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Author Topic: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000  (Read 12772 times)

Coby Hughes

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Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« on: March 03, 2018, 12:30:55 pm »
1973 685 commander for sale. Complete logs, no known damage history TTAF 5418, left engine 101 SMOH right engine 343 SMOH  annual inspection due in October 2018, wing spar inspection due in 12/19. Very nice leather interior, excellent paint. De-ice boots, Freon air conditioning. 322 gallon long range tanks.  Formerly owned by the Oklahoma department of transportation. Helping sell it for a couple friends that bought more airplane than they really needed. Located at KTUL Asking $175,000  any input is appreciated, thanks for looking and have a great day!  Call or text Coby at 918-645-7363
« Last Edit: March 03, 2018, 12:37:27 pm by Coby Hughes »
Coby Hughes
1954 560

donv

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2018, 12:13:39 pm »
Looks like a nice 685. Has it been flying recently? That's always the key to these airplanes...

Coby Hughes

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2018, 12:17:28 pm »
Yeah I met with the pilot previously flying it, he said if it didn?t fly at least every 2 weeks then he would at least pull it out and run the engines.
Coby Hughes
1954 560

Adam Frisch

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2018, 04:05:56 pm »
Looks nice, Coby!

The market is a little more challenging today for the 685's than back when it was produced. I hope he can find a buyer for it, as it looks like it's a really nice ship that would give someone a lot of pleasure!
« Last Edit: March 04, 2018, 04:07:33 pm by Adam Frisch »
Slumming it in the turboprop world - so you don't have to.

Dhavillandpilot

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2018, 04:15:48 pm »
I love my 685, after getting bugs out has proved a very reliable aircraft. But you do need to fly it regularly.

I need another aircraft for my business around the 5 seat mark, looked at the PN68b, but was too limited. I think I'm going to have to pay the extra and get a 500 S or U

Jeff Johnson

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2018, 06:20:23 pm »
Coby,

I’d love to see this plane in my hanger.  But wow those motors....
And wow those “electronics” or lack there of.
And wow 300+ gallons of fuel feeding those.... wow... motors.
A special bird for sure.  But you may need to adjust the price a bit to get it sold. 
Just saying...  the market for these planes is disappearing quickly.  Check out the ‘65 680flp on Trade a plane with RPM conversion.  Not quite the same as this but.  He started at 185k then, make offer, then 125k.
I’d assume 100k worth of plane. 
But needs autopilot. 
So probably not.

What your plane does have going for it.
Great ownership
Excellent maintenance
Straight bird (at least from photos)
Bleed air pressurization
Long range
Super quiet interior
Nice interior.

Was this the plane for sale on the OK auction site?
Just curious.

Coby Hughes

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #6 on: March 06, 2018, 09:31:02 am »
Thanks Jeff! I do appreciate the honesty. That’s what I’m looking for. I’m trying to help the guys sell it because it’s just not feasible for them to own and operate, they just need something that’ll require less maintenance. This is the airplane from the online auction and the friends are the one that named the price. What would be an honest value of this airplane? Won’t hurt my feelings, I’ll relay the information to them and hopefully get it priced where it needs to be. And thank you to Adam and the other guys for the comments. All input is appreciated.
I have my commercial multi rating, but unfortunately with 30 hours of multi time they just couldn’t get me insured. I was hoping to get some time in it, but it looks like that won’t happen.
Coby Hughes
1954 560

Adam Frisch

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #7 on: March 06, 2018, 11:34:54 am »
Coby, I was trying to go easy on them.. ;)

Unfortunately, these planes are sub-$100K these days, no matter if they're in great shape. The market just isn't there for a fire-breather like this. They have turbine operating costs, whilst burning Avgas and going slower, so they lose all their intended market.

This plane is ideally suited for someone who doesn't mind being its last owner and just flying it until it doesn't make sense anymore. Doing engine overhauls on this is just not feasible at $100K/side. Sorry to be bringer of such bad news, but unfortunately I've seen a few 685 sales go down this road and end up just sitting.
Slumming it in the turboprop world - so you don't have to.

donv

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #8 on: March 06, 2018, 12:28:11 pm »
I hate to pile on here, but these old geared piston twins really aren't practical transportation any more. The person who buys it needs to want to own one because they think it's cool, or have some historical connection, or just like it.

It's sort of like owning a 1973 Cadillac-- yes, you can use it to go places, but a modern car will be cheaper, safer, and arguably faster.  But some people just like 70s Cadillacs, and so for those people the practicality doesn't matter.

This airplane is also going to need some avionics upgrades, from the looks of the panel picture. Those won't be cheap, relative to the overall cost of buying the airplane.

I also have to admit I'm a little bit biased against the 685, specifically (too many scary stories from friends), so please take what I say with a grain or two of salt.

