Cost of a Pre-Buy Inspection

J

JoseCuervo

En-Route
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
2,868
Display Name
Display name:
JoseCuervo
What is the going rate for a Pre-Buy Inspection and how many hours are needed for a C-182?
 
Depends on how deep you want to go into it. I like to do a pre buy and turn it into an annual if I like what the mechanic finds on the pre buy.
 
What in your mind is a 'pre-buy'? There is no official definition. Can be as simple as a logbook review and a shady tree compression check to a full blown annual inspection. You as the potential buyer must determine How detailed you want to go.
 
Like others have said it kind of depends on what you want done, but we charge 250 and it includes a log inspection "issues" ad compliance report and thorough look at the aircraft for general condition and known problems. I would think if you wanted more or less you could ask for it.
 
frfly172 said:
Depends on how deep you want to go into it. I like to do a pre buy and turn it into an annual if I like what the mechanic finds on the pre buy.
Click to expand...


Since the plane is in annual, no need to turn it into an annual, and don't want to pay for something being put into somebody else's logbooks.



What in your mind is a 'pre-buy'? There is no official definition. Can be as simple as a logbook review and a shady tree compression check to a full blown annual inspection. You as the potential buyer must determine How detailed you want to go.
Click to expand...

I want to know what items MY mechanic will fail when he gets to do the first annual after getting the plane home. Certainly the "grey" areas that some guys will pass (the guy who just pencil-whipped the LAST annual, if that is the case) where the next guy is going to ground the plane until the __________ (fill in the blank) is replaced for $XX,xxx dollars.

It is a 50 year old airplane, so the faded paint and snagged doorliners don't need to be noted, but the airworthy, or soon to be non-airworthy items are the big ones.
 
On something like that, I'd expect to pay about $500 plus any travel expenses for a thorough job including both the airplane and its maintenance records. Should take most of a day if done right. Not nearly as comprehensive as a full annual inspection, but in that amount of time you should know enough to decide if you're willing to go further with the deal.
 
Ron Levy said:
Should take most of a day if done right. Not nearly as comprehensive as a full annual inspection, but in that amount of time you should know enough to decide if you're willing to go further with the deal.
Click to expand...
Obviously this is a generalization... As you well know its going to be airframe specific. Pre-buy on a 414 is a much bigger job than a Cub. Could be a couple days, could be half day.
 
flyingmoose said:
Obviously this is a generalization... As you well know its going to be airframe specific. Pre-buy on a 414 is a much bigger job than a Cub. Could be a couple days, could be half day.
Click to expand...

What are the "must looks" for a mid-1960's C-182, in your opinion?
 
JoseCuervo said:
I want to know what items MY mechanic will fail when he gets to do the first annual after getting the plane home.

It is a 50 year old airplane, so the faded paint and snagged doorliners don't need to be noted, but the airworthy, or soon to be non-airworthy items are the big ones.
Click to expand...
The only way to really know that is to take your guy with you and have him do - an annual or at least have him do an abbreviated pre-buy to help you decide whether or not the airplane is worth pursuing.

I understand your concerns, but I have become a strong believer in the concept of a full annual as the pre-buy myself and I've tried some of the other methods (pre-buy, seller provides 'fresh annual'..etc). The full annual was by far the best route. When I tried the seller's 'fresh annual' (based on the shop reputation that had been maintaining the airplane) I took along an independent IA to give a first look over. Thank goodness I did that - airplane was a pencil-whipped mess. My first airplane purchased was with a non-annual pre-buy (about two thirds of an annaul). We turned it into an annual after I purchased the airplane, but found many more discrepancies as we completed it.

With the Baron, I used an A&P IA who had maintained my previous airplane and was a Baron expert. Airplane had been annualled 2-3 months prior by seller. My guy did an initial logbook review and glanced over the airplane. Based on his short look over and opinion of condition, I signed a purchase agreement contingent on the results of a full annual. As a result, before I completed the sale I knew everything wrong with that airplane. The shop that did the last annual was a good shop, and with some minor exceptions the airplane was airworthy, but naturally had several things deferred. Because I did a complete annual, I was able to make wise decisions about what to address then before flying it away. And no suprises on the next annual.
 
frfly172 said:
Depends on how deep you want to go into it. I like to do a pre buy and turn it into an annual if I like what the mechanic finds on the pre buy.
Click to expand...

After some talks with local mechs on a few purchase attempts, this is what all of them suggested.... Pre-buy finds it... annual fixes it. Payment of fixes are a negotiation point with seller.
 
JoseCuervo said:
Since the plane is in annual, no need to turn it into an annual, and don't want to pay for something being put into somebody else's logbooks...
Click to expand...

Have the books and paperwork audited to ensure that ALL the AD's are complied with and any STC's or other modifications are correctly documented and installed. Also get, as best as possible, a full component and equipment list with total times and times since overhaul (prop, mags, carb, mufflers...etc)

Have a compression test done and check oil filter or screen for metal

Check nose gear and main gear mountings, engine mount and firewall for any abnormalities.

Make certain the seat rails pass inspection

Do an evaluation FLIGHT with yourself onboard, Do a thourough pre-flight inspection and operate all of the equipment to verify it's functionality. Take note of engine temp, oil pressure, performance, balance and anything else you can think of.

There may be a few other items but mainly concentrate on any big gotcha's that may be lurking

A full (redundant) annual is not really necessary unless your goal is to try to nickle and dime the seller for every worn hinge bolt you can find.
 
Last edited:
flyingmoose said:
Obviously this is a generalization... As you well know its going to be airframe specific. Pre-buy on a 414 is a much bigger job than a Cub. Could be a couple days, could be half day.
Click to expand...
Agreed. But the OP said it was on a Cessna 182, and I'll stick by my answer for that aircraft.
 
I just bought my 182P last summer...had the A&P start out doing a log book review...once that passed I had him do a pre-buy which was gonna run $600.00...once that passed and it all looked good, I then had him complete a full annual for an additional $600 even though it was only 7 months into an annual with the instructions not to proceed to the next step if any red flags cam up along the way. We ended up finding about $2k in repairs which the seller picked up...plus a few elective things I opted to pick up, some of which would not have been covered in just the pre-buy alone.

...long story short, pre-buy $600, full annual $1200
 
just paid $650 2 weeks ago for pre buy on Saratoga II TC.. A&P had pretty goo dlist of items he looked at and performed. He made sure AD's complied with, Cut filter for metal, bore scoped engine and did compression checks. He inspected inside wings for corrosion and made list of what needed repair. There were plenty of other items he looked at at, overall I was very pleased and if anywhere in Iowa I would recommend them. This next week the list of items are being repaired during the annual.
 
Silvaire said:
Have the books and paperwork audited to ensure that ALL the AD's are complied with and any STC's or other modifications are correctly documented and installed. Also get, as best as possible, a full component and equipment list with total times and times since overhaul (prop, mags, carb, mufflers...etc)

Have a compression test done and check oil filter or screen for metal

Check nose gear and main gear mountings, engine mount and firewall for any abnormalities.

Make certain the seat rails pass inspection

Do an evaluation FLIGHT with yourself onboard, Do a thourough pre-flight inspection and operate all of the equipment to verify it's functionality. Take note of engine temp, oil pressure, performance, balance and anything else you can think of.

There may be a few other items but mainly concentrate on any big gotcha's that may be lurking

A full (redundant) annual is not really necessary unless your goal is to try to nickle and dime the seller for every worn hinge bolt you can find.
Click to expand...

That's a biggie, and some times it requires a lot of research. and the History CD is a must. it is the place where you find all of the 337s that modified the aircraft prior to your buying it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top