On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 22:35:58 -0700, DHead wrote:

I am interested in buying a Sundowner with 2035 TT E&A.

Hi Gary,

I bought my 1976 Sundowner with 1940 TT on air and engine 4 years ago.
What I learned.....

Don't depend solely on compressions for evaluating a engine. I bought mine
that had 76 to 78 on each cylinder. Thought that was great until an
exhaust valve disintegrated in flight. So, keep in mind, there is a bottom
half of the engine to consider.

What you describe is a very underused plane. I learned this is just as
bad, if not worse then buying an overused plane. You may ask why? Things
corrode, grease settles and all sorts of nasty things happen to metal AND
WIRES when it sits unattended for long periods of times.

I bought mine for 38K. The owner originally asked for 44K, but I said no,
too high based on high time engine. He came back about 1 month later and
dropped it to 38K which I thought was fair enough. Bought the plane.

Flew it for 50 hours and then the exhaust valve on the number 4 cylinder
bit the dust. Got the cylinder replaced, and then another cylinder started
acting up (luckily on the ground). I could not get it to pass the mag
check, taxied back to the ramp, asked my A&P to yank the engine and
overhaul it. 13.5K and a month later, I was a proud owner of a newly
overhauled plane.

Avionics. Mine was IFR capable, but was not current on the .411 and .413
transponder pitot static system check. You indicated you are a student, so
this may not be important now, but it is nice to have it current. I had
just got my VFR ticket and was going to transition to my IFR rating, so I
figured, I would be saving a lot of money flying in my plane. (I probably
saved about 5K in training expenses, so that paid for the remainder of the
overhaul is the way I look at it. My radios are old and tired. I learned
from my last pitot static check, the filters are going bad, and will need
to be replaced. Because of the age of the radio, I was told, it probably
will be time to look at new avionics.

Sitting on the ramp is the worst thing one can do for the gauges.
Lubrication settles, gauges get sticky and so on. So, evaluate how much
was the plane used recently?

I am now at a point, where I have every switch, button and knob working.
(knock on wood!). It took me 3 years to get to this point, and it is
expensive. A stupid power supply to strobe light cost $240 dollars.

Not sure what you currently fly, but a Sundowner for creature comfort is by
far better then a piper or a Cessna 172 or lower. Tons of room. Plan for
110 knots in your flight planning at 2300 rpm. I burn about 9.5 to 10 gph.

In the three years I have owned my plane, I have flown at least once a
week, so whoever gets my plane will have gotten a plane with some serious
TLC.

Note, a Sundowner is very difficult to learn to land. It is very nose
heavy and you must fly it all the way down to the ground. You must stick
to the POH numbers or you will float kingdomkong or drop like a brick. If
you hold the speed to the numbers you will grease every landing. The elbow
gear does amazing things for landings.

The plane is built like a tank and flies like one, so don't expect to be a
speed demon after wheels are up. The known porposing problems are true, as
I have been there and done it. If you bounce on landing, don't salvage it,
go around.

Hope this helps!

Allen