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With a sharp eye you can save money on pre-owned gear, but buy from reputable sources and consult with your installer, first.

A Cessna Cardinal radio stack makes for a good example of how you might get modern IFR capability for a rock-bottom investment.

It’s the unexpected accessories you hadn’t thought of that can snowball a job and bust the budget.

You don’t have to spend big on an all-glass panel for instrument training and decent capability.

You thought you thought of everything when designing your new panel—until you had a total electrical and comm failure.

They kill system performance, spread corrosion and cost a lot of time and money to replace.

Of course a nose-to-tail refurbishment of a classic Beech Bonanza includes the latest avionics, but a good shop and panel planning software make it easier.

The time to upgrade the audio system is when the panel and wiring is already opened up. Start with a thorough demo before buying and consider upgrading headsets.

For fair-weather flying and practicing approaches, drop-in uAvionix instruments and a Garmin GPS add just enough utility without breaking the budget.