Used Aircraft Guide

Cessna 210

Larry Anglisano
Verified
That’s a refurbished and well-maintained 1975 T210L in the lead image. A Western Skyways TSIO-520 engine conversion, custom paint and interior and modern avionics priced it at the top of market, selling for we'll north of $300,000.

For pilots with substantial time in a Cessna 182 or even a 172, stepping up to the non-pressurized six-place 210 Centurion could make good sense—especially if the mission includes traveling with people and stuff. These are stable and capable weather-flying machines, and turbocharged models are honest 180-knot-plus cruisers.

But as with any high-performance retrac, there’s no free lunch. Centurion maintenance is not trivial, especially when properly caring for the landing gear and turbocharged engines. We’ve had our own maintenance hands in enough Centurions to know that if too many items are deferred, the airplane may have annoyingly bad dispatch reliability. Experienced 210 owners will attest that it’s better to fix stuff before it breaks, rather than later when there’s no choice. Of course, satisfying Centurion ownership starts with buying the right one, for which you’ll pay a premium in the current market.

Larry Anglisano

Editor in Chief Larry Anglisano has been a staple at Aviation Consumer since 1995. An active land, sea and glider pilot, Larry has over 30 years’ experience as an avionics repairman and flight test pilot. He’s the editorial director overseeing sister publications Aviation Safety magazine, IFR magazine and is a regular contributor to KITPLANES magazine with his Avionics Bootcamp column.