A Supercub complements a Bonanza- it does not detract or compete in any way.

A side note, a PA-12 is a good airplane but it is not a Supercub. PA-12's have a different angle of incidence (as did my PA-14) that make them take off and land a little different from an PA-18. The other issue with PA-12's is that they all so modified that each individual airframe is different from the next. A stock PA-12 had 108 hp (I think?) and no flaps. Better to buy a Supercub than a PA-12 modified to be a Supercub.

Whatever you do keep the Bo. I LOVE the Carbon Cub but man it's slow. I will either add a fast aircraft to the fleet or switch up soon.

AG

If I tried Stan's shoe argument on my wife, she'd respond: "All of my shoes fit me. Can you fit in a Super Cub?"

Hmmm Stan,

May I use your justification with my better half?
TBM
C185
C195

Still lusting after others...
Planes that is

.....as he shuffled off muttering to himself.

you do not buy a Cub for speed…

just wanted to have that said…..

Think about a j-3 with a c-85 or c-90. A lot less money and the same amount of fun. I've had mine for over 20 years, just redid the motor last year and converted it to a 85 stroker. It takes of sooner than a stock super-cub.

Stu: What a great quandary to have. It is obvious that all your responders are impassioned, as am I, about Cubs.

I was weaned on Cubs and 180's; so I feel I can add my $0.02 to the other's thoughts; hoping be of some assistance in your quest. (During my childhood, the planes were tools that shaped wild, expansive cattle ranches in the Northern Mexican Sierra Madre into productive enterprises).

There was something magical about the Cub... To touch the fabric on the side of the fuselage and feel it give just a bit, and to realize that the whole of it would actually levitate me over the earth, deeply encroached the PA-18 gauge needle into my aviator's veins.
There was something hormonally potent about the 180: Flying in the back seat at age 6, I recall deeply inhaling the heady aroma of upholstery, the sweat of hard-working men, saddles, race-horse oats, and Faro cigarettes smoked by the Spaniard pilot... and I was indelibly branded by the "Jantzen" style of Cessna emblem, deep into my aviator's soul.

I think you should get the best Cub you can find. If you don't mind solitude, it is a great plane to take you to some beautiful places, but any kind of cargo will preclude the presence of that beautiful lady in your Avatar. Once you get lonely enough, progress to the 180. Many of the BT brothers will agree that it is the best thing going: Not excellent at any one particular thing, but good at everything. I keep mine not only for sentimental reasons, but because it is a loyal friend and servant, rarely demanding of anything other than common sense, and has had me from Alaska to Costa Rica, and from Seattle to Key West. Of course, my Baron still does great work for the family and I, but when it comes down to the "last one", It will be like a man and his horse... the 180.

To round out the stable, and true to the tenet of "Right hand on the stick and left on the throttle," quench your temptation to roll that Bonanza with the possession of an iconic Pitts Special.... It will bring out the best in you.
I am taking the liberty of attaching some pictures, trusting they will bring your vision into sharper focus.

TN

Tom,
Beautiful planes and what a tribute via post to two great legendary steads!! Stu it only gets more difficult.

Don did mine last year. Not an o200. He is awesome mine dyno out at 105 hp. Swinging a 74 inch sea property

Tanks, Chuck. Also for inviting JGG, another 180 driver, over our way.

TN

I'll second that Chuck..

Tom, great planes….you are complicating the issues in a serious way in this thread…one classic after the other...

Tom, that's lovely. I could see a 180 being the last to go.

"Taste" is a very personal thing, redheads, blonds, brunettes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Tom's 180, which I have only seen in pictures, is my hands down choice of the prettiest 180 I have ever seen.

Period.

Jgreen

Stuart,

Here is truly the "bottom line" on Cubs. First, you can "ease" into it. You can buy a stock 65 horse or a decked out Top Cub; the choices are endless. Buy a Cub that has value for its price which opens the lower end. Fly it and then decide how much Cub you want. The driving factor for your "first" Cub should be value and resale.

Truth is, you are going to be seriously constrained by what is available.

Now, one warning: when you go to sell, you will sell it quickly, but your calls with run the gam met of "plane talkers". Half not knowing a Cub from a Tub and all wanting somebody to give them an airplane.

Good luck.

Jgreen