This is so true, Lachlan. I bought my far-from-perfect copy last September, named her and have now flown her more than I did anything in the last 5 years. The engine has an iffy cylinder, the paint job looked great but has proven slapdash as it crumbles under the onslaught of CorrosionX, the panel is far from what I want, and I cannot get anyone to install anything new in it because the avionics shops are booked until August.
Hanger space is non-existent or way too expensive. Maintenance services are unreliable, and she leaks fuel like a sieve.
And yet she just keeps flying, as though she has no idea these things are all true. And unless it's too bumpy up there or too windy down here, I'm going flying in my imperfect plane while I slowly upgrade her. Until then, it'll be fine.
The only thing I would be wary of is corrosion, because that you don't come back from. Just about everything else can be restored.
