Never having to do a weight and balance.
A door on the pilot's side.
Being able to walk from the front of the plane to the back without going around the wing.
Lots of storage in the hangar under the wing.
Not standing in the sun.
Not standing in the rain.
Never having to crawl on a wing and then down into the cockpit.
Not having to reach under that monstrosity of a yoke to reach the gear or flaps.
Never crawling on the ground to drain the sumps.

These are just some of the things that have come to mind as I am transitioning from a 210 to a Baron.

78 or later if you can afford it. Back 2 seats cramped but will accommodate very small adults. Hard to overload or out of envelope. Fast. Stable but heavy, particularly in pitch. The P210 is very capable but the last model made is the best by far and the prices reflect.

FWIW, I would take an early BE36 over just about any 210. Just my preference.

Never having to do a weight and balance.
A door on the pilot's side.
Being able to walk from the front of the plane to the back without going around the wing.
Lots of storage in the hangar under the wing.
Not standing in the sun.
Not standing in the rain.
Never having to crawl on a wing and then down into the cockpit.
Not having to reach under that monstrosity of a yoke to reach the gear or flaps.
Never crawling on the ground to drain the sumps.

These are just some of the things that have come to mind as I am transitioning from a 210 to a Baron.

I could add a few more items to the list, but some of the natives seem restless... Personal preferences with golf clubs, girl friends, politics and airplanes require treading with respect....

I've flown my T210L model for ~4,000 hrs and it has been the perfect airplane for my needs. Everyone has to find a plane that suits their mission. I wanted speed, high payload with good CG, ability to fly at high altitude, a stable instrument platform and fuel for long legs. My missions back then included the desire to do NYC, Maine and Florida with five people and a big dog with one fuel stop, all ROP in those days. Eastbound, wind and wx dependent, those trips are very doable. Westbound is a crapshoot and usually requires a second fuel stop due to winds. (I know that's making some have to pee just reading it, but it worked for my family.). Nowadays a long trip is a 5 1/2 hr leg westbound to NorCal,

I keep the middle row seat behind the pilot out for ice chests and gear stacked to the headliner for Lake Powell trips. With the seat out, loading 3 Mtn bikes is made reasonably easy. (A36/C206 style barn doors would be nice for loading bikes) A seat out makes ingress/egress for far rear seat passengers no problem also.

Before your purchase, I also would recommend John Frank's book. CPA as a viable online forum suffered after John died. Most of the experienced 210 drivers moved over to the forums at the free Cessna Pilots Society. A question posted there would be met with answers from some real long time airplane gearheads. Paul New is also a knowledgeable resource and offers 3 day courses that are 210 specific. If you're serious about 210s, contact him, as I think there is one more course offered this year. It is a complete review of systems and operations. I would highly recommend that you consider a turbo, L model or later, roughly '71 or later with 28v electric hydraulic gear. Have a very knowledgeable 210 shop do a complete annual as a prebuy....key word "knowledgeable". The number of excellent 210s continues to shrink and can be hard to find one worthy of consideration. The engine hp went from 285hp to 310 in 77. Gear doors came off in '79. Many have upgraded engines. I have 45 hours on a new RAM STC 310 hp upgrade with the Hartzel scimitar prop. My old engine was at TBO with no major illnesses in its run, but was timed out due to the ECI cylinder AD. Maintain the airplane with a good shop. I still have, and like, gear doors. Other than a few failed micro switches over the years, I have found them easy to maintain, and the troubles you hear about are over exaggerated if they are maintained by a knowledgeable shop. The turbo has never been an extra expense except to rebuild/replace at engine OH time, but like any high performance turboed plane, hamfisted operators should not apply. For flight in the west US, its a no brainer to have FL capability if needed with the turbo. My model year L has a service ceiling of 28.5k. My usual altitudes, other than the hamburger run, are usually done between 14 and 18k, but I've had numerous occasions where I needed the low 20's for wx, with the highest I've flown it being FL260 for a short time. Put an oxygen trans filling system in your hangar for a few hundred bucks, buy some quality oximizer cannulas and needle valves and enjoy flight up where it's cool for little inconvenience....even my dog has a mask he hates, but wears by bribing with milk bones.

Good luck in your search, be it a 36 or 210. Feel free to PM if you want more info.

^^^^^^Great post!!!

What sort of speeds do u see?

@Scott...On the past -H engine, I used 162k on the flight plan to be conservative, but between 12 and 16K at 65% power LOP, I saw closer to 170 ish loaded. Running 75% well ROP during breakin and pending correction of a 1 gph GAMI delta, I'm in the low 170's. The 25 extra hp in the -R variant of the TSIO-520 is limited to 5 minutes at takeoff. For cruise, it's still 285, so once I have the GAMIs fine tuned and go back to LOP ops, I'm not expecting much if any speed increase. Hartzel intimates a slight increase with the scimitar prop that I'm guessing will be about equal to the speed increase from cleaning the bugs off the windshield. It is sexy looking standing still though.

