What used aircraft actually cost in Canada
From low-five-figure homebuilts to six-figure IFR singles, what sets the price: engine time vs TBO, avionics, damage, plus live Canadian prices by model.
The sticker price is the part that matters least
"How much does an aircraft cost?" is two questions. What you pay to buy it, and what you pay every year to keep it flying. The first gets all the attention. The second is what catches new owners out. For live figures, MarketPlane publishes current Canadian asking prices by make and model, low through high, pulled from real listings.
What actually drives a used aircraft's price
Two aircraft of the same year, make and model can sell for wildly different money. The levers, roughly in order of how much they move the number:
- Engine time against TBO. A fresh engine is worth a large fraction of a small aircraft's value. One near or past its recommended overhaul is a five-figure liability, and buyers price it in. (If SMOH and TBO don't mean anything yet, start with the listing-jargon guide.)
- Avionics. A modern IFR panel (WAAS GPS, a glass PFD, ADS-B) can add tens of thousands over steam gauges.
- Damage history and logbook completeness. Disclosed, well-repaired damage is a discount. Gaps in the logbooks are a bigger one, because uncertainty frightens buyers more than facts do.
- Equipment. Floats, skis, long-range tanks, a useful load worth having.
- Paint, interior and how it has been stored. "Always hangared" is worth real money.
Roughly what to expect by category
Prices move constantly, so treat these as orientation rather than quotes. The live numbers per model are on the price pages:
- Ultralights and homebuilts: the cheapest way in, often the low tens of thousands.
- Piston singles (Cessna 172/182, Piper Cherokee, and up): a broad band, from modest older trainers to well-equipped IFR tourers in the low-to-mid six figures.
- Piston twins: lower purchase prices than you would expect, higher running costs than you would hope.
- Turboprops and jets: a different world of both price and operating cost.
Browse what is actually for sale right now: all aircraft for sale in Canada.
The costs that start the day you own it
Budget these before you buy, not after. Keeping a simple piston single costs a meaningful fraction of a modest new car every year, and it moves a lot depending on how much you fly and where you keep it:
- Annual inspection. The bill you cannot skip, and the one that surprises people most.
- Insurance. Driven by your hours, your ratings and the aircraft's value.
- Hangar or tie-down. Varies enormously by airport and region.
- Fuel and oil. The part you control.
- Engine reserve. The overhaul stops being a shock if you have been putting money aside per hour.
Our cost-of-ownership calculator turns these into a real yearly number for a given aircraft and flying pattern. Worth running before you make an offer.
How to tell if a specific price is fair
Compare the ad against what similar aircraft are listed for in Canada, then adjust for engine time, avionics, damage and equipment. Every MarketPlane listing shows how its price sits against the Canadian average for that model, so you can negotiate from evidence rather than a feeling. Whatever the number, arrange an independent pre-purchase inspection before you buy.