Emir wrote:
With much better developed and widespread GA in US than Europe, I believe you are more accustomed to service availability
My aircraft’s service is done in my hangar, so it’s pretty available. A recent annual on one of my two planes was done with it not having flown since last year… it still hasn’t flown since last year 
(That plane BTW may go away to a new owner soon… A buyer is inbound, airline tickets bought. Despite my strong emotional attachment, it’s a bit silly to Annual a plane that you can’t find time to fly. We’ll do the post annual test flights this week, and then I’ll brace myself for what’s coming)
Silvaire wrote:
for the private owner of any plane in the US, field serviceability is a big factor.
With much better developed and widespread GA in US than Europe, I believe you are more accustomed to service availability. In Europe I guess we’re happy to have shop within 100 miles range. Mine is 90 miles from my base airport but it’s in neighboring Slovenia and I have to land once to clear the immigration, so any trip to the shop costs me additional 70€ in landing and immigration fees.
It appeared to me that when the DA42 was introduced there were some US sales, but as the problems with the original engines came into play, two things seemed to happen: the original aircraft lost most of their value and were never re-engined due to transatlantic logistics and cost, and new sales stopped. I’m guessing some of the original aircraft may have been sold back to Europe at very low prices, a small fraction of the original new price.
Until fairly recently I did know of one DA42 local to me that was bought new circa 2006 by a wealthy retired surgeon, a man in at least his late 70s when I knew him. He kept it perfectly, had one in flight gearbox seizure that was followed by gearbox updates on both sides, but still had original engines, never replaced. He told me he figured it would outlast him as it was, and since it’s disappeared from the local scene now maybe it did!
You’d have to live in a pretty urban area to find somebody to do a DA42 annual within 100 miles, I would think there are lots of places where it would be 500 or more miles. Whatever the distance, the US is obviously a big place and planes are used even more so in remote places, versus highly populated places. Flight schools using multiple DA42s for training would doubtless develop a local solution but for the private owner of any plane in the US, field serviceability is a big factor.
I don’t know how you came to these conclusions.
A friend that is seriously looking into buying a newer model. It is even hard to find a mechanic that can do the annual with 100 miles, and I am not living in the boonies. Like I wrote, it’s applicable to US only, but US happens to be the largest market, which determines make or break.
1) In the US it is difficult to find mechanics that are trained and able to work on a DA42. Just not enough frames around.
2) Despite good safety record, not enough data exist yet, therefore insurer treat it as any other twin, with the associated high insurance costs.
Two statements pretty much without any data behind them. I don’t know how you came to these conclusions. Maybe servicing isn’t widely available as for Lycoming engined aircrafts but the network is sufficiently developed according to owners at DAN forum. And comparing insurance cost reported by US based owners, they are lower than in Europe.
I use to operate two.
It’s a really good machine for private flight in Europe.
Moreover one of them is based half year in Morocco where Jet A1 is 0,5€/L and AVGAS +3€/L.
With the new engine/gearbox TBO is became cheaper to operate.
We have a very good maintenance shop in France
Two things to consider (possibly less relevant in Europe):
1)
In the US it is difficult to find mechanics that are trained and able to work on a DA42. Just not enough frames around.
2)
Despite good safety record, not enough data exist yet, therefore insurer treat it as any other twin, with the associated high insurance costs.
The DA42 is impressive, with trailing link landing gear, 25 knots demonstrated crosswind, fuel efficient, modern engine, but personally, to me it looks like a plastic egg with a spaghetti tail attached.
I guess you checked controller.com (there’s one TDI with GFC700 WAAS which is very rare to find) and planecheck.com. If you want PM me – I can connect you with a friend of mine who always have something on stock 
It’s an old post but rather than created a new one I will post here.
One of my client recently lost his DA42 that was damaged beyond repair on ground.
We are looking for an other DA42. Market is quite on fire right now for this kind of airplane.
Does anyone know any DA42 off market ? We are looking more specific to a non NG DA42 with 2.0 thielert.
Have a good weekend
Regards
Yes, but on most you don’t subsequently get one of those “computer says no” moments.
