Aircraft That Appreciate/Hold Value???

Slipperhead

Slipperhead

Pre-Flight
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
39
Display Name
Display name:
Slipperhead
Hi, I'm a student pilot at the tail end of my training. Soon, I will be looking at aircraft rentals/clubs/purchasing options... I glance at some of the aircraft sales sites from time to time and it seems that aircraft that have been well-taken care of that have modern avionics, low time, good paint, and nice interiors tend to bring the highest prices (kind of like boats and cars) and sell quickly.

Here is my question... With reasonable care by the owner, are there modern, single engine, general aviation aircraft that appreciate in value or at least, depreciate slower than others? (including LSA and experimentals) Just wondering.

Thanks,

Garland
 
Short answer: no. Long answer: still no.

The only aircraft that are appreciating or holding value are aircraft that have been on the market long enough to be fully-depreciated (most of the 60's/70's models). The only exceptions to that are similar to automobiles: classics. Certain classic aircraft makes and rare birds will hold value or appreciate, but I don't think you'd consider them to be "modern". The cost to maintain them can be significant as well (see warbirds).

So, you can probably go buy a 1970's Mooney 201 and be fairly comfortable with the fact that it's not going to drop in price much, but it's not going to be modern like a Cirrus or Corvallis, nor will it have the same purchase price.
 
It's all how you buy, but I don't see planes loosing 3% per year like bank accounts with the fed reserve money printing machine.

Skywagons, PA18s, DHC2s seem to do well.

I could sell my skywagon for more than I paid for it.
 
Most anything older than 30 years is pretty close to fully depreciated. Minus all the money it will cost you to keep it flying, you probably won't lose a lot. Generally a plane with a run-out engine is worth less, so if you fly it a lot, you may lower the value due to time since last overhaul.
 
You don’t buy airplanes to make money,ownership is trying to loose money slowly. If you get an airplane at a good price,and keep up on maintenance,and avionics. You can hold your own.
 
[Ravioli's true story time]

I think my plane is worth ~15k more today than when I bought it.

But, I put 15k in the comm stack + 2k in Auto Pilot + 3k in the prop + 2k in the interior....

Most will argue that I'm being optimistic that 22k invested will yield 15k in value.
 
Your best bet is a working class airplane like a 182, 185, Supercub, etc. A close second would be vintage/antique airplanes. They are fully depreciated and only become more rare. Cessna 152's seem to be a good investment too. Something with low overall hours and no damage history.
 
180/182/185. Not a single engine, but I know a guy that bought a Baron for $105k 3 years ago and sold it for $175k a week ago
 
The fact that you have to hangar and insure your airplane makes it very difficult to make money off buying it. The only bargains are really inexpensive ones that are out of annual and havent flown in years, and then only if you are a mechanic and can fix it economically.
 
Yeah, 180/185's, Cub's, 195's, RV's, PC-12's. That's pretty much it. Everything else is depreciating.
 
coloradobluesky said:
The fact that you have to hangar and insure your airplane makes it very difficult to make money off buying it. The only bargains are really inexpensive ones that are out of annual and havent flown in years, and then only if you are a mechanic and can fix it economically.
Click to expand...

Actually you don't NEED to buy insurance or even hangar it.

Personally I get a ton of utility out of my hangar, don't pay much and also write it off my taxes, insurance, depends on my risk if I buy it or not.
 
Slipperhead said:
Hi, I'm a student pilot at the tail end of my training. Soon, I will be looking at aircraft rentals/clubs/purchasing options... I glance at some of the aircraft sales sites from time to time and it seems that aircraft that have been well-taken care of that have modern avionics, low time, good paint, and nice interiors tend to bring the highest prices (kind of like boats and cars) and sell quickly.

Here is my question... With reasonable care by the owner, are there modern, single engine, general aviation aircraft that appreciate in value or at least, depreciate slower than others? (including LSA and experimentals) Just wondering.

Thanks,

Garland
Click to expand...
That is very true. But those modern avionics, nice interiors, good paint (and the hangar necessary to keep it that way) cost a lot more than the seller is going to get back, even with the higher sales price.
 
