buying GA plane
 

just like to know what is considered, in terms of hours/flight cycles, a:

rather new plane?
moderate age plane?
old plane?

for general aviation. i only know about the mileage on cars, not very sure about planes.

also is it considered better to buy an old plane (say 1960s model) with 5000 flight cycles or a new plane (say 2003) with 10,000 flight cycles?

thanks.

You'll have to be more specific. What kind of airplane are we talking about?

erm...for now im not sure but lets say something like a piper or cessna 152

How many seats do you need?
How much range do you want?
How fast do you want it to go?
Do you want VFR only or will you require an IFR machine?
Are you happy to operate from prepared runways or do you want to operate from small strips too?

You have to answer the above before you go any further. When you've done that:

Airframe hours / cycles aren't that much of a problem - Engine hours are. The fewer, the better (unless you're getting an airframe with a tired out engine and you're getting it cheap enough to make it worthwhile replacing the engine).

Your budget, plus your answers to the above, are your defining factors (obviously newer is, more often than not, better than old).

Just be very very careful Have the aircraft looked over very closely. Look for prop damage in the log books, this could mean a bulk strip that may or may not have been carried out. Ensure all AD's have been complied with. Ask the CAA whther ther may be any AD's pending. If the aircraft is an aerobatic aircraft I would not touch it if it was not fitted with a non resetable G meter from new. Assess the maint facility that has been servicing the aircraft. Bad maint= bad airframe. Ensure the aircraft is the right one. I have an RV4 it is absolutely perfect for what I do. Don't buy a Pitts if you want to fly for 500 miles IFR. Sounds pretty simplistic but you'd be surprised how many don't even follow thse basic rules. Good luck.

for now in terms of spec. i'd say the same things a cessna 152 can do.

and i understand lower hours are obviously better, but what is defined as low, medium, high?

C152:
low hours, anything less than 3K
medium hours, well, say between 3 and 6K
high hours, all above 6K

(though knowing of some rattling cans pushing > 10K and still hungry for more...)

If you are buying an mid to older Cessna a survey will pay for itself.

Aim for a Reims built aircraft, Cessna built are falling apart with corrosion problems. They don't like our marine climate.