Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Airplanes Only Wanted: C150/152 in Western Canada

Hi Martin! Welcome! I'm no expert either, but I bought a plane once, and it wasn't a disaster. When I bought my plane I had a few qualities in mind that were high priority to me, and non-negotiable, my needs. Then I had some wishes that I'd liked have had, but could do without, my likes. Then there were those things I'd have loved but didn't need or expect to find, my wishes. I wrote out a long list and prioritized each item.

For me, an example of a need was a low time engine. A like was a panel-mounted GPS. A wish was new paint and interior. Your priorities will be your own, of course.

It took a long time, but I finally found a plane that had all my needs, a few of my likes and none of my wishes. Anyway that's what I did. I'm happy with the purchase. A few times I was tempted to make an offer on a plane, but stopped myself because it lacked one or more of my needs.

I tried to keep in mind, the plane is not an investment. I'm investing in myself, using a plane. This mindset made it easier for me to stay away from shiny planes with emotional appeal, but that did not fit my intended mission. My plane with a low time engine (25 hours on an overhaul) in 2014, a panel mounted gps, good maintenance and a few other nice aspects cost 25K delivered, just below my upper price limit (a need). It only had a few problems, the cowl paint being one I've yet to fix. So, for the price, I got a plane to get me into daily flying and improving my skills. When I upgrade someday, I'll go through the process again, with the updated mission.

Just my humble 2 cents.
Geoff

Thanks a lot Terry! Most of what I have learned about buying a 150, I have learned from my friends here on this 150 website! I'm still very new at this and there are many with a lot more experience than me in this area.

Hi Martin. I really wasn't looking at vRef figures at all. I did enough research to get a good feel for the market in Canada to judge (for better or worse) what I thought was a fair price. And this was my second 150. That said, the prices truly are all over the place.

Most airplanes were quite a distance, with many in Ontario. Of those, most didn't warrant a further look after initial research and discussions with the sellers - you have to be truly committed to make a journey like that!

When I saw the plane I bought I was fortunate to be travelling right in the area on a family vacation and was able to check the plane out in person. Unfortunately the owner was unavailable and the plane was locked up, but I did get to do a good walk around. But I wasn't quite ready to purchase. When the time came I checked and the aircraft was still available so then I got more serious with emails back and forth - LOTS of emails - to gain more details and insight into both the plane and owner. When I was ready to really have a go I flew to Calgary (plane located just south in High River) on WestJet, rented a car and went a looked it over. I had arranged for a mechanic to come out and do a pre-buy and I test flew the aircraft. Everything checked out and I bought $4500 less than asking. Flew it home the next day, feeling very (ignorantly) comfortable in the purchase.

I had my own mechanic do an annual when I got it home and unfortunately there were a lot of unwelcome repairs necessary. Nothing major, but lots of labour to correct.

Bottom line is I ended up spending what I would guess is top dollar, but it had 5400 TTSN, 430 SMOH, good paint and nice interior, along with VGs, flap gap seals, optical tach, etc. At the end of the day I am very happy, knowig I can trust the plane to fly my children!

Check them out, but if they are low price (ie $18K) you WILL be spending a bunch of extra money. There are some real sweethearts out there, but be very careful about corrosion because it is a west coast plane.

Good luck!

I remember that I saw a 172 in Alberta on Trade-A-Plane, but it's high time (on the engine--2043 SMOH on a 1800 TBO). Figured I'd pass it along though:

https://www.trade-a-plane.com/searc...YHAWK&listing_id=2185636&s-type=aircraft

Any luck so far, Martin?

I have a few prospects....

1. 150F, 9000TT, 990SMOH, good history, full logs, minor damage history years ago, average paint/interior, average avionics, hangered last 15 years, price $26K.
3 owners and not really willing to negociate on price, which I feel is high?
This one flies 10 to 15 hrs per year and is maintained by one of the owners.

2. 1977 150M. Mid time engine, not sure TT, uncared for, parked in the weeds with a colapsing nose strut. No covers ( the owner had one but never got around to using it!) interior a mess, $18K. Owner has lost interest it flies very little.

3. 1974 150L. 5000TT, 1650 SMOH, present owner was a one aircraft flight school now defunct, but most of it's time was flying patrol (has log range tanks). Only 4 owners since import to Canada in the 1980's, present owner has put on 3500 of these hours. Average paint, interior and avionics. This aircraft has been maintained to commercial standard and has had all the Cessna SID inspections. I've not yet seen it in person but a respected AME did a quick walk around for me. This owner wants to sell and quoted $14K over the phone. With 4 new cylinders I think this might be a prospect?

Remember the CAN$ is only worth 80c US.

I have found others of interest but all will require multi day driving trips/ferries etc to view along with the associated costs! I live on Vancouver Island.

What do you guys think??

Nice looking plane... I like those '57 models. Too bad about the engine though, it's done. Good news is used O300s are pretty cheap because people are upgrading to 180hp. Bad news is it's still an O300 with it's own very unique and expensive potential problems. And upgrading is $$$$.

Are these all 150hp O320 engined aircraft? Initially I was comparing the prices to a normal 150 and thought #1 was just a bit high, #2 is too high no matter what, and #3 a reasonable option. If they are all converted 150hp... they're that much better.

#1 seems to me not badly priced, if the avionics are the right kind of average (IMO anyway). Risk is low utilization - make it conditional on a thorough inspection of the camshaft and internal parts (pull a cylinder).

#2 is overpriced - no question. Maybe worth $8, maybe worth nothing.

#3 looks like a good option - is $14K with new cylinders? I'd jump on it if so... Maybe I will!! (JK... have my hands full already) Even if not - if there's no reason to replace cylinders, just fly it till the engine is tired - then find a used low-time replacement coming off a 172 being upgraded. There are lots of O320s around.

If you see anything in SW Ontario, I'd be happy to look at it for you, and my mechanic is very thorough - he'd do a logbook analysis pretty cheaply and can tell an awful lot just from that, and give an indication as to whether or not it's even worth looking closer at the aircraft. And I'd be happy to ferry it out to at least SK, or all the way! Just buy me a plane ticket home.

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

You have some very good advice here from those who have gone thru the buying process...I'm still looking...dreaming...anyway myself I wouldn't have a problem with trusting a club member that a 150 was worth a look even if it were far away.

From my friends here on this club website the number one concern buying a 150 is corrosion....if it is extensive, it makes no difference the TTAF SMOH or anything else as sometimes the cost to repair exceeds the cost of the plane.

One item I have a question about is TTAF....it seems to me the average TTAF of the 150s for sale I have seen is 4500hr. If a 150 has 9000 vs 3000 would not the moving parts on the airframe basically have 3 times the wear?