cost of panel upgrade on bonanza

On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 21:38:34 GMT, "C Kingsbury"
wrote:


"soxinbox" wrote in message
.166...
I am getting ready to buy my first plane. I am considering an early 60s
bonanza or debonair.

Now this is making more sense.

My first thought is, "don't."

Not because these can't be perfectly good airplanes, but rather because I've
found that airplane ownership is a complex business, and you're better off
learning with something simple. Why not a good Skylane? For the same money

The Deb or Bos are not forgiving airplanes.

you'll get a newer, likely lower-time bird, spend less on insurance and
maintenance. The only downside being speed, which is in the 20-40 knot range
depending on the two birds you're comparing. Do you need that extra speed or
do you just want it? You may notice that good 182s cost a lot, comparable to

The extra speed won't come into play until going on long trips.
I've not seen good 182 costing near what the same year Bo, or Deb
would run. Typically I see 182s about 10 years newer than the Bo or
Deb running about the same price.

or even exceeding Bonanzas, Mooneys, etc. that aren't all that much
older/higher-time. There's a reason for this: smart pilots look at the Total
Cost of Ownership. This is also why you can buy a big pressurized twin
cessna with all the toys for not a lot more than a nice Bo. Of course that
resale value will come back on the tail end, should you decide to step up.

Bos aren't terribly expensive to fly, depending on year and how much
you fly. Mine runs less than several single owner 172s on the field.
Depending on hours I figure It runs between $80 and $100 an hour. Two
of the 172s on the field are running closer to $125 an hour.


Of course, if you have money coming out the wazoo, then airplane ownership
is easy. Find a decent mechanic (ask your type club) and when anything makes
a funny sound, take it to him, and hand over your wallet. Be prepared for
numbers that sound like the down payment on a car. If the thought of this
concerns you, best stay away from an early 60s Beech retract.

I've never found that to be the case, but you do need to do a bit of
networking. Know where to find parts.


Some of these planes don't have a standard "six pack"
panel layout, and I was wondering if anyone had an idea of how much this
would cost to upgrade. I probably would update the radios at the same
time,
but I am really interested in the cost of the panel only.

My rule of thumb here is to buy the plane you want, and upgrade the one you
have. The reason is that while you might spend $50k upgrading the panel,
you'll be lucky to get back more than $30k when you resell it. Let the

Probably not that much of a return. After a few years avionics are
almost a wash. $50K would purchase a really, really nice panel.

previous owner eat that depreciation. The only exception to this would be a
good plane with a high-time engine, because a much larger portion of the
money you spend on the engine will be retained as value. Of course, if you
already have a plane you like but just want newer radios, it can make sense
to upgrade because you'll own them long enough to get your money's worth.
But if you're buying the plane now, buy what you want the first time around.

That is what I did. I purchased the oldest example in existence. :-))
but some one had put a lot of money into it.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Best,
-cwk.