Poll: best bird under $35K?

Howdy,

I'm thinking more 3 hours plus an hour reserve. I've done quite a few
3 hour stretches, and always carry maximum fuel. I'm just a firm
believer in variable reduction. Extra fuel cancels more variables than
it creates.

Many of the places I want to go on a regular basis are at about a 300
mile radius. If I can do it in one hop I would. I used to drive an
M20E. I can't afford that much airplane right now (and was foolish to
think I could when I had it).

Point taken about the oddball stuff. Keeping up with annuals is
expensive enough as it is, even with good equipment. I'll be looking
for a pristine model of whatever it is, and hope to defer some of the
issues created by the oddball-alities for the first few years by doing
so. I know: Fat Chance. But I can hope :-)

Thanks!
Matt

"C Kingsbury" wrote in message thlink.net...
IMHO: 140, 172, Tri-P, 175, Stinson.

1. I don't like old airplanes
2. I don't like oddball engines
3. I don't like fabric
4. I prefer common makes/models

Don't get me wrong, if I hit the lottery I'm buying a Staggerwing. But if
we're talking about a low-cost fly-and-forget bird the PA-28-140 seems a
pretty clear winner. $35k is enough to get a nice one, perhaps even basic
IFR (in case you want to get your ticket someday) and will be very easy to
own.

The only ones I'd be really leery of are the Stinson and the 175, mainly
because of the engines. The O-320 is one of the best engines made and every
mechanic in the world knows how to fix one. If hangars are cheap where you
are then fabric needn't be a big concern but where I am they cost $400/mo
and I ain't leaving a fabric bird outside in New England year-round.

Are you really sure about the 3-person/4-hour requirement? That's a real
long time for somebody to be in the backseat of any of these planes. Frankly
that's a long time to be in the front seat, too, at least for me

-cwk.


SNIP