Next plane...

[flyingcheesehead]

Several planes do that, and for that reason alone I’d buy an older model.

Basically anything with a G1000 is that way.

I wonder why manufactures just don’t certify the planes with the old steam gauges and make the Garmins of the world do the STCs for their equipment. Easy enough to sell a G1000 as factory installed “option”.

I would guess that it's significantly more expensive that way. The G1000 stuff is called an "integrated" panel for a reason, it's tied into various airplane systems. If those systems are required for certification, testing a "dumb plane" and then making it into a "smart plane" via STC means you'd have to test a system that you weren't ever going to use, and then also test the system that "replaces" it to get the STC. And while a 172 or DA40 doesn't have a huge amount of system tie-in, it's nonzero - The G1000 in even those simpler planes is taking care of required equipment like fuel and engine parameter sensing and display, flap position sensing and display, in addition to functioning as all of the required flight control ("6 pack") instruments. If you go farther up into something like a TBM 910, the G1000 NXi on that is also in control of cabin pressurization, all warning and caution annunciations, etc...

I hope @Ted will be along shortly to give us a more complete picture of that end of things.

 

[schmookeeg]

Given the price trajectory of 172s when you originally posted, I figured you'd trade straight across for a TBM850

 

[Bell206]

he OEMs don't really care about supporting old planes when they're trying to sell new ones, so new software doesn't get approved much.

It has more to do with the OEM and their agreement with Garmin. When Bell elected to switch to G1000 cockpits for the 407GX and offer G1000 retro kits for previous serials numbers Bell has a long-term agreement with Garmin to support those models. And given the commercial service life of a helicopter is infinitely longer than most small piston aircraft it was a serious concern for most GX buyers. I believe Cessna has a similar agreement, or maybe its Textron in general since both are owned by them. So if Diamond has sunsetted support for their older G1000s is solely on them as Garmin will still support the G1000s in the 407s.