Today’s Top Pick is a 1963 Piper PA-24-250 Comanche.

Take your mind back to the mid-1950s when Piper executives were working on their answer to rival Beechcraft’s Bonanza, a slick, all-metal jewel in a sea of kite-like, high-wing, rag-and-tube aircraft that characterized general aviation at the time.

The resulting Piper PA-24 Comanche was similarly modern, even futuristic. Generally lower list prices for the Piper helped drive brisk sales. Pilots searching the used market today can expect similar value opportunities in the used-aircraft market.

Unlike the Bonanza, which has remained on the market even through difficult times for the aviation industry, the Comanche’s retail run was cut short by a flood that wrecked the company’s Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, factory in 1972. The resulting damage to tooling led to the abrupt end of Comanche production. The relatively high cost of assembling the PA-24 also made it easier for Piper to let the old bird go.

This 1963 Piper Comanche has 2,018 hours on the airframe, 102 hours since overhaul on its Lycoming 0-540 engine, and 5.79 hours since overhaul on its propeller. The aircraft is equipped with chrome cylinders.

The IFR panel includes King KX 170 and KX 175 nav/comm radios, Narco At150 transponder, Sky Beacon for ADS-B Out, Sky Sensor ADS-B In, S-TEC autopilot, King KMA 20 audio panel, Skycom 200E intercom, and Alcor EGT instrument.

Pilots who are looking for a fast, handsome, high-performance retractable single and agree that age is just a number should consider this 1963 Piper PA-24-250 Comanche, which is available for $100,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Piper’s History Found on the Bank of the Susquehanna
• FLYING Magazine: Checklists Only Function When They’re Open
• Plane & Pilot: Piper Comanche
• Plane & Pilot: International Aircraft Directory: Piper Comanche
• Plane & Pilot : Piper Comanche 400: A Muscle Car on Wings
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Piper Comanche
• AVweb: Adopting a Comanche

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