ORIGINAL: DBCherry
If you can't buy it all at once, leave out the starter and 12 volt battery, and maybe even the fuel pump and glow igniter, but find the club and an instructor first and talk with them about it.
You might be able to ge used stuff for a lot less money. And if you buy new, your trainer will be "used" pretty quickly anyway, so....
Dennis-
The problem with used is... sometimes its "well used" or "used up" as in ready for the junk-pile.[:@] Unless you know the guy sellng the trainer... its somewhat risky. Even if you know the guy... its not always a good deal.[&:]
If on a budget... the stepping stone approach works, and you know that you bought good stuff because its all new.
One of the nice points to the "SPAD" approach is you can buy the radio... learn a bit with it on a foamie glider. (I know... looks cheap but it can teach you stuff) Then buy the engine and scrounge some old political signs (or get new ones by asking for them in the campaign office.
) and end up with a decent (not the best but it WORKS) trainer much quicker. Chopping nearly the full $100 cost of the ARF model airframe out of the equation does have some bennefits...
Then when you have saved a bit more... you can get a better airplane and toss the SPAD in the trash (and not care because it cost next to nothing)