Thinking about Buying my first plane.

Piper Seneca a good starter plane? or to much plane for a beginner?
 
Ever Beaumont said:
Piper Seneca a good starter plane? or to much plane for a beginner?
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Not a good choice for a beginner. The Seneca I has atrocious handling characteristics and the Seneca II-V have better, but not great handling characteristics and turbocharged Continentals which can be expensive to keep running.
 
I've always liked the look of the Cirrus SR20's. I think the early models would come up a little short in useful load for 4 adults. While I agree that I prefer the look of low-wings, I find that high-wing Cessna's have more shoulder and head room and are more comfortable particularly in the summer. You should try to fly the different types that you are looking at and keep an open mind.

All that being said, I own a C172N with a 180hp conversion. I can fly 350 nm legs with IFR reserves and the full fuel useful load is 864 lbs.
 
Why would a 2002 Cirrus be the same price as say a 1994 Mooney? New are they that much more expensive? Whats the key differences between those two planes?
 
asicer said:
May as well throw in a Super Viking, Comanche and Sierra as well.

A DA40 will probably be as much of a purchase stretch as a SR20 but will probably be a little less MX over the long run.
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DA40 is a good choice for a first aircraft. Safety record is one of the best in GA. The purchase price may be more than you are interested in, but mine has been dirt cheap to operate and maintain. Also relatively fast compared to a 172 or Cherokee.
 
Just curious, do you have your certificate or did you complete 60 hours of training without a checkride?
 
I never did my check ride and stopped flying for 4 years.
 
Ever Beaumont said:
I never did my check ride and stopped flying for 4 years.
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I would suggest renting until you have your ticket, especially if you can rent from a place that has multiple similar aircraft. Especially if you but an older plane, there will be issues that need sorting in your first year of ownership. Training stops like those can really set you back.

You may be able to get away with a newer LSA (like an RV-12, Remos, or a CTLS) and have fewer of those issues in the first year, but then you will have a 2 seat plane after getting you PPL (this isn't a bad thing, buy you seem to want something bigger).
 
Im leaning towards a SR20 or SR 22 if I can afford it. Probably end up spending a little more than I anticipated to get what I want which is ok.
 
Ever Beaumont said:
4 Passenger is fine. Im ok with a few hundred miles at a time.

Im ok with keeping up with maintenance. I currently own a transportation company. I spend about $4000/ month in maintenance lol. Im all to familiar with the pain of maintenance. Im ok with an older plane. god willing, id upgrade in 5-10 years.
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I got my 182 in July of 2017 and I’ve spent maybe $10-15k in maintenance including annuals. All of that has been paid for if you account for appreciation. I was close to your time and got my PPL in it.
 
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