This 1964 Piper PA-28-235 Is a Power-Packed ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1964 Piper PA-28-235 Cherokee.

Student pilots who train in the 150 hp Piper PA-28 often fall in love with the type’s combination of good looks and forgiving performance. There is, indeed, something special about the way the aircraft mushes at low speeds and eventually floats gently downward like a falling leaf, seemingly refusing to stall. At some point, though, almost every pilot wishes for more power. 

Soon after introducing the PA-28 in 1960, Piper answered those wishes with a 180 hp version. To this day, many pilots familiar with the type consider the “Cherokee 180” the ideal combination—fast enough but still easy on fuel. For those who want to haul heavier loads and travel a bit faster, like the competing Cessna 182 Skylane, Piper needed to extract even more performance from the modest trainer. Enter the PA-28-235.

Equipping the Cherokee with a 235 hp Lycoming O-540 turned it into a brawny utility vehicle. Pilots sometimes say the airplane will take off with any load as long as you can close the door. That is a classic aviation exaggeration, of course, but it makes the point that this is the version to have if you need a true workhorse.

The aircraft for sale today rolled out during the first year of PA-28-235 production and offers a great mix of economical operation and impressive performance. Pilots who need to operate from short fields with full seats and full fuel will find a reliable partner in this comfortable, well-kept heavy lifter.  

This 1964 Piper PA-28-235 has 5,532 hours on the airframe, 1,401 hours since overhaul on its 235 hp Lycoming O-540 engine, and 203 hours since disassembly and inspection on its Hartzell propeller.

The panel includes a Garmin GNS 430 WAAS GPS/nav/com, Bendix King KX 155 nav/com, dual G5 flight instruments, GAD 29, GAD 17, GI 106, GTX 345 transponder, GMA 347 audio panel, EDM 700 engine monitor, KN 64 DME, S-Tec 30 autopilot, and uAvionix AV20 digital backup attitude indicator.

Additional equipment includes a Sky-Tec lightweight starter, Tanis engine preheater, LED wingtip position lights, LED beacon and landing light, and wheel pants.

Pilots who loved training in the PA-28-140 but wished it had more muscle, or anyone looking for a powerful, utilitarian traveler with fairly simple systems, should consider this 1964 Piper PA-28-235 Cherokee, which is available for $99,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use our airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Piper Archer Through the Years
• FLYING Magazine: A Piper Proposal
• FLYING Magazine: I Learned About Flying From That: Change of Plans
• Plane + Pilot: Piper Dakota PA-28-236
• Plane + Pilot: Piper Pathfinder
• Plane + Pilot: Piper Cherokee 235 Pathfinder/Dakota
• The Aviation Consumer: Cherokee 235/Dakota