Our prebuy was spot on. The first annual was around $900 or so. Needed a
new alternator belt (requiring removal of the prop), a couple of new
tires, and some misc. other little stuff. It needed tires because my
wife and I put 200 hours of training on it before the annual.

I prepare the plane for annual myself by changing tires, servicing
bearings, changing oil, and doing all other cleaning, adjusting, and
repairing BEFORE we get to the annual. So, our annuals are quick and
inexpensive. However, we spend money and search down parts during the
year, so we don't have the plane down during annual. Rather, it is down
according to our schedule.

I work with a retired IA. I source the parts because he hates that work.
I do the work at his place with his tools. He does the inspections and
paperwork.

Most FBOs complain about the problems with sourcing parts and parts
delays, however, they refuse to let you bring your own. If you get the
parts, they lose the markup and (according to them) expose them to
increased liability if your parts go South.

There are many reasons why many first annuals are so expensive. First,
the buyer generally does not have a clue of what they are buying.
Second, many mechanics are not well versed in the airplanes they are
doing pre-buys on. Next, buyers don't want to spend the dough to get
thorough inspections. Last, most sellers will not allow their planes to
be torn down by unknown mechanics. There are plenty of ignorant buyers
who will buy without a pre-buy. Some will buy sight unseen.

Another big reason first annuals are expensive revolves around the
differing opinions of owners and mechanics of what "airworthy", "safe",
and "good condition" mean. One owner (and mechanic's) "creampuff" is
another owner (and mechanic's) "flying junk". When you buy an airplane,
you typically change mechanics from the prior owner's wrench to your
own. Stuff the previous mechanic(s) passed may not be kosher to your
new guy. This problem bleeds over to pre-buys also. One mechanic may
report a couple of minor problems and another may spot $10k in
"necessary" repairs.

One other little challenge. If a car mechanic tells you your car needs
$3000 worth of repairs and you want another opinion, you can drive away
and get one. Once you hand the keys to the FBO for an annual, most
people think they are trapped. Not so. You can make it perfectly clear
that you may NOT have the FBO do any work they say the plane needs and
you may take it somewhere else (paying them for their diagnostic time,
of course). But, most won't do that.

Opinions vary.

Good Luck,
Mike

Question do most first new owner annual's take a long time? How bout
some story's about your annual experiences?