I've had the pleasure of getting to know the AOPA ambassador for my area / region. Great guy, full of great stories, and has been a huge help to me as I begin my little aviation business. Twice he's even come in to the HS where I sponsor the aviation club and he's spoken to the parents and students. Solid guy... Last month he told me directly that he knows 3 DPEs in his turf (which is larger than his business card says) who refuse to give checkrides in Cherokees. Refuse... I may not agree with those DPEs (nor does the AOPA ambassador) but Piper and the Cherokees are taking a massive reputation hit.

If your airplane was a Bo or a Cessna, I wouldn't worry too much if the price was right and the missing logs were early and there are plenty of good entries in good recent logs. Even the Arrow I wouldn't worry too much if the spars and everything were checked... but here's the gotcha... I wouldn't pay a dime for it unless it was my "last airplane" because unfortunately the market value of the Arrow may never come back. Not right or fair, but quite possibly just the way it is. Buy it ONLY if you want to keep it.

The biggest problem with the Arrow (and 172RG) is that they existed primarily to serve as complex trainers. The FAA just legislated that out of existence. The pilot mill path doesn't need a RG single anymore. Put your hardhat on, falling values ahead.

I'm going to chime in here and try not to look like a fool.

Back when we were buying new airplanes and "used" meant five or ten years old and maybe 1500 hours, the "subtle" differences between brands was a negligible issue. "the times they are a changing". Today those airplanes are approaching the forty and fifty year mark or more. They have been owned by a LOT of people and exposed to "lord only knows what" ham fisted abuse and maintenance.

I hate to say this, but I have become wary of many of Piper's products. I was asked to give BFR in a Cherokee about six years ago. I really didn't want to and went out to look at the airplane several days before we were scheduled to fly. One aileron hinge was hanging by not much more than paint. It was flimsy when it started out new so what else could have happened?

Facts are facts. Piper did a whole lot of "get by" engineering on their low end products. That includes Comanches IMO. I've read accident reports on them where stuff just fell off.

Damn, I hate to be saying what I'm saying, but I've pretty much ruled the Piper singles out as something I would fly in.

The marginal differences in quality when new or almost new are huge differences forty and fifty years later.

On the other hand, I would not worry for a second about taking a solid 1960 Bonanza airframe, going through it with a fine tooth comb, then spending $150,000 to make it a new airplane.
In fact, I just did that with a Cessna 180.

Sorry if I offended anyone or came across as a know it all opinionated A.Hole, but that is how I feel.

Jg

John you didn't come across opinionated at all

Thank goodness.

Jg

I'll slide off in the pit with you and say that unfortunately you are right,, this isn't manufacturer preference... Ford vs Chevy. The three main US manufacturers delivered very different levels of quality.

Beechcraft
Cessna
Piper

In that order.

I love the Cherokee 235 (Dakota) but it isn't the quality of a 182... not even close.

If I bought a piston airplane today it would probably be a Twin Comanche... is it as good of an airplane as a Baron? Hell no.

I don't hate Piper, but John is right, small differences years ago are large differences today.

Unless we are talking J3 Cub... that sucker is legit

I own a '46 Cub.

Jg

An old Piper Arrow with turbo charging, 7,000 hours and 18 years of missing logs. The only worse would be a T tail arrow.

Don’t walk, RUN from this problem.

The model number the OP stated IS a T-tailed Arrow.

Chip - It is a shame that Grumman American and Grumman Gulfstream didn't make any more planes. I absolutely love flying the Cougar.

...but nothing beats the TravelAir as a trainer or the KingAir 90 as the first business turboprop. My first KingAir flight was great because it flew a lot like the TravelAir. I really believe that the TravelAir was built to train pilots for the KingAir even though Beech didn't realize that they did that until the mid-60s.

Not +1... +1000

Let’s slide open this canopy and slip right into this tank! What a machine!

Never flew the Cougar but did fly a Cheetah and loved it!

Not +1... +1000

Let’s slide open this canopy and slip right into this tank! What a machine!

Never flew the Cougar but did fly a Cheetah and loved it!

The log books for my C55 Baron began with "reassembled aircraft...... Followed by about 20 pages of log book entries regarding the things that went into the resurrection of the airplane. The next 10 pages were what we did in the first and second annual inspections. The initial entries were made in 1989. From 1966 to 1989 the plane had been based in Sweden and then returned to the USA in about 1985. I was able to do enough research to get comfortable with where the plane had been. The 1990 log entry was done by a warbirds restoration shop in Florida who bought the plane at a Federal seizure auction. It wound up on the block when the shop owner got killed in another airplane. I owned that plane for 21 years and over that time probably changed just about everything on the plane. I wrote 3 articles for ABS magazine about the life of that plane which ended in a crash in 2011. Anyhow the point is, logs can be reassembled over time and become even less important the longer the plane is well cared for. I never had to sell the plane since the insurance company bought it from me for a previously agreed price. I came out with enough to buy another project Coincidentally, I just mailed the logs to the insurance company after the conclusion of a lengthy litigation this week I think what is most important is that the plane must be a desirable model that has a good potential market, and that the log book gaps can be explained

E

Years ago I operated a AA-5B tiger and being able to slide that canopy back on taxi to get a little breeze going was great! Takeoff was a bakeoff at 95F in Savannah but opening that canopy after getting out of the pattern was a breath of fresh air!

...just remember to yawn before you slide the canopy forward for the descent and landing.

The Cougar, Cheetah, and Tiger were fantastic aircraft. Being a 220lb pilot I really enjoyed the Tiger over the Cheetah and Traveler; the Tiger had an extra 200 pounds to play with.

As for the twin, I also liked how high up the Cougar sat versus the Twinkie. Unfortunately there were less than 200 produced and I could never find a good one for sale before I put the Twinkie in pre-buy and then bough the TravelAir.

I bought, flew and successfully sold a great plane that was missing an old logbook.

I sold it to a close friend who had flown in it extensively, and would contemplate buying it back someday.

But, if you are contemplating a plane with missing logbooks, you must have thick skin, because when you go to sell it there are people who will treat you like you are trying to give them a communicable disease.

Best

Tim