Coby Hughes

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #9 on: March 06, 2018, 11:19:05 pm »
Thank you for the honest and sincere comments! I know this would be specific plane for a specific mission, based on what I’ve read. Hopefully the right person will come along and this beauty will find a good home. I think they will become more negotiable on the price over time. Just wanted to get some good honest feedback to start with and get he word out if anyone is in the market for a 685. If anyone is interested in making an offer, I’ll be glad to pass it along to the sellers. Thanks again for your time.
I still have my old 560 I posted about in the introduction page about a year or so ago.  I need to give you guys an update on that thread.
Thanks!
Coby Hughes
Coby Hughes
1954 560

ghancock

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #10 on: April 15, 2018, 07:59:42 pm »
I agree with everyone else here.  I own a 680FP which doesn't work the engines nearly as hard as a 685 but has the same issues.  The engines aren't that common, no one makes cylinders for them any longer so everything you get is overhauled and they are damned expensive to overhaul the engines themselves.  If there is one thing I pretty much hate on my airplane its the engines and I know the only person that would ever buy my plane is going to be someone that just loves them and loves to work on them.  Because that is what you have to be committed to doing.

As a perfect example, we flew 2 hours to Sun n Fun the other day.  The airplane performed perfectly all the way down but on the way back I couldn't for the life of me get the right engine to run LOP.  I ended up having to run ROP and to keep the cylinders below 450 degrees had to burn almost full rich.  At 80GPH I might as well have been flying a Turbine.  At least they doing 270knots instead of the 200 I was doing.

However,  having said that, there just aren't any other airplanes that can do what my plane does (pistons) for the price.  A 421 would be the closest I think i could come, but they cost a lot more and still over power the engines to get the performance they need and have similar problems.  The only thing is, their parts are more readily available even though extremely expensive.

My dream airplane would be my airplane with some diesel engines on it but that doesn't look like anything that will happen any time soon.

Glenn
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You can't win an argument with an ignorant person,  they'll just drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

charlieeasy

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #11 on: April 17, 2018, 10:54:40 am »
The major issue I suspect with a 685 is that there weren't many built, 22 or 25 something like that. The Continental GTSIO-520-K's with 435 HP cranking out @ TO power are surprisingly quiet. The 685 was based on the 690 airframe and was to compete with the 421. You'll be lucky to get to 1000 hours before TBO. At a time when modest pressurized twins were in production, 421, Duke, P-Baron, P-Navajo, and 685, they fell prey to fuel efficiency and the oil embargo. Turbines were better met market-wise, efficient, with more performance.

Now you have these really fast composite types zipping around, and the piston twin market has eroded into a costly investment at any point. The Turbine Commanders have been increasingly potent in higher market share because their operational dispatch times are near 95%. The 685 falls into the high expense arena of piston twin market share, you better have some big bucks. This is where a 685 and 680F-FP in the pre-owned state are becoming extinct, unless you are using them in charter or freight dog scenario's. Continental has long since given up on "geared-piston engine production and Lycoming threw in the towel in 1979. Central Cylinder still overhauls the "Lyc's" but it will cost you.
Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword, obviously never encountered automatic weapons.

Popeye

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #12 on: May 10, 2018, 11:46:23 pm »
Everything has the pro's and con's. My 680F has power, reliability, speed, safety and a hell of a lot of fun to fly it. What is wrong with it?? that they are not produced anymore. Take the baron for example, very expensive to buy and they are still out  there. If any of our aircraft were produced new again, it would beat most other brands. After all, flying an airplane is NOT a venue to save money, they cost money just like any other toy.

Want to go higher and faster?? that will be more money capex and opex. But I much prefer a twin commander than a single sirrus or cessna. The engines are good but do take 50GPH at 70-75% on the 680F. But you can also do 30-40GPH at 60-65% and it will do 160-180Kts. So how many miles per gallon?? dont know because the lycoming concert while flying distracts me. The 685 is a great family aircraft, but being heavier, does limit the usual commander performance.

If we could STC's for 680's for some engine that has same power that is currently produced, would greatly increase the value of the aircraft and we will not be worried about overhauling at central cylinder, and get a new engine for less than overhaul. So...how to get an STC??

But am not seeing my neighbors grass greener, I just enjoy the one I have.

WilsonRiggan

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #13 on: July 11, 2018, 07:19:32 pm »
Hello, All.

Proud owner of 685 ser# 12016 here, now registered as N1021.  While there have been lots of opinions expressed in this thread, there have been a couple of things tossed out as "facts" that I'd like to correct.

There were 67 made.
A GTSIO-520-K overhaul a couple of years ago was $60k.  There are at least 2 shops left that I know of that will still overhaul this model.
Cylinders and LOTS of stuff for those engines are still available.

Things that I concur with:

It is thirsty.
You need to fly it often to keep things working properly.
It is a solid, comfortable ride and a true pleasure to fly.

Regards to all,

Dhavillandpilot

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Re: Very nice 1973 685 for sale $175,000
« Reply #14 on: July 11, 2018, 11:02:44 pm »
Hi Wilson

I concur, it is a great aircraft.