....and wondering if anyone here has bought a factory-new plane
recently. . .

I bought a new C-172S in December 2001 out of Cessna factory
inventory, through a local Florida dealer. The dealer
wouldn't budge off MSRP, but Cessna incentives amounted to
about $7500.

I've enjoyed the plane but want more speed and useful load, so
am considering a factory-new C-182T or possibly a low-time
2001 or 2002 model. I'm also intrigued with the Cirrus SR-20
and might consider that as a possibility. My wife likes the
idea of new, I think mainly because she believes it would be
more reliable.

Anyone here bought a new Cessna product recently? I know a
while back there was a big discussion of whether or not an
individual could bargain with a dealer like you do when buying
a new car. What's the current thinking about all this?
Obviously, I'd like the best deal I can get and those Cessna
MSRP's are *really* way up there.

Thanks,
Gerry
C-172S
N5126J
SRQ