On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 10:51:32 -0700, PaulH wrote:

As others have mentioned, you take a big depreciation hit plus
interest charges on a new aircraft.

As you gain experience, your requirements, likes, dislikes, etc will
likely change.

I'd suggest starting with an older model until you refine what you
really want. Maintenance costs are higher, but all aircraft are
expensive to maintain whether old or new.

Are there any rules-of-thumb to go by when taking higher maintenance
costs into account on older planes? What constitutes an older plane? 10
years? 30 years? Or is it all relative?