wrote:

The first is a 65-year old plane with 1800 ttaf and 346 tsmoh. It's
missing the airframe logs from 1986 and older.

When was the overhaul.

The other has about 3000 ttaf and about 950 on a 25 year old overhaul.
All logs present.

The plane is past TBO. 12 years or whatever number of hours.

Both planes have Continental 65s and are the same price.

Both of them seem to have spent some extended idle time. 1800
TT for 65 years is a hardly flown pane. 950 in 25 years also
means it probably sat.

The 346 smoh is a slight frontrunner, but you have to evaluate
the total condition on these older, infrequently flown planes.