If you are seriously looking at just these 2 then you are where I got to 3 years back. I looked at most of the other options - Jet box (maintenance issues for anything I could afford); A109 (fantastic price - high maintenance) and Hughes (sporty little thing, but uncomforable and claustraphobic - particularly for any rear seat passengers). Others may disagree with these comments, but that was my conclusion.
I reasoned the higher purchase cost (using interest cost as a proxy) was balanced out by cheaper service costs and retained value of the airframe. So far has proved right. Other benefits - cheaper insurance - I did not foresee when choosing.
Plan on 100kg (not litres) per hour fuel burn but if flying 110kt / 4-up then I actually achieve better than that (the book is 120kg/hr at MCP - never have I burned fuel at that rate!).
So in addition to costing me less to own I have a 5 seat turbine with smooth ride, great views and it is comfortable for 4 hr flight from Redhill to Scottish Highlands, 4POB and luggage.
Happy to share service data if you PM me. The modern design means less breakages and when they do occur the workshop hours to do anything are low.
EC120 has its limits - Hughes 500 certainly has more excess power at MTOW, for example, - but fly within them and she is no trouble. Only negative I have heard but not personally experienced is lead time for parts from Eurocopter.
Last edited by John R81; 7th Mar 2011 at 18:56.