Dunno if this will help (I wrote this a million years ago):
"Imagine you have the choice of two aircraft—one relatively expensive to buy, but cheap to operate and the other cheap to buy, but expensive to run. Both do the job you want—well, near enough, anyway. The difference in purchase price between the two may well, if placed on deposit somewhere, more than pay for the increased running costs if you buy the cheaper one. However, in the UK, which is not an aviation-minded country in general, this may be low on the list of priorities, as often the purchasing of an aircraft will tend to be a personal decision on behalf of the Chairman.
So, when evaluating an aircraft, first establish what you want it to do—in many cases, a simpler, cheaper aircraft will suit. For example, if you want a helicopter for corporate transport, use a 206B-III, but for training or pleasure flying, a 206A would not only be cheaper, but more efficient, as its C18 engine is not cycle-limited.
What's the maximum range, and where is the nearest airfield to the factory? Do you want an aeroplane, or would a helicopter be better, where you might spend longer in the air, but have a shorter time between offices and not need ground transport from airfields? How many passengers will you normally carry, and will they want to hold meetings in the back? The bigger and faster it is, the more money it will cost.
However, having the most cost-effective aircraft ever won't help if you can't afford even that. Your budget may stop you dead and restrict you further—you have to run it as well.
If you get professional help, it will cost you money, so what you need to do is aim your money at the best target. The proportion of the cost to the actual purchase price will be larger with smaller aircraft because there's just as much work involved in selling them as there is with larger ones, and the total price is substantially less.
A broker will be selling somebody else's plane on their behalf, essentially taking money for the introduction and the paperwork, so you will probably never meet the seller. A dealer, on the other hand, will have bought the aircraft into stock and will be the owner. There is also the private advertiser, who is just selling his own ship, or maybe a bank or financial institution who are repossession agents.
Once you let it be known that you're after an aircraft of any description, you will get every man and his dog ringing you up with what they have to offer. On the one hand, this could save you a lot of work, but it could also be a pain in the neck, so here's another tip; get the registration number of what they're trying to sell—it could be the same machine several times over. If they won't give it to you, then treat them with the appropriate suspicion. They will have registered with the seller and try and get a cut of the deal as an "introduction fee".
Like with a car, look beneath the shiny paint. There's nothing wrong with sprucing something up for sale, it's common practice, but make a thorough examination anyway. Do not do what one buyer of my acquaintance did—looked at a helicopter and took it away to lunch, leaving the engineer that he'd taken along (at great expense) alone to look at the books which were written in German! Yes, he bought the wrong aircraft; and deserved it! It looked nice, though.
The problem now is finding a trustworthy dealer, but could you do your own purchasing? You've already done most of the work by establishing the tasks you need to perform and what you can afford. Yet another tip is, don't believe brochures or salesmen. Take time to talk to pilots and engineers who actually work with the type of machine you're after—you may find that what you're looking at is OK until the turbocharger goes, which then takes at least three days to repair because it's hidden behind the engine which has to come out completely. On the other hand, another ship could have similar work done in less than half a day and doesn't go wrong in the first place because the turbocharger is not in such a stupid place. Similarly, a particular helicopter could be cheaper to run on paper, but its shorter range on full tanks means that you're paying out for landing fees and dead flying more often, thereby bringing the total operating cost nearly equal to something more comfortable with more endurance.
You need to take account of the data for propeller, rotor or engine Times Between Overhaul (TBO), the Mean Times Between Failures (MTBF) on avionics equipment, amongst other things. Certainly, buy from a company that can provide support, particularly an engineering-based one, and have an independent survey by a competent engineer.
Aircraft Valuation
Actually, when it was built is largely irrelevant; what counts is the time remaining on its components, since they must all be inspected and replaced at specified times. Equally important is documentation supporting it—it can take longer to verify paperwork than physically survey the aircraft. In this respect, be especially careful when buying from the USA. There are many apparently "cheap" aircraft available, mostly confiscated from smugglers or drug dealers—with no acceptable documentation, their only value is scrap. Also, the regulations for privately owned or agricultural aircraft are less stringent than in Europe, and you may need expensive engineering and/or major components replaced before they will get a C of A. So:
There is no such thing as a cheap aircraft.
Especially, there is no such thing as a cheap helicopter.
Which applies to maintenance as well; if you save money one year, expect to spend it the next. Remember that as well as shipping charges, you may have local taxes and costs of dismantling, packing and erecting when you get it to wherever you are. Shipping is normally All Charges Forward and you will cover insurance.
The Hughes would be nice, but check its endurance. If you can afford a fuel bowser up front (a few grand), it could pay for itself in three months in terms of dead flying for fuel.
Phil