The International Cessna 170 Association

There is a Beech coming up in an Auction and I need to know about the plane. How fast do they fly? Are they good planes? What are they worth?

NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE (Highest Bidder)
County Courthouse
1971 Beech 58 ME
Engines Log: 800 hrs. since re-builts installed
Installed two Io 520 CB3BR rebuilts in 1997
Airframe Time: 3839
New Paint: 1997
Vortex Generators Installed: 1991

EQUIPMENT:
Century 111 Autopilot
King KT 76 A Transponder
Glidescope KA –75
Garmin GNC 300 Navigation System – GPS, VOR, ILS, Receiver
Garmin GNC 530 Navigation System
Garmin 340 Audio Panel
Encoder KT 76A
King KR 86
Com: MX 170 B
AW 162 GX Satellite Radio
BFG Radar

You already know the answer to this.
Condition - Condition - Condition.
It's a fast (185 kts) little airplane that can seat 6, and burns 30 gph ($120/hour) of 100LL, and $8K/year in inspections IF...it's in good shape (doubtful if up for auction.) My first annual (done on the cheap) for my Baron was $11K.
The KR86 is a throwaway ADF. The "radar" isn't. (It's a Stormscope.)
The dual Garmin 530's are cool. Color GPS/Com/VOR/GS combinations. (No DME.)
Run an appraisal on Trade-A-Plane and deduct about 20% for a true value (if in good condition, and IF ... you can get all the logs....doubtful if up for auction.)

I'm quiet sure it's in excellent shape. My friend that sent me the notice is a partner in it. They put the new paint and engines in it and have had it hangered all this time. All but one partner has wanted to sell it for 3 yrs. That partner has enjoyed having it to himself all this time. I'd bet the one partner will be on the court house steps.

The 185kts got me excited! The 30 gph and expensive annuals let the steam out however!

Well, I'll go look at it and take pics when I get home. Then go to the court house steps and make sure they don't give it away! Wonder how hard they are to resale?

I havn't found a 58 ME anywhere though. Is ME correct?

They have excellent re-sale possibilities. Sounds like it's become involved in either a bank foreclosure or a partnership breakup dispute. If you can keep it quiet so the entire www doesn't find out about it, then you stand to make a good deal, if it's a clean airplane. (But you'll probably have to take the risk of your cash being exposed to loss while you remarket it. (Insurance willl be important while you have it in inventory.) Professional aircraft brokers are a real dog-eat-dog business who have floorplan financing/insurance arrangements with their banks. But YOU will likely have real cash up at risk.)

A 58 Baron is a great plane and the BMW or Mercedes of the sky. They burn lots of gas and like a lot of light twins their resale value is going DOWN. You can now buy a 58 Baron for about the same price as a similar year and equipped 36 Bonanza. They are great airplanes and it is now a buyers market for them. Who knows what the future holds but as for value, the past 5 years has been more harsh on these machines than the rest of the GA fleet.

Thanks for the feedback! It will be interesting to see what it goes for. I have a friend that's wanting a twin, so I'm going to see if he wants to look at it with me. I like investments, not devestments, so it would have to be a great deal. I've got it book valued at around $130 on paper. Thanks again!

The topic is to tell you about a Beech, but the mfr has less to do with it than the fact it has it's available horsepower divided into two engines. It will eat up more money, faster than it flies. Trust me.
I own a 170 because having thought a Travel Air would be virtually as affordable as my C206, I went around spending money looking at corroded Travel Airs and stumbled across a Baron that I imagined only burned only a little more than a Travel Air and went a lot faster. It did. It went thru money a LOT faster.
You can get within about 10% of direct expenses of any airplane by multiplying hourly fuel costs by two. C-170 = (8 gph X $4) X 2 = $64.
Baron = (30 gph X 4) X 2 = $240.
Add hangar, insurance, and annual expenses and you'll have spent enough money in two years that you'll be wistful of the days when you thought $64/hr flying was affordable.