Man who paid $10,000 for a 79-year-old abandoned airplane reveals truth about whopping amount it costs to fix
- James Webb bought a 79-year-old plane for $10,000
- Although it seemed like a bargain, the repair costs were racking up
- He needed to decide whether or not to sink more money into it
Published on Jan 28, 2025 at 5:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Jan 29, 2025 at 3:49 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
An American YouTuber has paid $10,000 for a 79-year-old abandoned plane – a 1947 Cessna that was in really poor shape.
A 1947 Cessna plane can sell for $40,000 brand new, so it seems like a bargain, right?
As the repair costs started piling up, the content creator had to make a tough decision about whether to sink more money into the repair.
And the question remains: will it fly again or is it headed for the scrap heap?
DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie
$10,000 is a good deal… right guys?
James Webb, known online as Jimmy’s World, recently purchased a 1947 Cessna Airplane for $10,000 which he lovingly named Penelope.
Penelope was in terrible shape after eight decades of neglect and didn’t even run.
Webb knew that other 1947 Cessna Airplanes could sell for four times that price, so he jumped at the opportunity.
However, the costs to fix the plane started to pile up and Jimmy was becoming less and less hopeful that the abandoned plane was really the bargain he’d hoped for.
Vintage Cessna plane repairs are extremely expensive, so deciding whether to go full steam ahead with the restoration was not easy.
The cost to fix a 79-year-old abandoned plane
The abandoned plane had a lot of problems, particularly with stuck and broken piston rings causing low compression.
If these were left unchecked, they could have grounded the plane forever.
A lot of the airframe was corroded and rusted, particularly in crucial areas like the brakes and landing gears.
Thankfully the propeller was undamaged which saved about $6,000 in repairs, but seating was damaged as well as having missing safety measures.
Jimmy’s lowball estimate for the cost to fix her came to about $28,500, but any unforeseen repairs could add a few zeros onto the repair cost.
$28,000 would certainly be less than a $40,000 initial plane purchase with less damage, however Jimmy acknowledged that he was probably making a poor financial decision by continuing with the repair.
But Jimmy was committed to continuing Penelope’s legacy.
Only time will tell if she’ll be back up in the air once more, but weirder things have happened.
