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How to Buy a Piper PA-24 Comanche: Buyer's Guide

A fast, roomy, all-metal retractable from the 1950s and 1960s that rewards owners who stay ahead of gear, fuel-system and parts realities.

Updated October 2026 · Market data from 10 live fyiAero listings, the FAA registry and NTSB records

Overview

The Piper PA-24 Comanche was Piper's first serious all-metal, retractable-gear single, built from the late 1950s until a 1972 flood at the Lock Haven factory ended production. It uses a laminar-flow wing, a stabilator tail, and engines ranging from the 180 hp Lycoming four-cylinder to the 400 hp eight-cylinder in the rare Comanche 400. Pilots still describe it as one of the best values in a fast, comfortable personal airplane. It cruises well for the horsepower, carries a real load, and has an owner community that knows the airplane in depth.

The market is small. fyiAero listings currently show 10 Comanches for sale, against 2,410 on the FAA registry. Six of the 10 listings are Comanche 250s, which matches what you will see shopping: mostly 250s, with occasional 180s and 260s, and a rare 400. Listed model years run from 1959 to 1966, and asking prices range from $39,900 to $149,900, with a median of $84,450.

These are 55- to 65-year-old airplanes, so condition, maintenance history, and who has been caring for the airplane matter far more than the model year. A well-sorted Comanche with good gear, a documented engine, and updated panel is a very different purchase from a tired one at the same price.

Who it's for. The Comanche suits a pilot who wants to cover 500 to 800 nautical miles with two to four people and bags at speeds near or above many newer fixed-gear airplanes, without paying Bonanza money. It is a complex and, in most variants, high-performance airplane, so you will need those endorsements. Plan on a real checkout with an instructor who knows the type, especially its gear system, fuel selector, and approach speeds. Insurers look hard at retractable time, total time, and type experience, and a low-time pilot moving up from a fixed-gear trainer should expect required dual instruction and higher premiums for the first year or two. The Comanche 400 in particular can be difficult and expensive to insure for pilots without significant high-performance experience.

Generations and variants

What a Piper PA-24 Comanche costs to buy

8 priced listings on fyiAero right now ask between $39,900 and $149,900, with a median of $84,450 and a median of 4,525 hours total time. Against fyiEstimate, 4 are priced below estimate, 0 within range and 1 above.

• Expect a thin market. fyiAero listings show only 10 Comanches for sale, so be ready to travel for the right airplane and to move quickly when a good one appears.
• The median asking price is $84,450, with a range of $39,900 to $149,900. The low end usually signals a run-out engine, deferred gear work, or a tired panel, so price in those costs before calling it a bargain.
• Model year barely moves price. 1959 listings average $87,400 (four aircraft) and a single 1964 averages $89,000, so judge each airplane on engine time, gear condition, avionics, and paperwork, not the year.
• Airframe hours have little effect on price in this market. Listings with 3,000 to 5,000 hours have a median of $84,700 and those over 5,000 hours a median of $84,450, against an overall median of 4,525 hours. Look at how the hours were flown and maintained rather than the total.
• A documented history with a Comanche-experienced shop is worth paying for. Join the International Comanche Society before you shop, and use its type knowledge and shop referrals.

Average asking price by model year

Median asking price by airframe time

Pre-buy inspection checklist

Have a shop that knows the type do the pre-buy, and ask them to research every applicable AD and service bulletin. Pay particular attention to:

• Landing gear system and rigging. The Comanche's gear uses an electric actuator, push-pull tubes, and bungee springs. Worn bushings, tired bungees, actuator wear, and poor rigging lead to collapses and gear-up landings. Have a type-experienced shop do a full gear swing, check tension, and inspect wear points.
• Gear actuator and emergency extension. Actuator gearbox wear and an emergency extension system that doesn't work are expensive problems. Verify that both normal and emergency extension operate correctly and review the actuator's overhaul history.
• Wing spar and carry-through corrosion. On an airframe this old, corrosion in the spar areas, carry-through, and attach points can be costly or end the airplane's life. Inspect with panels and seats removed as needed.
• Stabilator, attach fittings and trim. The stabilator, its hinge fittings, balance weight, and trim system have been subject to inspection requirements over the years. Have the shop research all applicable ADs and confirm compliance in the logs.
• Fuel cells, aux tanks and selector valve. Comanches use bladder-type fuel cells and a multi-position selector. Aging bladders crack and leak, and selector valves wear. Check for fuel stains, odor, and contamination, and confirm the selector detents and markings are clear.
• Engine logs, time since overhaul and borescope. Six- and eight-cylinder Lycoming overhauls are a major cost. Review oil analysis trends, compressions, and a borescope of the cylinders, and check whether the overhaul time is calendar-old even when hours are low.
• Control cables, pulleys and bellcranks. After six decades, cables fray, pulleys wear, and bellcranks corrode. Check cable condition and tension throughout, especially under the floors and in the tail cone.
• Belly skins, gear wells and tail cone. Oil, moisture, and debris collect under the belly and in the gear wells. Look for corrosion, cracked skins, and past belly-landing repairs.
• Logbooks and Form 337s. Many Comanches carry speed mods, aux tanks, engine changes, and panel upgrades. Confirm every modification has proper STC paperwork and that the weight and balance is current and believable.
• Airworthiness directive and service bulletin research. The type has accumulated ADs on gear, controls, fuel, and engine components over its life. Have the shop do a full AD and SB search for the specific airframe, engine, and prop rather than trusting the seller's list.

