I am looking for some input on the least expensive airplanes to own. I've
heard so many horror stories about the $5000 or even $15,000 annual, or the
seat adjuster that costs $600, that I thought I would get some input on this
before buying. So I'm looking for low purchase price (used), low repair and
parts costs, and low $ per hour to run.

Don't let these old geezers here scare you. You can buy an old
Ercoupe or Cessna 150 for less than $15,000 -- or about the price of a
decent 3-year-old mini-van. If you can afford to buy a used mini-van,
you can afford to own an airplane.

(If you can't, I'm afraid you're out of luck, and should go buy a bass
boat.)

Maintenance *will* be higher than owning a car, but you can save
yourself oodles (that's a technical term) of money if you (a) are
somewhat mechanically inclined (b) don't mind getting your hands
dirty, and (c) hook up with a good, honest mechanic.

Actually, (c) is the hardest part of airplane ownership. Without (c),
all bets are off, because the FAA has set up the classic conflict of
interest, whereby the guys who stand to make the most money from
declaring your airplane unairworthy are also the only guys who can fix
them.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"