Getting a little sick of it all

These sound like people you don't want to be buying aircraft from, for
many reasons. I think you treated the guy you talked to last night with
exactly what he deserved and was asking for.

The whole aviation industry isn't quite like this, but, well, I consider
it similar to buying a used car. Only with airplanes, the financial
stakes are much higher, so the low-lifes are that much lower. The state
of the economy in the past few years is a big contributor---people are
short on money, and for many of them their planes end up being short on
attention as a result.

That being said, don't worry, and don't get impatient. Patience is the
strongest thing in your arsenal. I got impatient and ended up buying a
plane last year that was grossly misrepresented, and it dumped me on its
nose on landing a few days later, cost me 1/3 again the value of the
plane, and was down for 8 months. DON'T get impatient---you are going
about this the right way, and you are not alone.