually going to use the rating
to make IFR flights that can't be made under VFR. If you just plan to
use the rating procedurally or are getting it for professional reasons,
forget everything I've said and find the cheapest, fastest thing you
can.

Michael