Selling the Mooney Update

While the market for used airplanes is probably the most affordable I’ve ever seen, only folks who do not have other airplanes to sell are likely able to take advantage of it. I had discussed taking advantage of it a few weeks back where I had picked out an airplane from a dealer in Texas. The long and short of it was we came within six thousand dollars of each other’s number and the seller would not budge. He very politely told me that he had several other buyers lined up, none of which had such a burdensome trade. His email ended with the trademark “should those deals not materialize” he would think about contacting me to see if by that time I’d come up with the $6000 difference. 

I may have fallen off the turnip truck but it certainly wasn’t yesterday. When presented with his offer I gave it the attention it deserved by deleting it without responding. I half-heartedly placed an ad in controller.com and after numerous nonresponses I decided that considering the present market it would probably be better to wait than to sell.

'Better the devil you know than the devil you don't' is something I’ve heard while growing up Irish. We could afford to buy another airplane but my main concern was whether we could afford the “getting to know you phase” of maintaining a different airplane.  A couple of folks I fly with have had some surprises since buying their “new to them” airplanes and frankly that prospect frightened the hell out of me.

To put it in perspective 58Victor has another 1100 hours before the engine needs overhauling and the prop was overhauled three hundred hours ago. The front seats need recovering, the plastic on the door needs replacing and the Plexiglas on the right side windows is shot. The tanks seep a bit when completely filled but knowing that we only fill them when right before departing for somewhere.  Adding a WAAS capable GPS navigator and fixing those other deficiencies and she’s a perfectly working airplane. I’ve done the former and am the process of pricing the latter items. I figure another two years of ownership and the market will either have stabilized or will be gone. In the meantime having an airplane to fly, maintained the way I like, when convenient for me, is worth more than the money.