wrote:

I'm interested in hearing from people who have 'real' first-hand
knowledge of the true costs of owning an older (early 50s) V-tail
Bonanza.

Guess that describes me. Have owned a '49 A35 now for 12 years.

I've heard all the horror stories about the outrageous costs;

The stories are true. It just depends upon what you need. For
the early planes, parts are for the most part not available new
unless they happen to fit a later model as well.

The pre-G model planes all came with Continental E series engines
which were only used in the Bonanza, some Navions and maybe the
odd Stinson. The engine is an orphan now. I was able to get
cyliners 10 years ago, but that may not be the case now. Its the
rare shop though that can do a proper overhaul of one properly.

Also watch the prop. The Beech electric prop is the best for
performer for the plane (especially with 88" blades) and it has
no ADs on it. Unfortunately, it has parts that just are not
available (pitch change bearings, especially). The other choice
is a couple of flavors of Hartzels. Depending on the exact
model it may be very AD ridden.

The upside is that the airframe (if rust free) is very robust.
When things are working, they tend to stay working.

Obviously we'd have a VERY
thorough pre-buy done by a good Bone mechanic.

Probably should be extra careful about this. These planes are
older than most of the people working on them. What works on
a mid 80's model 36 does not work on a mid-50s model 35.

his third. Old birds don't scare me, if they are take care of...but is
an old Bone *really* a different animal? If so, why?

Probably a little different. Think about what other high performance GA
planes were flying in the early '50s. The Bonanza, the Navion and what?
Its a pretty small list.

--
Frank Stutzman
Bonanza N494B "Hula Girl"
Hood River, OR