Username Protected wrote:
It's all about the builder in the end
Not really true at the Evo/Epic/LX7 end of the market, what really matters is which shop was used, both for the initial build assistance and the maintenance. I only know of a couple of Evo builders who built without a shop, and none for the Epic or the LX7, and Evo owners rely on shops for ongoing maintenance so much that LancairTalk kicked us off for not buying from the site's sponsor. Builders working with a shop provide labor, but the shop's knowledge, guidance and oversight are key to the ultimate quality of the build. A shop makes or breaks its reputation from the quality of the workmanship they let go out their door, no matter who's the builder.
Of course, the first step is a thorough pre-buy by a
knowledgeable shop. With no published shop manual to refer to, you're reliant on the shop's experience of what to look for, and how much it would cost to bring it up to your, and their, standards.