A Pacer would be a great bang for the buck if you can find a good one. Since the market doesn't love them, they don't seem to get as much TLC and care as other vintage taildraggers.

A friend had a 180hp Pacer that climbed like a rocket. He put slightly oversized tires on it (not tundra tires, but maybe something like 8.00x6) and still had a pretty good cruise speed.

How 'bout a Piper Clipper? Looks like a fun VFR airplane. Or you could get an early 172 with the O-300 and the venturies in that price range.

Not too interested in a 172. As far as an IFR travel airplane goes I’m able to rent a 182RG for far less than I can own anything comparable, so something like the Mooney suggested earlier has too much overlap for me there.

I appreciate the Piper suggestions, it appears they will certainly be a bit less underpowered if I find one with an O-320; I see cruise speed is still a bit lacking compared to some of these slick EABs.

Sounds like you are leaning toward experimental, but a Cessna 170 series would be a good step up. Still a lot of support for C145/O-300 series engines, and they are just "modern" enough that most mechanics are familiar with them. Airframe and systems are simple and easy to maintain. I think less than 10 AD's, with only one being a recurring AD (seat tracks and seat pin engagement).

Swap for an 0-200?

This is an option, but I’m not sure the market is where I need it to be to make the step right now. Definitely a lot of type knowledge transferable from 120/140 to 170 thought, so I wouldn’t be going in blind.

If the only problem with the 120 is performance, the O-200 STC might be the best best. There’s certainly a used market for the original engine to offset the cost.

Cessna 170s are getting a little pricey too. The only one on trade a plane is a $150k bush flying beast with all the mods. (I don’t know if they’ll get that. It seems to be priced for the cost of the the use grades, not a reasonable market value.)

This would help with takeoff and climb performance, certainly. Cruise gains would be negligible though; I’ve found that the local sightseeing circuit can only be flown so many times and at 85 knots the options for a burger run are limited.

I was always impressed by the performance the Pacer gets for the price. It’s similar to a 172, but basically designed like a 30s plane.

It seems like a big engine version of what I have now. I’m doing some additional research on them.

This isn’t a hard requirement but there is a part of me that has always wanted something tandem with a stick. It seems that may be difficult to find in this market segment, though.

I fly my pacer, Charlie, all over the country.

Climb is over 1000fpm even when it's hot, as long as there's only two of us in there.

PA-22/20-150 means a conversion to TW from tri-pacer with 150hp o-320.

I have the climb prop on and 8.5s, so I'm cruising at 100 KTAS. A cruise prop and smaller wheels will give you 110KTAS without firewalling everything.

Not the fastest plane in the world, but big capability. Bought for 29k, put 5k in. Saw a nice clean pacer go for 30k 2 wks ago, and one for 80k with an IFR panel. Lots of variation in price. Lack of supply has created weird demand for pacers.

Clipper is a pacer without a back seat, so is a colt. Both are also good options. Take the back seats out of your pacer and have a huge baggage compartment without feeling obligated to take people with you and degrade your performance. FYI I have been at gross with 4 adults in plane and still performs fine, just lands faster.

If experimental: buy a bearhawk patrol and be happy.

-J

There are some 115 hp Citabrias (7ECA) in reasonable condition that might be close to your price point. Here is one I saw : http://www.mauleairtexas.com/aircraft/l ... ECA&id=432

It will be a decent performer with two onboard. I think typical empty weight is around 1100 lbs with a gross weight of 1650. The wing spar on any early Citabria with the wood spar should be inspected by someone with good knowledge of Citabrias.
Mark

I vote PA-16 Clipper. Cheap, simple, but with control sticks and sporty handling by reputation. I have not flown one. You can find theM with O-320’s.

Point me to the source of those sub-$40k Patrols and I'll buy three.

Point me to the source of those sub-$40k Patrols and I'll buy three.