Malibuflyer wrote:
Over there this is a common type (upscale, of course but common), with lots of repair shops, good spare part availability, etc. while in Europe it has always been a little on the “exotic side”.
RobertL18C wrote:
The centre of gravity for the Bonanza community in Europe seems to be Germany.
A lot of people shy away from Beech in general for high parts cost and rather larger labour cost as well. That is what people think of Beech, which probably has a grain of truth in it but is as usually overestimated. Where people really shy away from are the magnesium covered control surfaces, primarily (and rightly so) if they are not able to hangar the plane.
Other than that, yes, Germany is pretty much the center for Bonanzas, quite possibly also because LH used to use Debonairs for training for decades.
Personally I love Bonanzas, the only thing which would make me shy away given what I know today is the complex fuel system. Otherwise, Bonnies or Travel Airs would be on my favorite list.
On this theme I still patiently (aviation is the school of patience) follow the USA market for the Beech 35. The older segment of the market appears to have gone up around 20% in the last year, and sellers adding another 20% to see if they get a ‘momentum’ buyer.
Even the old E-225-8 classic V-tails which used to go for around $40-50k, and were shunned except by the cognoscenti (E type Continental, electric variable pitch propeller, wobble pump but the most efficient of the type), are now going in a matter of days. Meanwhile there are a few very early Bo’s being marketed at around 3 times Vref over in Europe.
With hindsight I fear that for an overseas buyer you are pulling the trigger based on photos, full log book scan and pedigree of the seller. Organizing a structured pre buy, etc while still the convention may be happening by exception rather than the norm.
Mooney_Driver wrote:
A lot of people shy away from Beech in general for high parts cost and rather larger labour cost as well. That is what people think of Beech, which probably has a grain of truth in it but is as usually overestimated.
More than a grain of truth. Try to de-cowl a Baron engine and you’ll see what I mean….
