Van's RV-7: prices, price cuts and days on market

Buyer's notes

About the Van's RV-7

What it is

The RV-7 is the side-by-side two-seat RV that replaced the RV-6 in 2001, and it has since become the most-built two-seater in the line. It is a low-wing aluminum airplane with matched-hole, prepunched construction, a Lycoming O-360 or IO-360 of 160 to 200 horsepower, and a slider or tip-up canopy. Compared with the RV-6 it has a stronger spar, a higher gross weight, more fuel and a slightly wider cabin. The RV-7A is the tricycle-gear version and it outnumbers the taildragger.

Roll is quick, pitch is light and the airplane cruises well above what any certified two-seater does on the same fuel. It will do gentleman's aerobatics within its limits and land on a grass strip without complaint. The reputation is that of the safe choice in the RV world, with the widest pool of buyers and the deepest support.

Variants that matter for price

Sellers write RV-7 or RV-7A and the choice between them is a taste question, though the A sells to more people. Engine is the main lever: a 180 hp O-360 with a constant-speed prop is the mainstream, a 200 hp IO-360 with an angle-valve engine is the fast end, and a 160 hp O-320 on a fixed-pitch prop is the economical end. The panel makes the largest spread among otherwise similar airplanes: dual EFIS with a two-axis autopilot, an IFR navigator and ADS-B is what buyers expect on a later build, and a VFR panel takes a lot off. A professional paint job tends to travel with careful workmanship elsewhere. Airplanes built to a documented standard with a full photo log ask more and sell faster.

What buyers check

On a 7A, look at the nose gear leg and fork. The factory revised both after nose-over accidents on rough or soft ground, and the airplane should have the later parts and no wear at the leg socket. On either model, inspect the fuel tanks for weeping at the rivet lines and the inboard rib, the flap and aileron hinges, and the canopy frame for cracks at the hinge or track. Ask for the builder's log and photos, the Phase I sign-off and the operating limitations. Check the factory's service bulletin list and ask for a signed-off record of each one; the good sellers keep that list. Engine care is standard Lycoming; ask about cylinders and time spent sitting. A ground loop on a taildragger or a nose-over on a 7A is the common damage history; look at the gear towers, the wingtips, the prop and the firewall. Custom wiring and unusual fuel system routing are what a good prebuy spends its time on.

Who it suits

The RV-7 is for a pilot who wants one airplane for fast trips with a passenger, local sport flying and light aerobatics, and who accepts owning an experimental. It is not a four-seat airplane, it does not carry much baggage, and it is not the one for serious competition aerobatics. Buyers cross-shop it against the RV-6 for value, the RV-9 for a gentler ride, the RV-14 for room and a bigger engine, and a Grumman Tiger or Mooney on the certified side.