We are about to make an offer on a 1980 Piper Saratoga Turbo FG. I'm coming from the Cessna world, so Piper are new aircraft to me, as well as Turbos. Is there anything specific you guys recommend asking the mechanic to check for during the pre-buy? It seems like the alternator belts are a thing that crap out often? It hasn't been flown much since his last annual in February. During our flight in it, he started getting a negative ammeter and his MFD Garmin 200 was flickering out and then the back up 430 kept losing power. He thought it was a lose battery connection since he asked the guys to put it on a trickle charger before we got there. I'm a little skeptical of that, but may be true and easy to check out. Other than that, the plane seemed to be in decent shape and has low hours on prop and engine.
On a side note, he has the LoPresti cowling and intercooler, as well as wing tip lights. It didn't sound like he sees any speed performance in comparison to another stock Saratoga I looked at. Does anyone have any PIREPS that have the cowling?
Any advise is appreciated and helpful.
On a side note, he has the LoPresti cowling and intercooler, as well as wing tip lights. It didn't sound like he sees any speed performance in comparison to another stock Saratoga I looked at. Does anyone have any PIREPS that have the cowling?
Any advise is appreciated and helpful.