The Cessna 170 of all vintage have been steadily increasing in price.
 
idahoflier said:
That's a nice looking 170!
Click to expand...

I would consider that a high time engine and if you had to do an overhaul you are now in that plane for well over 50K and you probably wont sell it for that.
 
DFH65 said:
I would consider that a high time engine and if you had to do an overhaul you are now in that plane for well over 50K and you probably wont sell it for that.
Click to expand...
Yes they will, quickly.

Considering it has 1700+ and will most likely go to 2400 plenty time to save four the Franklin 220 horse up grade.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Stinson 108.
Click to expand...
They are not the great deal every one believes. Unless you can find one that has a resent restoration by a good Stinson mech at or below $35k you're under water from day one. The 108-3 later models were a mismatch of Stinson parts built by Consolidated Aircraft, and were never oiled in the fuselage tubes. When you get into replacing these longerons, your into 10-15 grand fuselage restoration.
The 108 series are great aircraft they fly really great, preform well, but you best know what your getting into before you plunk down the cash.
 
DFH65 said:
I would consider that a high time engine and if you had to do an overhaul you are now in that plane for well over 50K and you probably wont sell it for that.
Click to expand...
I can build a 0-300-D with all new parts for just under 18k. got better than run out parts that can be re-worked, the price goes down.
 
Tom-D said:
They are not the great deal every one believes. Unless you can find one that has a resent restoration by a good Stinson mech at or below $35k you're under water from day one. The 108-3 later models were a mismatch of Stinson parts built by Consolidated Aircraft, and were never oiled in the fuselage tubes. When you get into replacing these longerons, your into 10-15 grand fuselage restoration.
The 108 series are great aircraft they fly really great, preform well, but you best know what your getting into before you plunk down the cash.
Click to expand...

Not really Tom, and performance wise they are hard to beat.


Besides weren't you recommending someone spend like 50k plus on a freshly painted poorly equipped six banger 172?
 
Yup, as was said....anything +20 years old will hold value provided you bought correctly. Over buy and all bets are off. I’ve always made a few bucks on every plane I’ve owned....less maintenance and house keeping.

Now if you let it sit and rot you’ll lose out......good maintenance is required. Note i didn’t say exspensive maintenance just good attention and upkeep.
 
DFH65 said:
I would consider that a high time engine and if you had to do an overhaul you are now in that plane for well over 50K and you probably wont sell it for that.
Click to expand...

I didn't say it was a great deal, I said it was nice looking... ;-)
 
Tom-D said:
Yes they will, quickly.

Considering it has 1700+ and will most likely go to 2400 plenty time to save four the Franklin 220 horse up grade.
Click to expand...

Do you have any experience with Franklin engines? Are they reliable?
 
idahoflier said:
I didn't say it was a great deal, I said it was nice looking... ;-)
Click to expand...
Actually it is a pretty good deal, try and find a nice 170- A or B. for that price.
54 B on Barnstormers yesterday day, nice aircraft 1300+ 0-300 sold in less than an hour for $35.5k
 
To start, what's you budget, and what do you want to fly?

Without knowing that, my suggestion is a late 70s or early 80s Skylane or Skyhawk. Both those aircraft are always popular and fit in a lot of pilot's budgets. If you look at the production figures for light singles, they really fell off the shelf in the early 80s and never really recovered. Buyers tend to gravitate towards newer (or should I say less old) aircraft, and those mainframes newer than that still have some value to lose, I think.
 
If your chief concern in purchasing an airplane is it’s value when you go to sell it, you probably shouldn’t own an airplane. Any airplane can at any time be discovered to have sufficiently catastrophic damage to be rendered scrap aluminum.
 
steingar said:
... Any airplane can at any time be discovered to have sufficiently catastrophic damage to be rendered scrap aluminum.
Click to expand...


