I inherited my grandfathers 1970 Piper Aztec D when he passed away in December. It hasn’t had an annual since 2007.Total Time is 3884. It would need quite a bit of work to get airworthy. New fuel bladder, left gear actuator replacement and prop control cable are the three big ones. Interior is not so bad. Avionics are fine, just really old. Bendix BX-2000 system. The Lycoming TIO-540-C1A (l/r) have just over 2000 hours, but the last compression tests were all mid 70’s. It appears to me that I might get more value if I pulled the engines and sold them while selling the rest of the aircraft for parts? Really tough to find information on this kind of stuff I discovered. Any advice? Thanks!
It was ferried in 2018 to a new location. I don’t know the exact details except that they flew gear down the whole way. I realize it’s essentially a salvage aircraft which is why I’m curious about pulling the engines which are fine, no prop strikes damage, complete logs. They just need an overhaul.
That I have taken care of, it’s now in my name with a current registration. I’m surprised how fast the FAA processed it to be honest.
Oh yeah, you've totally inherited a goldmine. Why sell it to a salvage yard if you can strew pieces of it all over the airport/tiedown line/your front yard for the next 5 years trying to eke out every last cent. The motors are the bulk of the value, and I'd expect they're in the 15-20k ballpark to a knowing purchaser. Assuming you want to pull them off and have a plan for what to do with the rotting balance of the thing while dealing with every tire-kicker and hard-luck story in the PNW. To me, that sounds like hell. To you, it might be an enjoyable time. GLHF.
I have a few really valuable toys I inherited that are much older than me at 45(no airplane). This makes me look at myself as saving something cool for the next generation. Please either bring it back or let someone else. I hope i never get to the point of letting anything valuable/cool sit and rot. Pictures?
not sure what GLHF is haha, but no, that is not an enjoyable time. I want simple unless that was leaving a lot of money on the table.
Having parted out a number of aircraft, its not really the route to go in your case. At a minimum, sell the engines as you plan but make it contingent they take the rest of the aircraft with them. However, since you have the paperwork all in your name, I would give it a good bath and clean her up then step back 20 feet and see what you got. Might be worth trying to sell it "as is" and list all issues that you've provided above. Figure a price, add 10%, then post it on various sites. Who knows someone might pony up and give you a decent price. If that don't work then move on to Plan B.
..and in many ways the Aztec is the ultimate piston twin I developed an unhealthy obsession with the one in our club.. however at some point over the summer it fell into a state of even worse dereliction and spent close to 6 months in annual I moved on to our 210.. for now Tantalum is effectively broke at the moment anyway..
^This. I'd think if it was cleaned up/detailed really nice and priced as a bargain you could get someone to pony up for it. That Aztruck has relatively low hours compared to a lot of the fleet, so there will probably be a number of people that would like to snatch it up at close to salvage value to get it back in annual.
Took a quick look at Barnstormers.com, and this came up. Might be worth a look. PIPER AZTEC/APACHE • WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE • Any year! Any condition! Flying or not. Cash in 24hrs! $500 Finders fee paid! Buying Now! Call me!! • Contact Christopher Cantara - SEASIDE AVIATION , - located Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107 United States • Telephone: Call 207-329-9346 • Posted March 13, 2023 • Show all Ads posted by this Advertiser • Recommend This Ad to a Friend • Email Advertiser • Save to Watchlist • Report This Ad
List it on Ebay motors no reserve and let it ride for what ever it brings. If you have room to store it at home it might be worth parting out but that could take years and some parts will eventually have to be hauled off for scrap. I've seen clapped out 205 at a local airport go for insane money on ebay so you might be surprised.
Try selling it whole for the worth of the motors. You say the motors need an overhaul.so your not really sitting on much value. Find out what the engine cores are worth. Old twins are really not that much in demand.
Don't fly blind. Find out what you have before doing anything. Knowledge will help your decision process and help in marketing/negotiations if you sell. Will the engines start? If so, get 'em warm and check compressions. Borescope everything you can see. Do the generator, vac pump, etc., all work? How old are the hoses? Do the avionics all work? Is there any corrosion on the airframe? What ADs need to be completed? What sort of shape are the control cables and pulleys in? And so on, and so on... Get an A&P to go over the plane with you, make a list of what it needs, and estimate the cost. Then double that to cover what you didn't see. Then you'll be in a position to make an informed, rational decision. And if you decide to sell it whole, you'll know what a reasonable price would be.
To put it succinctly, a light twin is generally worth the combined value of the remaining engine value and the avionics package. two timed out engines are about zero dollars. I’m guessing the avionics are from the Clinton Administration. Is this helpful?
Wow, there is actually something called flea bay... I meant eBay. I'll use the purple font next time...
