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Shopping For A Family Airplane? Prepare To Compromise

The robust Cherokee Six is very much like a Chevy Suburban with wings. [Photo: Jason McDowell]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Airplane shopping requires significant compromise between desired features like speed, seating capacity, and short-field performance, especially given current high aircraft prices.
  • The author suggests a "sweet spot" budget of $100,000 to $200,000 for used aircraft, where buyers can find capable "Plan-B" options by adjusting their priorities.
  • Five specific aircraft are highlighted as viable choices within this budget: the spacious Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six/300, the stylish and fast Beechcraft V35B Bonanza, the versatile Cessna 182 Skylane, the efficient Mooney M20K 231, and the comfortable Rockwell Commander 114.
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Shopping for airplanes is fun until it gets serious. As with many endeavors that eventually lead to major decisions, digging into the details can leave us disappointed, frustrated, and even frightened. Aircraft prices, after all, are scary these days.

I have been looking for an airplane that can haul my family of four at a decent pace over a long distance—a classic aerial traveling machine. We love landing at remote strips so our ideal fast airplane needs to slow down enough for short-field work. After checking off the things we want, we immediately have to step back and decide what we can do without.

Jonathan Welsh

Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4

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