Warbird Information Exchange

The executor of the estate of a friend of mine asked me to put a value on his J-4.

They don't come up for sale very often. Is it worth more, or less, than a J-3?

Anybody care to hazard a guess, say with halftime engine with decent compression, and appearance 7/10 inside and out?



Thanks,

Dave

To be clear, that's not a photo of the airplane -- it's off the wiki entry.

Dave

The value will be quite a bit less than a J-3.
A J-3 carries a cache and price premium over other comparable aircraft because it's Yellow and pretty and tandem and well known.

A Chief vs. a Champ is a telling comparison. Champs carry $10-15K premium over a Chief for no realistic difference in performance at all.

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Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.

Interestingly, the same sentiment expressed by Budd D in a 1990 article on the J-4:

"Today the much prettier, much more useful. and a thousand times more comfortable J-4 Coupe costs anywhere from twenty-five to forty percent less than a regular J-3 in comparable condition (Ed note: this still applies in 2007)."

Source : http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepJ-4.html

The first plane I owned was a J-4 (basket case for $700) Three years re build and a fine airplane. Faster than a Cub, slower than a Cub, more comfortable than a Cub.........you get the picture, and when I sold it it was 40% less money than a mediocre J-3 would bring. Personally I would pay more for the J-4 but you would have to find the right buyer.....................paint it yellow advertise it as a "CUB" and get more for it.

Dave
Here in Canada , a J4 commands pretty much the same price as a Champ
Not even close to a J3 price

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...it was a plane adrift beneath the moon moving serenely thru beams like an angel of the night .....fair as a song ........aloof from mortal dreams

One complete project available on Barnstormers right now for $9500 asking price. I'd figure $15-20K to finish that project, but it'd probably only sell for $15-25K from what I've seen. I looked at two J-4s a while back, one in Dallas and another elsewhere (can't remember) and they were in the $13-15K range flyable but needing work.
A LOT depends on condition.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.