Popular upgrades

• Modern avionics (GPS navigator, ADS-B, glass instruments). A WAAS GPS and digital attitude and HSI instruments add real value and IFR utility. Buyers pay noticeably more for a sorted panel than for steam gauges and an aging navcom.
• Autopilot upgrade. Older autopilots in these airplanes are often unreliable. A modern digital autopilot, where STC'd for the PA-24, greatly improves IFR travel. Confirm the specific STC applies to the airframe.
• Speed and aerodynamic mods. Gap seals, fairings, and other cleanup mods are common and can add a few knots. They add some value, but buyers mostly pay for engine, gear, and panel.
• Auxiliary or tip fuel tanks. Extra fuel capacity helps long-legged trips and appeals to cross-country buyers. Confirm the paperwork and how it affects useful load.
• Engine monitor. A multi-probe engine monitor is a modest-cost upgrade that buyers appreciate and that helps protect an expensive six- or eight-cylinder engine.
• Three-blade prop and engine overhaul with upgrades. A fresh overhaul by a reputable shop adds the most value of any single item. Prop upgrades help mostly with smoothness and ramp appeal.

Ownership costs

No reliable published operating cost estimate exists for the Comanche here, so budget conservatively. Six-cylinder Comanches burn fuel at the rate you would expect for their horsepower class, the 180 is noticeably cheaper to feed, and the 400 is in a different league for fuel and overhaul costs. The big-ticket items are the engine reserve, gear system maintenance, and the steady drip of age-related repairs on a 1950s or 1960s airframe, including fuel cells, cables, corrosion, and interior. Annuals done by a shop that knows Comanches tend to cost more up front but find problems before they become expensive. Insurance will be higher for low-time or newly complex pilots. Hangar, avionics database subscriptions, and a reserve for unscheduled maintenance round out the picture. Some parts are no longer produced, so expect to work through type specialists, salvage sources, and the owner community.

Safety record

NTSB records show 88 accidents involving PA-24 Comanches over the last 10 years, 15 of them fatal and 8 with the aircraft destroyed. Against a registered fleet of 2,410, that works out to about 36.5 accidents and 6.2 fatal accidents per 1,000 registered aircraft over 10 years. Those numbers reflect an old, privately flown fleet more than any basic flaw in the design. Most Comanche accidents follow familiar patterns: gear-up and gear-collapse events, fuel mismanagement with the multi-tank selector, loss of control at low speed, and landing mishaps in a slippery airplane that does not like to slow down. Good transition training with a Comanche-savvy instructor, a disciplined gear and fuel checklist, stabilized approaches at the right speed, and well-maintained gear rigging address most of that risk.

Alternatives to consider

• Beechcraft Bonanza (V35 / 35-33 / A36). It has better build quality and stronger parts support, and it carries more with the A36. Comparable condition costs more to buy and maintain.
• Mooney M20E / M20F / M20J. It is very efficient and usually cheaper to run, with similar speed on less fuel. The cabin is tighter and it carries less than a six-cylinder Comanche.
• Piper PA-28R Arrow. It is easier to insure and maintain, and parts are plentiful. It is noticeably slower and less capable on long trips than a 250 or 260 Comanche.
• Bellanca Viking. It has similar speed and character at often similar prices. Its wood-and-fabric wing structure needs a specialist eye, and the parts and shop network is smaller.
• Cessna 210 Centurion. It offers more cabin, more useful load, and six seats. It has a bigger engine, higher fuel and maintenance costs, and gear and spar concerns of its own.

Frequently asked questions

Piper PA-24 Comanche for sale

📷 25

1960 PIPER COMANCHE 250

$74,000 N7053PKDLZ

fyiEstimate $94k–$96k

LYCOMING O-540-A1D5 Autopilot

📷 25

1964 PIPER COMANCHE 400

$89,000 N8538PKJSO

LYCOMING IO-720-A1B GPS

📷 16

1961 PIPER COMANCHE 250

$89,500 N7244PKPOC

fyiEstimate $104k–$108k

LYCOMING O-540-A1D5

📷 5

1966 Piper Comanche 260

$123,000 N8972P

IO-540 Autopilot

📷 4

1959 Piper Comanche 180

$39,900 N5622P

📷 20

1964 PIPER COMANCHE 250

Call for price N8357P

fyiEstimate $80k–$82k

Autopilot

Prices, fleet and safety figures update automatically from fyiAero listings, the FAA aircraft registry and NTSB data. The editorial was written by fyiAero with AI assistance from that data and general type knowledge. It is not a substitute for a pre-buy inspection, title search or professional advice.