Here's my 2 cents. I've owned a Birddog for 5 years with the purpose of occasional towing (myself and friends) I've also been the chief tow pilot of our local glider club which owns tow Pawnee 235s. They are both great tow planes and both have their own specific benefits.

I have not seen any exceptional costs associated with the Birddog, with the exception of overhauling the electric flap motor. As they get older, the electrical "up" stop can overrun the stop and when the flap reaches the physical limit, the internal pin will shear. To prevent this, the cautious operator should raise the flaps in 2-3 second actuations. Avoid running the flaps up in one movement.

Other than the flap motor, I have had no maintenance issues what so ever. The O-470 is a very common engine know for it's long life and durability. Accessibility to the engine is exceptional and very easy. In addition to being all metal, the military contract with Cessna included all internal skin was to be coated in zinc chromate. So the aircraft should be very resistant to corrosion. If your club is doing the maintenance in house, I would say it is very affordable.

I've always heard people say the Birddog is very expensive. This may or may not be true. Mine was in very good shape when I bought it with a mid-time engine and I paid $65000. Air Repair is a great facility and offer excellent support. The Birddogs they assemble are new out of the box. So these are brand new airplanes when delivered. They also resell previously owned ones that had been assembled new by them. So the price for these are naturally quite higher in price. I would say the average price on trade a plane or Barnstormers, etc. will be in the 60-85000 price range. More expensive than a Pawnee, but not that much. The insurance costs may be a bit higher based on the higher aircraft value, but Costello can give you a cost comparison. I can say a recent "non-towing" quote was around 1500/year.

The birddog also wears many other hats. I've trained many new tow pilots in my Dawg. It's a fantastic photo platform and you can open all four side windows for a better view and cooling. I think most clubs now have their Pawnees fly in the heat of the summer with the windows closed for fuel burn? Not necessary with the L-19. My fuel burn is about 8 gallons/hour and I really appreciate the cooling with the windows open.

So, ya can't go wrong with either. Both have great qualities, but I love my Birddog!