Cessna 150 Price Outlook

"Matthew P. Cummings" wrote in message
I live but 20 minutes by air from Mexico and so I've been there many times
and am very familar with their planes. The 4 place design of theirs is
nice, but it's cramped in terms of where to put the feet. I like it
however, but have never flown it.

Are you referring to the 640? It's cramped? Might as well ask another
question while I'm at it. The 44 inch wide cockpit for the Zodiac seems a
bit narrow to me, although I've even heard people say that the C 150's 39.5
inch cockpit was wide. How do you have room for your arms with 44 inches?

Are you saying that you can buy a Cessna 150 that is IFR capable with, say,
1500 hours TBO for $25,000 - $35,000? If so, then I agree a C 150 would be a
good deal.

A Zodiac XL ready to fly would cost about $46,000 IFR equipped.

A Zodiac HD ready to fly would cost about $42,500 IFR equipped. However, it
wouldn't be legal to fly the HD in the U.S. so the comparison has to be for
the XL.

On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 05:17:37 +0000, Brent Rehmel wrote:

question while I'm at it. The 44 inch wide cockpit for the Zodiac seems a
bit narrow to me, although I've even heard people say that the C 150's 39.5
inch cockpit was wide. How do you have room for your arms with 44 inches?

No, I'm saying the passengers will feel cramped because there's not enough
room for their feet to stretch out much. As to up front, it's palatial
and I never felt cramped in any Zenith.

On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 05:29:22 +0000, Brent Rehmel wrote:

Are you saying that you can buy a Cessna 150 that is IFR capable with, say,
1500 hours TBO for $25,000 - $35,000? If so, then I agree a C 150 would be a
good deal.

That's exactly what I'm saying. The Cessna 150 club has 7 of them listed
right now, of course the highest in price is $38K, but I think it could be
had cheaper. It's got some very nice avionics however, better than what
you could put in that homebuilt for the prices you seem to think it can be
built for.

The o-200 has an 1800 TBO btw, and several of these planes had anywhere
from 0 to 1400 SMOH, a couple with less than 300 SMOH so they have more
hours to TBO than your Rotax has to start with.

This is what I'm saying, you have been under the impression a C150 is an
expensive plane, it's not. Nor is the Piper Tomahawk, or some other
trainers that have been produced. There are many planes for under $35,
including some older C172's, but a good one of those will usually run a
little more. You can usually find a Cherokee of under 35K as well. This
new class of plane will not hurt that market. If anything it will create
it's own niche because it's priced higher than similar used planes, but
lower than the new versions of those planes if they are even produced.

Many pilots buy a plane to meet their finances, not because it's new.
Given the choice of a Zenith 601XL for a price range in the $40's or a
C172 or older Mooney I'll go with the certified aircraft, especially the
Mooney as it's a much more capable plane.

I don't care about the new pilots certificate that may come out because I
don't need it. I can pass a medical right now, if I ever fail to pass one
forever, then I would convert, but not until then.

For all the training involved, I'd go the PP route, it's not going to cost
that much more by the time all is said and done. Remember, the numbers
are guides only, I doubt few will be able to accomplish the required goals
in the fewer number of hours.

"Brent Rehmel" writes:

Are you saying that you can buy a Cessna 150 that is IFR capable
with, say, 1500 hours TBO for $25,000 - $35,000?

That much or less, I'd hope (and the TBO is a little higher). Of
course, if you expect to find shiny, new avionics on board, you'll
have to raise the price a bit.


All the best,


David

Brent Rehmel wrote:

Are you saying that you can buy a Cessna 150 that is IFR capable with, say,
1500 hours TBO for $25,000 - $35,000? If so, then I agree a C 150 would be a
good deal.

You should be able to buy one for around 20K. In 1996, I had my '69 model up for
sale at $17,000 with an IFR stack, new interior, decent paint, and something
like 700 SMOH.

Right now, the most expensive 150 on the ASO site is an IFR 1975 model with a
new engine for $32,500. The least expensive is an IFR 1972 model with a nearly
run-out engine for $16,500.

George Patterson
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something that cannot
be learned any other way. Samuel Clemens

"Matthew P. Cummings" wrote in message

little more. You can usually find a Cherokee of under 35K as well. This
new class of plane will not hurt that market. If anything it will create
it's own niche because it's priced higher than similar used planes, but
lower than the new versions of those planes if they are even produced.

I would have to agree. At this level, I don't think light-sport would have
any effect on the price of Cessna 150s, Tomahawks, Cherokees, or 172s.

In a way, this is a bit sad because it seems to show that there is not
enough demand. Considering that these aircraft have either not been
manufactured in large numbers or not at all for some time, one would think
that the market would now be short of aircraft and have driven up the cost.
I guess the problem is not enough owners/pilots instead of not enough
aircraft.

"Brent Rehmel" writes:

In a way, this is a bit sad because it seems to show that there is
not enough demand. Considering that these aircraft have either not
been manufactured in large numbers or not at all for some time, one
would think that the market would now be short of aircraft and have
driven up the cost. I guess the problem is not enough owners/pilots
instead of not enough aircraft.

The problem (for the manufacturers) is that aircraft seem to last
forever: aircraft from the late 1950's are not even considered
vintage. Unless someone comes up with an AD or regulatory change that
makes most existing planes too expensive to keep, or the pilot
population suddenly doubles (not likely, even with the sport license),
manufacturers will be basically pushing a few new planes into the top
of the fleet every year to replace the few old ones leaving service at
the bottom. That's a mature market for you.


All the best,


David

There are an awful lot of us renters out here that fly under 100 hours
or so per year. Much cheaper to rent for us.

Edward Todd writes:

There are an awful lot of us renters out here that fly under 100 hours
or so per year. Much cheaper to rent for us.

It might be even cheaper to join a partnership, if you have enough
partners. It's worth running the numbers, anyway.


All the best,


David