gcm52 wrote:If you want value, just take the opposite end of the losing transaction, i.e., buy a meticulously built homebuilt for 70 cents on the parts dollar with the labor thrown in for free. I think a well built homebuilt from a "builder" not a "flyer" is the best value in aviation.
MichaelFarley56 wrote:This is just my two cents, and probably not even worth that, but when looking at used aircraft values for Somex as well as a lot of LSA sized experimental’s, it’s simply supply & demand. There are a lot of Sonexes flying now (well over 500) and there’s more and more used ones for sale, combined with less demand. That may attributed to age of the builder group at large, concerns with non-certified engines, BasicMed allowing the Bonanza/Cirrus/Skylane guys to keep their airplanes, or simply the fact that these new generation kits are so quick and easy to build, people want to build their own so they can get the Repairman’s certificate.
I’m not sure how BasicMed is helping general aviation as a whole, but I have to assume it’s doing nothing to help the LSA crowd. Even the homebuilt friendly guys can now stick with their RV’s and Lancairs; there’s no reason to build a Sonex, Zenith, etc.
Personally I don’t see this is as a Sonex issue; looking over Barnstormers today I can see a lot of flying Zenith 650’s also for sale between $20-25K that look nice. I haven’t priced the kits but I’d have to assume that’s just over half of the total build cost. Even the RV-12’s are dropping in price recently. There were several for sale in the low $60K’s which, I believe, is less than the total kit cost.
Let’s not forget when someone is looking for a used airplane to purchase, most pilots in general are scared of Experimentals. Now that Skyhawks, Warriors, etc can be purchased and flown without medicals that seems to be the direction a lot of people are going.
Thankfully I agree with Jake; I built my airplane how I want it and even though I’m always tinkering with something on it, I’m thankful it costs me nothing but parts to work on!
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