Vixen

[av8rbc]

Hi there everyone

I'm new to this forum. I'm looking at a Vixen for sale, at 590 hrs, with a 912-80 Rotax. He is asking $28K. Given that everything is in decent shape, is this a good price?

John McBean told me that there is little difference in performance between the Vixen and the Series 7. Your thoughts? And what, if anything, can be done to retrofit/improve the Vixen.

Thanks,

Gary

[kmach]

Hi,
That seems to be a decent price, or in the range area . Do you have more details or any pictures? Allot depends on extras and avionics in the panel .

[jtpitkin06]

If you are not into building. Then buy it and fly it.


The price is irrelevant. It’s worth what you are willing to pay for it. If you buy the worst handling underpowered airplane and you get the best deal in the world, you will still be unhappy with it.


If you pay an average or slightly above price and you love the airplane then the price quickly fades into hours of joy flying it.


You can make your own assessment as to what a fair price is. Kits are about 20K. Add to that an engine for another 20K and then a panel for who knows what. To build it yourself will cost north of $50K. and likely take a few years.


So a flying Kitfox with a mid-time engine offered at $28K sounds like a super bargain to me.


As a side note... in the matter of experimental aircraft sales psychology. I never understand the builder that sinks $50K into his airplane for just the parts, counts his labor as nothing and sells the airplane for $28K.
Imagine doing a frame up restoration on a 1963 Corvette. Spend $50k on the resto and then sell it for $28K. Not a chance. Someone might get a steal at $45K but the $28K would be just an opening bid. I guess aircraft builders think very little of their efforts.


But hey, there’s always another airplane out there for half of what it is truly worth.


To summarize: Buy it, fly it and go for a hamburger. Drop into Elmer Johnson’s mountain top strip for a campout fly-in weekend, Fly into Memphis to take in some great music downtown. Let the controllers figure out what to do with a 60 knot airplane on final with 37 Fedex airplanes backed up behind you.


The $28 K? It is like putting money in a coffee can. You’ll get it all back in ten years
John Pitkin

[DesertFox4]

The $28 K? It is like putting money in a coffee can. You’ll get it all back in ten years

Depends on the aircraft John.


I've seen this one up close.
My opinion, needs a total rebuild.

[Paul Z]

It’s like putting money in a coffee can only if you take care of it, and when you decided to sell it it is in good shape. I’ve looked at one that Cruise was 85 at best, I also looked at one that was needing recovered. Look before you leap, and fly them, before you buy!

[Marvk7]

I've researched this aircraft myself. Call his A&P in Tracy and really look at the plane, it has not had any maintenance done in the years it has been flying.. It has sealant peeling off in the tanks which the owner doesn't feel is a problem. I agree with desert fox 4

[Esser]

Realistic cost of building in Canada:

I say buy that plane and fix what ever you need top fix or upgrade because if you want to build a new one it's going to work out something like this:

The kit base price is just over 20,000 lets call it 20 for simple math. Plus you want options like Cabin heat, quick build wings(The plane you are looking at has quick quick build wings), profiled tail, dual brakes etc.

Options: $7,000

You then need to ship it to you. Being in BC it won't but too bad but to ship to Ontario I paid almost 3,500.

Then you have to pay tax. Both GST and PST being in BC. The tax on my kit was $3,143.38

So you are sitting at about $34,000 and you haven't even bought the tools you are going to need to build it not to mention the time. Tack on an engine for about $25,000 (The dollar is falling), your instruments $5,000-$10,000 depending on how fancy you want to get and your paint. At least a couple thousand in material.

With the plane you are looking at (I haven't seen it) you have a fully built plane for $28,000 with engine and instruments. Buy the plane, strip the fabric, replace the the tanks, fix what you need to sell your 912UL engine and buy a 912ULS or what ever you want and you can have yourself a bit of building fun and a newly covered and fixed up plane for about $25,000 less than to build it yourself not to mention personal time investment.

I build because I like building. But if I wanted a plane that flew, I would just buy one.

My .02

[jtpitkin06]

Whether buying an airplane, car, or house... assessing the value always depends on getting a prebuy inspection. If we take that $50K airplane and it's listed at $28. there usually is a reason. Some of the owners on this site have seen this airplane and it may not be in the best of shape. OK... so get it inspected and do some horse trading; or, pass on it and look for another that doesn't need work.

But chances are, if you adjust the price on any airplane with the present condition considered and make the required repairs, you will get your initial investment out in ten years. Cessna 150's on the used market were once selling for $4K. They are now $16 to $23K+. Used Kitfoxes were once selling in the low teens. They are now in the high $20's to low $30's. The coffee can is still valid. But note that a coffee can doesn't pay any interest unless you are digging up those mint condition gold coins in the California foothills.

Now, maybe if you bury the Kitfox for 100 years. Hmmm...

John Pitkin

[HighWing]

Depends on the aircraft John.


I've seen this one up close.
My opinion, needs a total rebuild.

For what it's worth, I know this airplane as well. I wonder what constitutes a total rebuild. Granted the airplane has seen some time and to my understanding it has not been hangared in its lifetime, but also believe it has suffered no structural damage in its history. i have flown alongside it on several occasions and know a bit of the history of the builder and consider him a friend. It likely needs recovering, but a total rebuild?

[Paul Z]

Nice looking bird, I do like the Vixen.