I had an '82 172 from 82-99, on leaseback most of the time.
Average was $14/hr for maint (not including TBO accrual for engine)
Did NOT seem to get worse toward the end. Some years were $19,
some were $8. Put 8000 hrs on it. Final year on lease was $13.50.

I find I spend more per hour in personal use, because there are far fewer
hours to spread it over.

"Greg Copeland" wrote in message
news
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?