| Notify me of new responses |
Hi-I am selling my experimental airplane (Glastar) and have started
talking with a dealer (Premier) about buying a 2005 Diamond. As I am
new to the purchase process, can anyone provide tips, advice or
reference books/websites?I appreciate the help!
Scott Hoffmire
-- Scott Hoffmire, July 16, 2008
The best investment is in an experienced mechanic's time to review the airplane's logs. A couple of words that aren't significant to the layperson will jump out and them and scream "non-compliance with AD" or "this engine has more time on it than you thought because it was a 'repair' rather than an 'overhaul'".A friend of mine hired the owner and chief mechanic at East Coast Aero Club, a local flight school with about 25 airplanes, to manage the search for and final acquisition of a 1970s Cessna 210 (which he eventually flew from North Carolina to South Africa). I think it went a lot better than if he had done it himself. With an almost new airplane such as the DA40 there is probably less for experts to contribute.
-- Philip Greenspun, July 23, 2008
The Diamond Aviator's Organization is an excellent resource. Try diamondaviators.org. My partner and I bought an 06 DA40, and although we spoke with Premier, we bought from an individual seller. That said, the Premier folks we dealt with were honest and straight forward. I just purchased the Garmin software upgrade from Premier, and that has been an excellent experience. My two cents, the 2005 - 2006 DA40 are the best of the bunch. No weight and balance issues, and for modest sum (relatively) one can upgrade to SVT. We love the plane!
-- Scott Zodin, July 20, 2008