Piper Cherokee 180: What to Know Before You Buy
The Cherokee 180 is underpriced for what it does. Here's what SMOH to look for, the O-360 engine, what $50K-$80K buys today, and what to check in the logs.
Why the Cherokee 180 Gets Overlooked
The Piper PA-28-180 was built from 1963 to 1981. Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, four real seats, metal construction throughout. It was designed as a capable four-place personal aircraft and it does that job well. Most of them sell today for $50,000 to $80,000. For an aircraft that carries four people, 1,000 pounds of useful load, and cruises at 125 knots on 9 gallons per hour, that's underpriced.
The reason it's underpriced isn't a mystery. The Cherokee sits in the shadow of the Cessna 172, which dominates the training market, and the Arrow, which gets the IFR crowd. The straight-leg Cherokee 180 is neither a trainer nor a serious instrument platform to most buyers. That leaves a gap in demand that keeps prices reasonable. For a first-time owner who wants a capable personal aircraft without a $120,000 price tag, it's worth a close look.
The Engine: O-360 and What SMOH to Look For
Every Cherokee 180 left the factory with a Lycoming O-360, either the A3A or A4A variant. TBO is 2,000 hours. Lycoming factory overhauls run $28,000 to $38,000. A qualified field shop will do it for $18,000 to $26,000, though field overhauls don't carry the factory's zero-time designation.
When you look at SMOH, context matters more than the number alone. An engine at 1,400 SMOH with clean compressions, current oil analysis, and no metal in the filters is a better buy than one at 300 SMOH with no oil analysis history and a field overhaul done by an unknown shop.
Pull the oil change records for any engine you're evaluating seriously. How often was the oil changed? An engine that sat for months at a time and had oil changed every 100 hours has a different wear profile than one that flew regularly. Oil analysis samples over time are better than a single data point. If the seller has no oil analysis history, that's not a dealbreaker, but it tells you something about how they maintained the aircraft.
Compressions should be 60/80 or better on every cylinder. Below 55/80 on any cylinder means the borescope goes in before you make an offer. Below 50/80 is a conversation about price, not an acceptance. If the engine is near or past TBO, you're either flying it until it gives you a reason to stop (legal, common among Part 91 owner-operators) or you're budgeting $20,000 to $35,000 for an overhaul. Price the aircraft accordingly.
Airframe: What to Check in the Logs
The Cherokee has all-metal construction. No fabric, no wood, no composite issues. The structure is conservative and well-understood by any A&P who has worked on Pipers. That's an asset.
The AD to know before you look at anything else: AD 87-20-03 covers the wing spar carry-through structure. This is a repetitive inspection AD. Compliance must be documented in the airframe logs. If it's not there, the airplane cannot legally fly until the inspection is completed. Confirm AD compliance before you spend a dollar on a pre-buy.
Check the logs for any history of damage. Look for gaps in annual entries. A missing annual means the airplane was flying unairworthy, which should concern you regardless of how good the airplane looks today. Ask the seller directly if there's any known damage history, then cross-reference the logs.
Corrosion is the thing to watch on any metal airplane from the 1970s. Pay particular attention to the belly skin forward of the firewall, the area under the seats, and around drain points. Run your hand along the belly skin and feel for bubbling paint or soft spots. If the aircraft was based in a coastal or high-humidity environment, look harder.
The fuel tanks on older Cherokees use wet-wing bladder tanks. Bladders age and crack. A leaking bladder is a $3,000 to $6,000 repair per tank. Look for fuel staining on the inboard wing surface below the filler caps.
What $50K to $80K Buys Today
At $50,000 to $60,000, you're looking at 1970s airframes with 2,000 to 4,000 total time, an engine somewhere between mid-time and approaching TBO, and a panel that's probably a mix of original instruments with a budget GPS added later. These are honest airplanes that need a realistic maintenance budget.
At $65,000 to $80,000, you'll find cleaner airframes, more recently overhauled engines, and sometimes a glass primary display or ADS-B already installed. More documentation, better interiors, sellers who invested in the airplane rather than just flying it.
Neither price range is risk-free. Every Cherokee 180 purchase needs a pre-buy inspection by an A&P who knows Pipers. The inspection costs $1,500 to $2,500. It is not optional.
Avionics and ADS-B
The Cherokee 180 has no avionics requirements specific to the airframe, so what you find varies widely. Most 1970s examples have dual nav/comm, an ADF (largely useless now), and a transponder. ADS-B Out is required for flight in Class B and C airspace as of 2020. Confirm compliance before you plan a trip into controlled airspace.
A basic ADS-B Out solution using a Garmin GTX 345 or equivalent runs $2,500 to $5,000 installed. If the airplane doesn't have it and you need it, factor that into your offer.
If the airplane has an autopilot, verify it's functional and current on maintenance. An old S-TEC or King KAP 100 that hasn't been serviced in five years may need $2,000 to $5,000 in shop time before it's reliable.
Where to Look
You can search active Cherokee 180 listings filtered by SMOH, annual status, and damage history at listbuyfly.com. Set a ZIP code radius to find aircraft within driving distance so you can attend the pre-buy inspection in person.
Published by ListBuyFly.com, the nationwide marketplace for buying and selling general aviation aircraft.