Pre-purchase (how to)

This has always been a problem with buying an airplane. The best
protection from getting burned (and it is by no means a guaranty), is to
have the mechanic who will be working on it after you buy it do the
pre-buy. On a simple plane like a PA28-180, most wrenches with some
years of experience should suffice.

As others have suggested, try to talk to folks in a type club. They have
a mental "laundry list" of probable trouble spots to check specifically.
A couple of the "usual suspects" include cracked alternator brackets,
trash magnetos (Bendix or Slick), main landing gear torque link ear
cracks (this is a new one), rear spar attachment corrosion (this one
will sting ya in the pocketbook, wing walk aluminum
washboarding/cracking. Most Cherokees suffer to some extent from
cracking wingtips/stabilator tips, dorsal fairings disintegrating,
leaking fuel selector valves, disintegrating interior plastic (including
the panel overlays), seat belt retractors needing rewebbing, seat
upholstery falling apart, etc. Most of this stuff is due to age and/or,
if they have been replaced and still look poor, the OEM
materials/designs were/are crap. I would personally avoid air
conditioning, even if it works. The whole alternator belt headache and
the loss of 65 or so lbs. is definitely not worth it, especially if you
are not in the South.

If your own mechanic does the pre-buy, there is less chance of a
subsequent "heart attack" annual ($8000+). Distance can be the problem.
If it is within a couple of flying hours, you might try getting the bird
to the man. Sometimes less hassle to get the man to the bird. Longer
distance may be a "meet halfway" affair. Trouble is, most owners don't
want to consider any of this because there are enough local buyers.
Offer a few hundred up front for the trip.

Finding a decent 180 is difficult. Every 140 owner without the cash for
an Archer (including me) is looking for them. Even brokers (who usually
don't put their own skin in the game) will buy them outright because
they know they are a safe bet. I personally believe the '72 "G" model is
the best of the bunch. Modern panel, no overhead trim, good
load/performance numbers, new enough to not be a beater. Most of the
60's models I have seen are pretty beat up dogs.

If you hear of a 72 with upgraded avionics and recent P&I in the Chicago
area, please let me know. If they will take my 140 in trade, even better.

Good Luck,
Mike

Steven Barnes wrote:
2 friends & I are starting to look at Cherokee 180's to buy. We're in a
flying club, but want our own plane. My biggest question at this point is
how to arrange pre-purchase inspections. Especially when the plane is far
away from our home base (KSPI). Is there a resource somewhere where we can
look up shops/people in various areas who do pre-purchase inspections?

Sorry if this has been covered recently.

Thanks!




PP-ASEL




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