Secret second hobbies
All of them at one time or another.
1) Pre buy at reputable shop, preferably that the owner does not know. Look closely at the logs, Do the inspections look thorough or pencil whipped? 5397K was the latter :mad:
2) Good radios/avionics. Upgrades are $$$$
3) Watch out for corrosion,especially amphibs and planes near the coast
4) Fly the plane before purchase, at least an hour. That will tell you a lot about the airframe.
3682S was really bad and took a lot of work to make right.