I fly a NA 210L. The other comments are pretty much spot on. I chose the L model because it's got the newer airframe configuration which I wanted. I was looking for an M but this plane became available. I knew it's owner, maintenance history, and the shop that maintained it, and that all gave me confidence that I was getting a good specimen. It was a good choice, it has been reliable. I do also think good 210s are getting harder to find.

I see about 160 LOP and usually fly between 5000-10,000. I have not had any significant gear issues in the 12 years I've had it. I was bitten by the AD on the ECI Titan cylinders and am currently having a factory reman 520 installed (a long story). I mostly fly up and down the east coast and didn't think the turbo was necessary, although there are occasional days the additional altitude capability would get me out of some weather or turbulence.

I have also removed the 2nd row seat behind the pilot and enjoy the room it provides which I usually use for dog crates. As I get older, I also really like the 2 doors, and in the future I'm sure I'll appreciate not having to climb up on the wing to get in.

It is a bit heavy on the controls, but I think makes the plane more stable. I also occasionally fly a Cirrus SR22 and the feel and sight picture is quite different. The 210 panel is pretty high, but it has a generous radio stack in the center of the panel which I also prefer.

I like all planes, and the 210 is a great plane if it fits your mission and other criteria.

Never having to do a weight and balance.
A door on the pilot's side.
Being able to walk from the front of the plane to the back without going around the wing.
Lots of storage in the hangar under the wing.
Not standing in the sun.
Not standing in the rain.
Never having to crawl on a wing and then down into the cockpit.
Not having to reach under that monstrosity of a yoke to reach the gear or flaps.
Never crawling on the ground to drain the sumps.

These are just some of the things that have come to mind as I am transitioning from a 210 to a Baron.

I flew a T210N back in my pt135 days. Two big cabin doors, high wing, roomy cabin, range, speed, and great load capacity. There's a lot to like about it.

It would carry ~850lbs of stuff with a >200lb pilot and full tanks. I took it above 20,000' once to take advantage of a tailwind and ATC started calling me a Citation.

I knew of the 210’s reputation of being a Maintenance pig. I told my friend he was crazy to buy one. ‘64.

He bought it. It ate his walllet out of aviation. It was sad to watch. He sold it 1.5 years later. Very best day of his ownership.

Watch out for the hydraulic gear, very expensive parts

I’m not trying to be subtle or neutral.

Mj

Obviously he did not perform a thorough pre buy and got stuck with a Lemmon ! I’ve owned my T210N for 15 years. For people worried about the gear mine has 2,880 total hours and has not had one gear malfunction ever (6000 plus cycles). Maintenance has been predictable and very low. It will carry anything you can put in it which is allot and will never complain. It flies at 183 knots tAS at 14,000 and up to 195 at fl 200. Parts are less expensive than Beechcraft and anybody of any age can climb in. My hangar neighbor has a f33 and a e55 and he is amazed at what I load and where I fly. He says there is no way any of his planes can pull that off.

Outside of my Husky (which is a pretty simple aircraft with “few moving parts”) I’d say our old ‘68 T210 was the LEAST maintenance intensive aircraft I’ve ever seen. Feed it and fly it.

1962 210B was approx $2863 a year last renewal. At time of application I listed 165.2 Hours PIC, 8.5 hours of which were in the 210. The insurance company required an additional 15 hours dual with instructor and 10 hours solo to carrying passengers. Details of coverage for comparison / reference below.

Approved Uses: Pleasure and Business
Aircraft Liability: $1,000,000 each occurrence limited to $100,000 per passenger
Aircraft Medical Payments: $5,000 each person
Aircraft Physical Damage: Ground and Flight
$27,200 hull value
Physical Damage Deductibles: $0 in motion $0 not in motion
Open Pilot Warranty:
(other than Named Pilots)

Any private pilot or better having an instrument rating
having a minimum of 750 total logged hours as pilot in
command, including 250 hours in retractable gear
aircraft and at least 25 hours in the make and model.

I've had my '79 T210N for 12 years & 1500+ hrs. I like all planes (well lets say most). But as others have said it depends on your mission. Mine has worked very well for our family. Big loads, going far distances (I have tip tanks for total fuel of 120 gallons), stable, (I like the Heavy controls), 180+TAS mid teens, are all common points. Parts haven't been a problem but I've realized each year takes a few more phone calls and $$. Stay ahead with maintenance and its not bad. Have Paul New's number in your phone for questions and/or concerns-awesome guy!
Insurance for me is $1800 for 165K hull. I keep a middle seat out and that helps with passenger load/unload and comfort traveling. Its just not the same as a A36. I wouldn't ride in the back seats of 210. Needs 206 door.
I love F33's-but I like to carry payload (I'm a terrible packer) and not worry about CG.
Cessna's materials for the early interiors are terrible compared to Beech!!

SPM

210's are 5-7 kts slower than the Bonanza with the same HP.