our Civil Aviation Safety Authority has mandated that perfectly serviceable Cessna aircraft should be subject to .......... Supplemental Inspection Document - or SIDs - requirements for Cessna 100 series aircraft used in private operations.
I did not know that, thanks for the update! Generally, I have found the Cessna SID's to be wise information, though I agree that they could be overly burdensome (very costly). I'm presently involved in aging aircraft programs for the 182 and cantilever 210 Cessnas. The 210s are taking a hit. 'Problem is that though the SID's are correctly identifying
what should be inspected, I'm finding that the
how, and
how to rectify seem to have been written by people (at Cessna, I'm presuming) who don't seem to know the planes very well. The 210 SID's and Service Bulletins, though correct in what to look for, are poorly thought out as to how to do it, and how to quantify the defects found. The kit for the C 182 wing strut carry through, and accompanying drawings have errors, which could lead to troubled, or misinstallation. I'm undertaking an approval project to correct this.
Ultimately, yes, buyer beware, or you could have a lawn ornament. More and more now, people buying legacy airplanes must consider how they will fly out the value, because it may not be there at resale time. Historically, you could buy a decent plane, fly it, and maybe even make a profit selling it - not any more! Getting to fly it is the profit!
As for the Arrow, in my recent repair approval projects on Cherokee series Pipers, there have been factory induced challenges. Parts simply not available, and never to be, numerous models for which there is no criteria for negligible damage (Cessna is really good about this), so even minor skin damage (like hail) on a Cherokee series could require skin replacement if interpreted harshly by the maintainer. Buyers really have to know the plane they're considering buying, and know how it can be supported in the near term. The long term will be anyone's guess!