Hi everyone. In the past I have owns a straight 35 and an M 35 and built close to 800 hours time in these fine machines. When my mission changed to where I no longer needed serious transportation, I purchased a nice clean IFR equipped Grumman AA1A which has been a joy to fly and very economical. Well the Grumman is for sale because my mission has changed again as I am commuting between Wisconsin and Arizona. So of course the best plane for the mission is a Bonanza. I am searching for a 35 model with a budget of $60k or less. I would not rule out an E series engine model if cylinders and parts for overhaul are available. Rumor has it that the E series is not supported parts wise and as a result I am thinking of purchasing an H model (or higher) Bonanza. Your thoughts on this issue are appreciated. In the meantime, if someone has a copy of Lew Gage's book, "E series Bonanzas" and is willing to sell it for a reasonable price, I am interested. It's nice to be on board and thank you!

Try the American Bonanza Society for the book.

Nate, welcome to BT, sorry that I couldn’t get back to you sooner. I bought an E-series 5 years ago and have not experienced problems regarding shortage of parts. There are people out there who focus on maintaining these birds, and they know where the parts are. I focused on the E partly because I wanted the Mogas STC, and found plenty E-series to choose from with low time engines for less than 35K, and I don’t think the market has changed that much. Obviously, there are various issues to watch for, so use the search engine here as a starting point, it is pretty good. I am not sure what keeps the price down on the older birds, everybody seems to agree that they look good, and mine has been reliable and fully capable for my mission.
If there is one common theme affecting the price point, it would be avionics. I paid 32.5K for mine, and quickly found that the classic avionics didn’t work right, and the dash would need modification to receive the more modern stuff. I have now paid your total price of 60k after adding an Avidyne 540, GTX354, and used EDM830. I am glad to have the panel the way I want it (wishing I had an autopilot) but doubt that I could sell it for what I have in it.

Hi Nate, can't help with the airplane hunting, just wanted to say welcome to BT.

Thanks to everyone for welcoming me to BT! Jeff, it is good to know that E series engines are supported. As mentioned, I owned a straight 35 with an E185-11 engine (205 HP) and loved it. It burned 10 gallons per hour, ran great on mogas (provided the mogas had no additives) and ran so smoothly. The IO 470C on my M model was a great engine, but honestly, the old E ran even smoother. I actually prefer the older Bonanzas as they can be show stoppers when people are told how old they are. That being said, I have my eyes peeled on 2E series Bos which I intend to pursue for purchase. Thanks for the tip. You have made my decision so much easier.