Hi Martin. Based on the airplanes you have described, I completely agree with Steve's assessments.
#1 is a possibility, but would require a THOROUGH pre-buy inspection by a trusted/knowledgeable AME, Average paint/interior could mean anything, and will need to be judged by your own eyes. But be very wary of corrosion. Full logs is a good thing, and the damage history may not be an issue depending on what it was and how it was repaired. Again, a good AME can diagnose that. Hangared is a good thing. Flying very few hours might not be. And "maintained by one of the owners" - be very careful with that. 9000TT is high and indicates this was clearly a trainer at some point (not necessarily a bad thing). Engine is about mid-time so if it is solid that leaves lots of flying. For reference, My 150H had 5400TTAF, 430SMOH, good interior (7/10), decent exterior (6/10), good electronics (nothing fancy but decent). It had a couple of upgrades like VGs, flap gap seals, optical tach and a decent audio panel. Asking price was $30K and I negotiated to $25.5K. Despite the extra money I put into it after purchase, I know I am flying a solid, safe airplane.
Bottom line, IMHO, $25K is too high. Get a pre-buy if truly interested and go from there, but you must be comfortable offering a lower price and be prepared to walk.
I would never give #2 another thought.
#3 is interesting. 1650SMOH is potentially an issue, but if it was truly well maintained per commercial standards then at least you have that going for you. Again, a solid pre-buy is so important. $14K is very attractive, especially if it has 4 new cylinders. But don't get suckered into the low price - maintenance/repair costs to fix what isn't obvious in a pre-buy can really add up! Average paint/interior/avionics sounds comparable to #1, so all else being equal, the difference is the higher time engine (but way lower time airframe), which may not be a concern at all. Typically you would see engine issues in the top end long before the bottom, and cylinders takes care of that (even if you had to buy 4 new ones, that is still an overall decent price for the plane - assuming the bottom end is solid). My previous 150M was purchased from my flight school with 14000TTAF and 2300SMOH!! It used some oil, but compressions were all good and it ran well, if a little hot in the summer. And in those 2300 hours it never had any top end work. So, 1650 is not necessarily a serious issue.
I understand traveling to look at airplanes is expensive, time consuming and a general pain. And pre-buy inspections can be difficult to arrange (you never want the AME who has history maintaining the aircraft) and a bit pricey (but you will never spend better dollars). But at the end of the day you are talking about a significant investment, and you want it to be solid and most of all safe. Spread your wings (pun intended) and expand your search area!
There are a couple of decent looking 150s in the COPA classifieds this month, but they are in Ontario. Maybe you could check them out and take up Steve on his offer?
Good luck! Exciting times
