Upgrade or Sell As-Is? Preparing Your Aircraft for the Market

Upgrade or Sell As-Is? Preparing Your Aircraft for the Market

July 17, 2026 · 35 min · Episode 266

About this episode

The episode discusses whether to upgrade or sell an aircraft as-is, focusing on the impact of various upgrades on resale value.

Thinking about upgrading your airplane before you sell it? You could spend thousands and still not get that money back. In this episode of The Malibu Guru Podcast, Joe sits down with Casey Aviation sales specialist Eric Earl to discuss which aircraft upgrades actually improve resale value—and which ones are better left for the next owner. They break down some of the biggest decisions aircraft owners face before bringing an airplane to market, including: • Should you install or upgrade onboard radar? • Is a new propeller worth the investment? • Should you overhaul an engine that is approaching TBO? • Will fresh paint or a new interior help the airplane sell? • Can a modern avionics panel increase value or speed up the sale? • Is it better to simply sell the aircraft as-is? The answer often comes down to timing. Upgrades can make an aircraft more attractive and help it sell faster, but most sellers will not recover the full cost, especially when the improvements are completed immediately before listing. Joe and Eric also explain why owners should consider upgrading earlier, enjoy the improvements during ownership, and bring a more desirable, ready-to-fly aircraft to market later…

People in this episode

Host: Joe

Guest: Eric Earl

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Casey Aviation

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