The RV-8 market this morning
What does a used RV-8 ask right now?
With 13 for sale this morning, the Van's RV-8 is the 29th most-listed piston type on Barnstormers and second to the Van's RV-6 among Van's types. 7 were listed in the last 30 days and 5 came down, about the same churn as the rest of the class. CA has the most of them (4), then TX (2).
Asking prices run from $13,000 to $175,000, and half of the 13 priced listings sit between $125,000 and $165,000. The median is $135,000, 13% above the experimental and kit median of $119,500; 1 of the 7 Van's types here ask more. Age matters: 2000s airframes ask a median of $137,450 against $159,000 for the 2010s.
2 sellers cut price in the last 30 days, 15% of the live fleet against 27% across every type we track; the average cut took 10% off the ask.
Written from this morning's figures and how they compare with the other types on the site. It changes as the market does.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4 | $137,450 | 25% |
| 2010s | 5 | $159,000 | 0% |
Year is read from the seller's title, so 73% of RV-8 listings don't have one. They count everywhere else on this page but not in this table.
Be first to the next RV-8 that lists or drops
One Telegram message the morning a RV-8 appears in your budget, and another the day a seller cuts, with days listed and where the ask sits against these 13. Free during beta.
Buyer's notes
About the Van's RV-8
What it is
The RV-8 is the tandem two-seat RV that grew out of the RV-4, first flown in 1995 and built in large numbers since. It is a low-wing aluminum airplane with a sliding bubble canopy, a Lycoming O-360 or IO-360 of 180 to 200 horsepower, and a wider, longer fuselage than the RV-4 with a baggage bay both ahead of the pilot and behind the passenger. The idea was the RV-4 experience with room to move. The RV-8A is the tricycle-gear version, and it is much less common than the taildragger.
The pilot sits on the centerline with a fighter's view, and a constant-speed 180 hp airplane climbs hard and cruises with the best of the line. It is the RV most often painted like a warbird. Owners describe it as the best-handling airplane they have flown, and they also warn that the loading envelope narrows quickly with a passenger and bags in the back.
Variants that matter for price
Sellers write RV-8 or RV-8A, and the taildragger is the one most buyers want. Engine is the main lever: a 180 hp O-360 with a constant-speed prop is the mainstream build, a 200 hp IO-360 angle-valve engine is the fast end, and a fixed-pitch airplane sits below both. The panel is a big spread on this type because so many were finished for VFR sport flying; a modern EFIS with an autopilot and ADS-B lifts an RV-8 well above the rest. Paint matters more on an RV-8 than on most airplanes, since buyers are drawn to the look. A clear, uncracked canopy is worth noting, because a replacement is expensive.
What buyers check
Weight and balance first. Ask for the current sheet and run the numbers with a passenger and full aft baggage, because a rear-heavy RV-8 is a different airplane. On the airframe, inspect the fuel tanks for weeping, the wing attach and center section, the flap and aileron hinges, and the canopy slider rails for wear. The tailwheel spring and its attach fitting are worked hard on grass. On an 8A, look at the nose gear leg and fork for the later factory parts and for wear at the socket. Check the factory's service bulletin list against the logs. Engine care is standard Lycoming. Ask for the builder's log, the Phase I sign-off and the operating limitations. Damage history is almost always a ground loop, so look at the gear legs, the gear towers, the wingtips and the prop. A builder who did the fiberglass work well, on the cowl and wheel pants, generally did everything else well too.
Who it suits
The RV-8 is for a pilot who mostly flies alone or with one light passenger and wants aerobatics and a fast cross-country in one airframe. It is not for two large adults, not a baggage hauler, and not the friendliest first taildragger. Buyers cross-shop it against the RV-4 for a lighter and cheaper version of the same thing, the RV-7 if the passenger matters more than the view, and the Harmon Rocket if speed is the whole point.
How much does a used Van's RV-8 cost?
Asking prices on Barnstormers this morning run from $13,000 to $175,000, and the median is $135,000. The middle half of the 13 priced listings sit between $125,000 and $165,000. These are asking prices, not sale prices.
How many Van's RV-8s are for sale right now?
13 on Barnstormers as of Oct 18, 2026. 7 were listed in the last 30 days and 5 came down. PlaneSnipe has tracked 33 since Jul 19, 2026.
How long does a Van's RV-8 take to sell?
Not enough RV-8 listings have both appeared and closed yet to say. The survivor rate appears here once the cohort is large enough.
How often do Van's RV-8 sellers cut the price?
2 price cuts in the last 30 days against 13 live listings, averaging 10% off the previous ask. Cuts are logged when the asking price drops between two consecutive mornings.
Last 30 days
Which RV-8 sellers cut their price in the last 30 days?
| Aircraft | Where | Listed | Asking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Vans RV-8Oct 9 | CA | 36 d | $149,000$125,000−16% |
| RV-8 For SaleOct 4 | TX | 16 d | $140,000$135,000−4% |
For sale now
Which RV-8s 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Van's RV8A | CA | 11 d | – | $139,000 |
| RV8A | MI | 11 d | – | $125,000 |
| 2015 Vans RV-8 | MO | 12 d | – | $175,000 |
| RV-8 For Sale | TX | 16 d | 1 | $135,000 |
| 2003 Vans RV-8 | TX | 22 d | – | $145,000 |
| 2017 RV8A For Sale By Builder | — | 23 d | – | $125,000 |
| Vans RV-8 | WY | 29 d | – | $169,500 |
| Van’s RV-8 | CA | 30 d | – | $165,000 |
| 2003 Vans RV-8 | CA | 36 d | 1 | $125,000 |
| RV-8 Project Sale Make Offer! | WA | 91 d | 1 | $120,000 |
| Vans RV-8 Qb Kit | CA | 91 d | – | $62,500 |
| RV-8 Wing Kit | — | 91 d | 1 | $13,000 |
| RV8 | TN | 91 d | – | $172,250 |
Cross-shop
What else does a RV-8 buyer look at?
Other Van's types with a page here, then the same class at a similar asking price.
Geography and method
Where are the RV-8s, 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.