If considering someone of the caliber of Tejas, Corrigan, Murmer, etc., paint for a 421/414 is probably around 30K-35K and interior about the same.

There probably are cheaper options with proportionately cheaper results.

Charles - I tend to disagree. Unfortunately this is not a Skyhawk. The fuel system in this model, consists of no less than 10 pumps that can fail, 6 tanks that can leak, a multitude of lines, valves and fittings that can break, leak or become clogged. There are also torque tubes, gear motors, hydraulics, etc for the gear. There are relays, cable harnesses, switches, etc that can short out. You have wing spars, pressure bulkheads and other places that can crack and render this old bird unflyable. All you need to do is look at the various system diagrams, and you will quickly realize there are many things that could fail and spoil your nice VFR day trip other than a broken piston rod.

So, it is not just the engines that you have to worry about on these aircraft. Avionics are probably the only thing that does not matter.

As it happened, I discovered a fuel pump failure in flight! It was exciting initially, but once I moved to plan B was a non-event. In most situations, you can have 9 of these pumps fail without significant safety effect on VFR flight. I know this, in part, because I've been in the process of fixing several of mine.

I didn't say it was a Skyhawk, but you can probably maintain a 421 on something approaching Baron costs if the goal is to have VFR capability for a few years then part the plane out.

True Charles, but I just wanted to make sure the OP understood this is not an airplane that can be flown until it breaks - unless you like adrenaline rushes. The other thing that also needs to be budgeted and cannot be overlooked, especially in less than optimal aircraft, is maintenance for the pilot. An old jalopy like this will do everything it can to kill you when you least expect it and you have to keep your skills sharp by attending recurrent training every year without exception.

In your example, I am sure the training you have received allowed you to troubleshoot and deal with a situation that would surely turn sour if you did not know what you were doing or were on top of your game.

Ouch. It makes sense I suppose given the raw size of the project but MAN.

Ouch. It makes sense I suppose given the raw size of the project but MAN.

I was looking at older Cessna citations and wondering if this would work. Kind of a sad ending for the airframe, but from a financial investment perspective compared to a $3-4M initial investment, it at least passes the first look test.

KJ

I agree - fly it until it is junk. With that said, what do you do when you crack a case on one of the engines? Do you put $50k into that engine or dump the plane? What if it happens 10 hours after you buy it?

The best way to play this game is not to play the game to start with. You do not win either way. It is a 43 year old pressurized twin that was originally built to last maybe 20-years or so.

I don't worry about it killing me. I worry about dispatch reliability. Nothing worse than sitting on the ramp after loading bags and people only to have a failed "fill in the blank."

There are some airplanes you could get for free and still loose your ass on, a 400 series Cessna is high on that list. The market for salvage aircraft is strong when the market for the model is strong, the 400 series Cessna market is more than flacid for other than premium aircraft.

As stated complex aircraft, expensive systems, poorly maintained examples can be a bargin hunters death trap. Lunch an engine and your on the hook to disassemble and truck it to a salvage yard. There are lots of them in salvage yards.

How about a Westwind, had a customer with a nice example, could not sell it, it had MSP coverage on the engines ( hourly coverage for O/H ). Salvage company stated the would take if brought to them. Operator says what about the engines on MSP, salvage yard replies, I have a stack of them, no demand, no value.

You want a complex high performance aircraft at a bargin price, you want fill the seats with family and friends and commit aviation. Aviation has enough hazards when you cut no corners, your theory maximizes the risks and marginalizes the rewards.

Put safety in front of your budget.

After 25 years of flying older stuff that was complex as well I decided to buy something newer, faster, more fuel efficient. For this, I have to sacrifice seats and lose pressurization, but it is very satisfying to know that my machine is not likely to break, the autopilot and avionics is 2013 technology, and everything on the plane is readily available and is cheap in aviation terms.