Hey guys. Oshkosh was a blast. I had a chance to see most of the airplanes I am interested in. Lets say a deal shows up on the other side of the country. If we are talking an airplane valued at less than 20k, is it worth the hassle, and what is the best way to handle the transaction. There is a skyraider in CA, of all places, I would be interested in, but I havnt come up with a practical way to handle the transaction.

If you are talking about that 2 tone green one on Barnstormers, I would not hesitate too long. That is an excellent price for it.
At that price you can fly commercial out there, load it in a u-haul and drive it home in a few days. I have been toying with the idea of putting that one in my hanger next to my Rans. With the wings folded it would fit very nicely in my hanger. If he will take a deposit on pay-pal, you are fairly safe if the deal goes sour.
Good Luck.

Even 20k is a big chunk of change. It would be worth it (to me) to invest in escrow services - available through aopa. I called them a few times and asked questions - they were pretty open and helpful to guide you through the process. They can work with you directly or with a financing company. They put the title in escrow while financing, title search and faa registration clears - both you and the seller are protected. It only cost a few hundred bucks - they can tell you the costs and explain the process if you call them.

I enjoyed Oshkosh too - I think I have even more questions now. Not only am I looking at maules and 180s and rans and kitfoxes - now I found out I really, really love cubs!

S-12Flyer wrote:If you are talking about that 2 tone green one on Barnstormers, I would not hesitate too long. That is an excellent price for it.
At that price you can fly commercial out there, load it in a u-haul and drive it home in a few days. I have been toying with the idea of putting that one in my hanger next to my Rans. With the wings folded it would fit very nicely in my hanger. If he will take a deposit on pay-pal, you are fairly safe if the deal goes sour.
Good Luck.

Shh. Dont tell anyone. It does look like a good deal. I sat in one at Oshkosh. The backseat seams tight beyond the point of usability. I should have crawled back there to try it out. Most of the time I'll be flying by myself. Do normal 165lb people ever sit in the back of these things? Thats my biggest hesitation.

I've been in the back of an RR2 before and they are a bit cramped for a long flight. (several hours) But for patch flying and the odd longer flight it is reasonably comfortable. I was 190lbs at the time. At 165 I would think it would be more than enough room. There is a long weekend coming up and an ideal time for a cross country trip. Don't think about it too long, I am working on convincing myself that I NEED 2 planes. And I am close enough to fly it home.

I flew out for the weekend to take a look. For the money, it was probably a fine deal, but I didnt get it.