Negotiate on the squawk list
The pre-buy findings are the negotiation. Everything before this was positioning. Decide in advance which items are deal-breakers and which are price adjustments, and do not move that line under pressure.
- Time
- A few days
- Cost
- Free
A pre-buy produces a list. Some items are airworthiness issues that must be fixed before the airplane flies again. Some are things that will need doing within the year. Some are cosmetic. Your job is to sort them honestly and then have one clear conversation, rather than a running argument over each line.
Sort before you talk
| Category | What you ask for |
|---|---|
| Airworthiness — must be fixed to fly | Seller fixes it, or the price drops by the quoted repair cost |
| Due soon — will cost money within a year | Split it, or take it off the price at a discount |
| Deferred — real but not urgent | Note it, fold it into your own budget, rarely worth a fight |
| Cosmetic | Let it go — capital spent here weakens the items that matter |
Get written estimates for the airworthiness items from the shop that did the inspection. A specific number from a mechanic is a far stronger position than a general complaint, and it keeps the conversation about facts rather than feelings.
What good faith looks like on both sides
Most sellers are not hiding anything; they are often as surprised by the findings as you are. A reasonable seller fixes airworthiness items or adjusts the price, and does not pretend a cracked exhaust is cosmetic. A reasonable buyer does not re-trade the whole deal over a worn tire and an old ELT battery.
If the negotiation turns adversarial over items a mechanic has documented in writing, that is information about who you are dealing with — and it applies to everything else they have told you.
- Sort every finding into airworthiness, due-soon, deferred and cosmetic
- Get written estimates for the airworthiness items
- Have one conversation, not ten
- Keep the willingness to walk right up until you sign