[6498w]

Forgive me, as I know many of these topics have been covered generally through the forum (I have read through them extensively and greatly appreciate the info!). I wanted to post a few lingering questions I have and throw it out there to see if any of you owners would take the time to "school" a prospective Skymaster buyer.

I've owned a few planes (all singles), a cherokee 140, Piper Warrior, Piper Arrow and a Cirrus Sr20. I've got around 1500 hours with commercial, instrument and cfi, cfii (expired) ratings. My last plane - the Piper Arrow was destroyed in hurricane Irma, and for the last decade or so I have been daydreaming about moving up to the 337; it seems like now might be the time!

I've noticed a lot of people on forums respond to questions of affordability with things like "if you have to ask, you can't afford it", and "it completely depends on whether you buy a hangar queen or something that has been well maintained". I would be really grateful for your personal experience with your airplane, and would like to preemptively say that I can afford it, and I understand the risks associated with ownership and the variability in reliability from one aircraft to the next.

The majority of my flights are pretty short - less than 2 hours, so speed isn't a big concern. I also don't have any mountains to contend with, and will most likely choose a normally aspirated model to save a bit on maintenance (unless the perfect deal "forced" me into a turbo or p). I will operate it out of Sugarloaf Airport - about 3000 ft in length - asphalt, but rough condition. I will have to tie it down (no hangars there).

Here are my questions:

1. I live in the Florida Keys - a couple islands up from Key West. I'm a little concerned about maintenance/annuals, as there are only a couple IA's down here, and neither are intimately familiar with the 337. The anti-337 crowd bashes the horrible maintenance costs and downtime of the plane, and the owners seem to generally report just the opposite.

With the understanding that most of my maintenance would require a trip to the mainland (about a 30 minute flight to several airports and a lot more IA's), do you think a 337 is a reasonable choice - or would you be concerned and get something a bit more common, like a Seneca so the local IA's can work on it. I recognize there is wild variability based on each planes condition/history, so I'm really asking for your personal experience and knowledge. I understand I could end up with a lemon (and yes, I will be calling on an expert to do a very thorough pre-buy) and my reliability might be worse than average. Maybe even a more specific question - assuming I purchase a 337 in reasonably good condition with reasonable times, fly it conscientiously, and partake in preventative maintenance and don't defer items in annuals, how many "surprise" visits to the shop would you expect in an average year?

2. Are the 5th/6th seats reasonably comfortable for "petite" adult women, or are they really just for very small children? My wife and daughter are in the 5'5" range and weigh around 120lbs. and they would probably be relegated to the aft (chivalry is dead!), since the rest of us are in the 6 foot range. How is C.G. with passengers in those seats? Finally, can 6th seats be added to 4 seat models, or do I have to make sure to buy one that already has 6 seats?

3. This is the questions that always draws the "if you have to ask, you can't afford it" comment, but I have to ask! I can afford it. I know there's no way of justifying cost of ownership, but would like to get an idea of just how unjustifiable owning a 337 is! I am thinking of budgeting 25-30k all-in per year for 70 hours of flying time based on my research. I understand and can shoulder the occasional and awful "surprise" overhaul etc. Just to give you an idea of my local costs - fuel $4/per gallon with EAA discount. Tie down -$150/mo. Insurance looks like it will be around $3500 for a hull value of 75k since I don't have any ME time. With that in mind, and from your experience, is my estimate of 25-30k high, low, or pretty close?

Your thoughts on the above would be most appreciated!