"John" wrote in message
...
Doug,

Make sure your cost estimates are carefully considered. I don't know much
about the Comaches, but have owned a 1978 Arrow, 1984 Bonanza and a 1968
C-172. Vintage retracts can cost a lot in maintenance, even if the
initial price is low. Everyone who has bought an old twin sees this.

Did you consider a Cessna 182? It's probably more initially, but
insurance and maintenance will likely be less. Appreciation may possibly
be greater with a 182, so that's where you need to sharpen your pencil. As
an investor, I'd rather take my chances on a C-182 than a Comanche.

Also, if you pay $20k more for a C-182, yet $800 less in insurance and
$1000 less in annual maintenance, isn't that a better deal? Even if you
get different numbers, don't contaminate the initial cost estimate, which
you likely get back upon resale, with the operating cost, which you never
see back again.

From a pure dollars-and-cents analysis, you're undoubtedly right. Of
course, from a pure dollars-and-cents perspective, I'd give up the idea of
ownership and go buy a nice mutual fund! The *only* sense in which I am
considering this impending purchase as an "investment" is that the money
will not be *spent*, it will merely be *tied up*. I expect to get
most/all/a bit more back out eventually, but not to turn a profit. If I do
end up making money--cool!, but, that's not the goal nor am I holding my
breath....

I've got nothing against the 182. That & the 210 were leading contenders
before I decided to go low-wing. Ultimately, my experience in high-wings
(C-172/T-41A and C-152) left me satisfied--but not excited; my low-wing
experience (wider variety, but mostly AA-5 and PA-28) gave me both.
Personal preference, pure and simple.


You seem tilted toward a low-wing, which is easier to land in gusty
crosswinds, but a heavier high-wing, like the 182, isn't that bad. Panel
lighting on the Cessnas is generally primitive, but that can be fixed.
Also, two doors are great.


No doubt on the two doors--especially if hiding under the wing in a
rainshower!

Thanks for the comments....

--
Doug
"Where am I to go/Now that I've gone too far?" -- Golden Earring, "Twilight
Zone"
(my email is spam-proofed; read the address and make the appropriate change
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