Talk me out of this...

Just an old fart's opinion, mindya...

My first airplane was a C-120 with a well-used engine. The deal I cut with the
person I bought it from is that I'd buy it on the condition that he (an A&P)
would mentor me on the overhaul...and sign it off when I got done. I learned
that engine pretty darned well after six months of work. I also learned enough
about engines to sit for the A&P exam myself (I had lots of airframe work time
but almost no aircraft piston engine work).

Sold it for well more than the total cost of acquisition PLUS the parts for the
engine.

Used that money to buy a 170 with a good engine but crappy interior. Spent
another six months on fixup, spruceup, and instrument/radio upgrades. You'd be
SURPRISED how much used good avionics are for sale if you just look.

Sold it for well more than the total cost of acquisition PLUS all the goodies I
hung on it.

Bought a 172, fixed and sold it ... bought a 182...just did a new-limits major
top on the 182 for about $5k plus 6 months...and I'll probably have the 182 for
the rest of my flying career.

HAVING SAID ALL THAT, $19.2 for a clapped out 152 is way too much, even with a
year's hangar rent thrown in. When I bought the 120, I had combed tradeaplane
for about 3 months, graphing asking price versus "condition". Condition was
made up of several factors: total time, engine SMOH, interior, paint, and
avionics. Assign each one a "value" and graph value versus asking cost. There
IS a dip in the curve if you just look for it. Buy the one at the dip in the
curve.

Oh, and if you go against everybody else's opinion in this matter and buy it
anyway, do NOT buy it without a dye penetrant inspection of the landing gear
attach fittings. After 8000 hours, students will have beat this particular part
of the airplane to a bloody pulp.

Jim




-
- Plane: '79 C152 being sold by my FBO for $19,200. TT is around 8000 (I
- think), SMOH is 2050. Annual just done. This looks like an Ok deal to
- me when comparing to like models, but the clincher is that they are
- throwing in one year of hangering as well. That makes it look like a
- pretty nice deal.




Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com