Its a minefield
After trying to buy into a couple of local syndicates that offered shares, and they didn't have the courtesy to even get back to us, I decided that our own little plane would be a better idea.
However despite getting an inspection done, it got back to me eventually through friends that we had bought a bad un...(how come you never hear that before you buy a lemon).
We have found that despite all the logs and previous history, the magnetos were very iffy, broken spark plugs, lots of silly little things that weren't detected on our couple of short test flights, its very difficult to spot things, until the dreaded beast is yours!!...
Hourly rate probably not much better than school plane at the moment as the annual was bigger than anticipated, however there is a lot to be said for your own little toy on a quiet strip, just need the weather to improve.
So not only get an inspection done, check out the previous maintenance organisations if at all possible, talk to people at the field the plane is based? in the last year we have learn't a lot if in future we ever repeat the exercise, the downside is £20 - £25K does not buy a lot of aeroplane
But whatever your budget...homework required by the shed load!!
Happy Flying
~Al~