The 185 market this morning
What does a used 185 ask right now?
With 16 for sale this morning, the Cessna 185 is the 21st most-listed piston type on Barnstormers and second to the Cessna 182 among Cessna types. 5 were listed in the last 30 days and 5 came down, slower churn than the piston singles average. FL has the most of them (3), then AZ (2).
Asking prices run from $85,000 to $520,000, and half of the 13 priced listings sit between $209,000 and $299,000. The median is $250,000, 145% above the piston singles median of $102,249; 1 of the 13 Cessna types here ask more. Age matters: 1960s airframes ask a median of $207,500 against $235,000 for the 1980s, with the 1970s at $280,000.
1 seller cut price in the last 30 days, 6% of the live fleet against 27% across every type we track; the average cut took 9% off the ask. That is the lowest cut rate of any Cessna type here right now. Of the 185s we watched appear, 35% were still for sale 30 days later.
Written from this morning's figures and how they compare with the other types on the site. It changes as the market does.
By variant
| Variant | Seen | Live | Median ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| A185F | 15 | 9 | $257,500 |
| 185F | 4 | 1 | — |
| 185A | 2 | 1 | $250,000 |
| 185E | 2 | 0 | — |
Only listings whose title names a variant. Median is over live, priced listings of that variant.
Asking price distribution
Asking prices as typed by the seller. "Call" and "make offer" are counted as unpriced.
Median asking by decade
| Built | Seen | Median ask | Cut rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8 | $207,500 | 0% |
| 1970s | 14 | $280,000 | 21% |
| 1980s | 3 | $235,000 | 0% |
| 2020s | 1 | $395,000 | 0% |
Year is read from the seller's title, so 31% of 185 listings don't have one. They count everywhere else on this page but not in this table.
Be first to the next 185 that lists or drops
One Telegram message the morning a 185 appears in your budget, and another the day a seller cuts, with days listed and where the ask sits against these 16. Free during beta.
Buyer's notes
About the Cessna 185
What it is
The Cessna 185 Skywagon is a 180 with a bigger engine, a stronger airframe and a lot more gross weight. Cessna built it from 1961 to 1985, around 4,400 of them, and it became the working airplane of Alaska, northern Canada and the outback: six seats or a cabin full of freight, a belly cargo pod, and floats or skis as often as wheels. The first ones carried a 260 hp fuel-injected Continental IO-470; from the mid-1960s the standard engine is the 300 hp IO-520.
It flies like a 180 that has been to the gym: strong climb, a wing that carries a load without complaint, and enough power to make float and gravel work far less marginal. The price is on the ground, where the 185 swings harder than a 180 and a fast, flat landing on the spring gear gets you a big bounce. Owners respect it more than they love it, and they keep it because nothing else does the same work.
Variants that matter for price
Sellers list them as 185, 185A through 185E, A185E and A185F. The IO-470 airplanes are the early 185 through 185D; the 300 hp IO-520 came in with the A185E and stayed. The A185F (1973 to 1985) is what most buyers want: highest gross weight, the later structure, and the last of the run, so it is usually the youngest airframe available. Later F models with the 28-volt system draw more interest.
What the airplane comes with matters as much as the letter. Floats or amphibs already rigged, a cargo pod, extended baggage and a documented STOL kit push an ask well above a plain wheel airplane. An AgCarryall with a spray history is priced as a working airplane, not a pretty one.
What buyers check
The gearbox and firewall come first, as on any 180. Cracks around the gear attach and wrinkled firewall skins are the signature of hard landings, and a reinforcement kit is a plus rather than a warning. Float airplanes get a corrosion inspection from nose to tail: belly skins, tailcone, stabilizer attach, strut fittings, float attach points and the inside of the wings. Saltwater history without a corrosion-proofing record is a hard pass for many buyers.
The IO-520 is a strong engine with a known crankcase-cracking history on earlier cases and cylinders that reward careful leaning. Ask whether any prop strike got a teardown. The seat-rail inspection applies. Damage history on a bush airplane is nearly a given, so the question is quality of repair: a documented gearbox or wing repair is normal, and unexplained skin patches are not. Value-adding mods include Sportsman or Robertson STOL, vortex generators, big tires, extended baggage, the gearbox reinforcement kit, a three-blade prop and the IO-550 conversion.
Who it suits
The 185 suits the pilot who hauls people, freight or fuel into short, rough or wet places and does it often enough to justify a 300 hp engine. It is a poor commuter for one person on pavement, and it is not a first tailwheel airplane. Realistic cross-shops are the 180 (lighter, cheaper, easier), the 206 if the tailwheel is negotiable, and a Maule M-7 or Husky for a smaller version of the same mission.
How much does a used Cessna 185 cost?
Asking prices on Barnstormers this morning run from $85,000 to $520,000, and the median is $250,000. The middle half of the 13 priced listings sit between $209,000 and $299,000. These are asking prices, not sale prices.
How many Cessna 185s are for sale right now?
16 on Barnstormers as of Oct 18, 2026. 5 were listed in the last 30 days and 5 came down. PlaneSnipe has tracked 39 since Jul 19, 2026.
How long does a Cessna 185 take to sell?
35% of the 185 listings we watched appear are still for sale 30 days later, so most take longer than that. We will publish a median once more than half of the cohort has closed.
How often do Cessna 185 sellers cut the price?
1 price cuts in the last 30 days against 16 live listings, averaging 9% off the previous ask. Cuts are logged when the asking price drops between two consecutive mornings.
Last 30 days
Which 185 sellers cut their price in the last 30 days?
| Aircraft | Where | Listed | Asking |
|---|---|---|---|
| C185Oct 11 | CO | 16 d | $220,000$200,000−9% |
For sale now
Which 185s are for sale right now?
Newest first. Days listed is counted from the morning we first saw the ad; listings that predate Jul 19, 2026 show the day we started watching.
| Aircraft | Where | Listed | Cuts | Asking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 Cessna 185F Amphibian | NH | 0 d | – | see ad |
| Cessna 185 Ready To Go | — | 8 d | – | see ad |
| C185 | CO | 16 d | 1 | $200,000 |
| 1977 A185F Skywagon | FL | 22 d | – | $190,000 |
| **1973 Cessna A185F Skywagon** | AZ | 27 d | – | $389,000 |
| 1962 Cessna Skywagon 185A | AR | 30 d | – | $250,000 |
| 1978 Cessna A185F Skywagon | FL | 33 d | – | $210,000 |
| 1976 Cessna A185F | CA | 38 d | – | $220,000 |
| 1980 Cessna A185F For Sale | — | 46 d | – | $209,000 |
| 1970 Cessna A185E | FL | 60 d | – | $299,000 |
| For Sale: Cessna A185F | WA | 75 d | – | $315,000 |
| Cessna A185F | — | 89 d | – | see ad |
| 1964 Cessna 185C Project | AZ | 91 d | – | $85,000 |
| Cessna 185 Amphibiam | — | 91 d | – | $265,000 |
| 1976 Cessna A185F N5227R | AK | 91 d | – | $295,000 |
| 1973 Cessna A185F | MN | 91 d | 1 | $520,000 |
Cross-shop
What else does a 185 buyer look at?
Other Cessna types with a page here, then the same class at a similar asking price.
Geography and method
Where are the 185s, and how are they counted?
Where they are
How we count
Barnstormers piston categories are read once a day. A listing is "delisted" after it is missing on two consecutive mornings. Days listed starts the morning we first saw the ad, so listings that predate Jul 19, 2026 are excluded from time-on-market figures. Prices are asking prices as typed by the seller. Nothing here is an appraisal. Full methodology.