Advice on first steps after buying an older J?

[BlueSky247]

Thanks all for the pointers and hard-won experiences. I am for sure planning to hold  off any major items to start with. 
 

I just got through reading Jimmy’s valuation guide and learned a lot. I had a chuckle at his example of not buying a 78 and throwing the entire catalog at it. 

 

Looking forward to hopefully bringing her home soon. 

[ArtVandelay]

I just got through reading Jimmy’s valuation guide and learned a lot. I had a chuckle at his example of not buying a 78 and throwing the entire catalog at it.

I understand the logic, but if we only used logic we probably wouldn’t have bought an airplane in the first place.

[Tx_Aggie]

4 year J owner here. Spend the next 12 months learning what you have. There will be things that come up along the way but you bought a J presumably for its speed and efficiency. Learn how it cruises, practice your takeoffs and landings, practice greasing the landings etc. enjoy the great plane it is before spending additional $$ on new stuff. The time for that will come later. 

[BlueSky247]

@Tx_Aggie Much appreciated! You are absolutely right, of course. The plane already has the same transponder and gps nav I am used to from the school's fleet, so I for sure should be able to get a lot of $100 hamburgers, etc as it is now.  

 

After lots more mulling things over and waiting on the buying process to creep along, I'm thinking the comms(and some kind of EM) will be the first to update when the time comes. Everything should be working now but some of that gear is downright crusty and I'd rather pre-emptively get that potential time bomb addressed. Radios aren't as expensive to upgrade, right? Right? 

 

Also - I'm one of those guys that don't have a strong preference for glass or steam gauges. After looking into the gi275's more, I think that could be a great way to maintain the plane's character and a more timeless look. (Now watch me do a g3x anyway.) 

 

Thanks again for all the feedback. Really helps out.