Maybe if you have Mr Magoo as your AP

546229.jpg
 
Tom-D said:
Actually it is a pretty good deal, try and find a nice 170- A or B. for that price.
54 B on Barnstormers yesterday day, nice aircraft 1300+ 0-300 sold in less than an hour for $35.5k
Click to expand...
an e-mail From some one who is trying to buy a 170:

Looks like the first 170B for $25k sold, I see he updated his ad to sold.
The most recent ’54 170B may have slipped away as well as the owner has not responded to me. I told him I was a cash buyer and ready to buy but I would guess someone else beat me to it again. The 170B’s seem to go fast. I know the owner of the ------ and away on a trip so maybe I will hear back from him, but it is not a good sign. I have not heard back yet since his first email. I know there will be more for sale popping up shortly but this one would have made a good family plane. Hopefully a 170B closer to home will show up soon, flying season is just around the corner!

I have redacted some of the message for confidential reasons.
 
For the great majority of us, a pleasure aircraft is nothing more than a hole in the air that needs to be regularly filled with cash. Fifteen years or so ago, you had a better chance to make money when you sold the aircraft you purchased ten years before that, but those days are long gone. A better way to approach aircraft ownership begins with defining your mission.
Decide what you think will fit your wants and needs, find a good mechanic to do your prebuy inspections, and start your search. Once you settle on something you think you want, then think money.
Keep in mind too, like eveyone else, your mission, wants, and needs will change over time. Very few of us will buy a single aircraft and then keep it forever. My first airplane was a C-150. It served me well, for a while, then I switched, then switched again, and again. I spent the money to improve each of those aircraft up to my standards. I've never made money on an aircraft, just the opposite, but to me, for the pleasure and freedom it has brought me, it was worth every penny. I eventually got tired of the b.s. wrapped around Certified, and went Experimental. I will likely make a little profit when I decide sell this particular aircraft, but, Experimental is not for everyone, and until you've gained some experience, probably not a good choice for a newbie.
Choose wisely, all the while keeping it in the back of your mind that this is not a good financial investment, but rather an investment in your pleasure, and like most everybody else, you will pay to play.
 
P-51 Mustang, but it isn't modern. But if you have that kind of money, you wouldn't be asking us.

In order for an airplane to appreciate in value, it must be old enough to have lost it's depreciation value AND be desirable enough that there are more people who want them than there are airplanes. There are very few of those out there because older airplanes cost more in maintenance. Like always, Price = Demand(P) - Supply(P).

Maybe an old Piper Cub, but only if it's in great condition.
 
steingar said:
I’ve seen examples, and if you stick around long enough you will too.
Click to expand...
Not really. The engine is the bulk of the value of a plane. Even if the airframe becomes “scrap aluminum”, you can get a good bit out of a decent engine.
 
steingar said:
I’ve seen examples, and if you stick around long enough you will too.
Click to expand...

Oh for sure Ive seen it, but it's always after someone buys a plane sight unseen and without a prebuy, or has a prebuy and normal MX done by a AP with Velcro shoes, or a owner who crashes their plane.

With a good AP and a good pilot, you're not going to exclactly walk over to your hangar, shy of a act of god or some major life limited part you should already know about, and find your plane is one day all of a sudden unairworthy and only good for scrap.
 
FormerHangie said:
To start, what's you budget, and what do you want to fly?

Without knowing that, my suggestion is a late 70s or early 80s Skylane or Skyhawk. Both those aircraft are always popular and fit in a lot of pilot's budgets. If you look at the production figures for light singles, they really fell off the shelf in the early 80s and never really recovered. Buyers tend to gravitate towards newer (or should I say less old) aircraft, and those mainframes newer than that still have some value to lose, I think.
Click to expand...

I should add, you can expect such an airplane to maintain its value if you maintain its condition. Engines with more hours become less valuable, and the condition of the paint, interior, and plexiglass all affect value.
 
Salty said:
Not really. The engine is the bulk of the value of a plane. Even if the airframe becomes “scrap aluminum”, you can get a good bit out of a decent engine.
Click to expand...
I saw a Cessna 310 sell for scrap for want of a buyer. $24K for two engines, an airframe and a Garmin 430 in the panel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top