There are many things an owner can do that seem in the short run to not be particularly significant, but make a difference. This is information we can give you based on years of first-hand experience. One thing often missed is the proper setting of the nose wheel strut height. If it is set too high, you sacrifice your nose strut vulnerability to nicks and abrasion from taxiing over rough runways or taxiways, or running up with excessive rpm or taxiing at excessive rpm. Your best bet is to stay with the POH. When taxiing over rough terrain pull back on the yoke to keep the prop as high off the ground as possible. When buying a plane that has been around a long time, double check the Type Certificate Data Sheet to make sure that an unapproved prop has not been substituted. Also, verify that there are no ADs on the propeller as that could add a substantial cost to the purchase price.
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